Commercial building plumbing systems play a role in the operations and success of the businesses that occupy a commercial building. Although not a core part of the business’s day-to-day processes, these systems provide the needed support for seamless business operations.
Jackson Property Management notes that functional plumbing systems help to create a conducive environment for optimum productivity. They ensure an overall positive experience for customers and other people visiting your building. Working plumbing systems boost the aesthetics of your commercial building.
That is why when plumbing systems fail, they can inflict massive damage on your operations and profits, and also hurt the reputation of your business. Leaky pipes, slow-draining toilets, and sewage odors in your building may also draw unwanted attention from the authorities.
The challenge is, given that problems in a commercial plumbing system can happen without warning, how do you prevent them from derailing your business? The key is to find a way to detect these problems before they happen, or their impact becomes more pronounced.
The only way to do this is to inspect your commercial building’s plumbing systems on a schedule.
What is a commercial plumbing inspection?
A commercial plumbing inspection is a thorough assessment of the condition and function of the plumbing system in a commercial building. It is done to preserve the efficiency and safety of the system, as well as ensure its compliance with building codes. The inspection aims to detect leaks, corroded spots, clogs, and faulty, aging, or obsolete components in the plumbing.
A plumbing inspection can be done in response to problems in the building or on a schedule. Because it is done even when there are no known issues in the plumbing, scheduled inspections help you find and fix problems before they disrupt business activities in your building. Scheduled plumbing inspections let you manage your plumbing proactively instead of reactively.
During a commercial plumbing inspection, the following components will be evaluated:
- Water/drainage pipes: Fresh water/wastewater pipes are checked for leaks, blockages, corrosion, etc.
- Fixtures: Sinks, toilets, and showers are inspected for wear & tear and all forms of malfunction.
- Appliances: Water heaters, boilers, and water-utilizing appliances are checked for efficiency and safety.
- Sewer lines: The efficiency and health of the sewer line, as well as the accessibility of the cleanout, are evaluated.
- Pumps and ventilation systems: All pumps, including sump pumps, and vent stacks are inspected.
Benefits of scheduled commercial plumbing inspections
Why should you inspect your commercial plumbing system on a schedule?
- Ensure operational continuity
Plumbing problems dampen staff morale and impair customer satisfaction by preventing access to the critical facilities in your building or making the experience of using those facilities less than satisfactory.
- Prevent water damage
Scheduled plumbing inspections let you uncover the hidden problems in the plumbing that are secretly damaging your building. Without a system for detecting them, leaks can go unnoticed for weeks or even months.
- Prolong the life of your plumbing
Scheduled inspections help you detect and solve those small problems that shorten the lifespan of your plumbing. By finding problems at their early stages, you keep those issues from damaging the system.
- Maximize plumbing efficiency
Plumbing systems that are inspected regularly have fewer problems. The plumbing maintenance plan enables you to stay ahead of issues in your plumbing, addressing them as soon as they arise.
- Promote health and safety
Regular plumbing inspections prevent health hazards in your building. The likelihood of water contamination, slips/falls due to leaks, and similar problems is greatly reduced, creating a safer environment for both staff and customers.
- Ensure compliance with regulations
Inspecting the plumbing on a schedule lets you keep tabs on every feature of the system. By identifying and replacing parts that no longer comply with building codes, you can easily keep your plumbing up-to-date.
- Enable future planning
It is easier to maintain your plumbing when you have a way to track the age and condition of the different components of the system. The plumbing inspection report provides all the information you need to plan future plumbing upgrades.
- Achieve significant cost savings
Scheduled plumbing inspections help you save money in many ways. Early detection and quick resolution of problems means your plumbing maintenance bills are lower. Leak detection and prevention help to lower your water bill. And since the lifespan of the plumbing is prolonged, you can avoid premature replacement of plumbing components.
Finally, how often should you inspect your commercial plumbing systems? For most commercial buildings, an inspection frequency of once yearly is sufficient. But if there are high-traffic businesses in the building, you may have to have a commercial plumber inspect the plumbing system more frequently.
Older buildings, properties with complex plumbing systems, and commercial buildings with businesses in the food service and healthcare sectors need to have their plumbing inspected more often. You should inspect your plumbing more often if there are recurrent problems in the system.