Commercial plumbing is the kind of plumbing that is carried out for larger buildings and structures. The requirements needed for this kind of commercial plumbing are different from those needed for residential plumbing.
Further, the kind of training, equipment and experience required tends to be a lot more specialized when it comes to commercial plumbing.
You can find out more about commercial plumbing by reading through the criteria listed and explained below.
What Does Commercial Plumbing Involve?
There are several things involved when it comes to commercial plumbing. Let’s take a look at what these are.
Large Scope
The scope involved in commercial plumbing is quite large. The kind of buildings and establishments that commercial plumbers have to work on are much bigger than a house.
These could include office buildings, restaurants, hotels, public toilets, industrial factories, hospitals, universities and lots more.
The plumbing requirements for such places can be a lot more complex as well. Plumbers might need to work with water systems, pipelines and sprinkles, among others.
Design requirements along with numerous floors are also part of the scope of commercial plumbing.
Preventative Measures
Commercial plumbing involves taking several preventative measures so that plumbing issues do not keep arising or causing too much damage. It is necessary to undertake such measures so that potential problems do not cause too much disruption inside the building.
Since several people are involved in commercial buildings, it makes it even more important to ensure that these measures are in place.
An example of such measures could be to install backflow restrictors in place so that water in the pipelines flows in a single direction without falling back towards the source.
It is also important to carry out regular maintenance of such measures to keep them in good condition.
Specialized Tools
Since commercial plumbing is large in terms of its scope and deals with specialized installation needs, it also involves specialized tools and equipment to carry out such plumbing.
Some of these tools continue to be used by both commercial and residential plumbers alike, such as plungers, wrenches, washers, tapes and more.
Some tools, however, are quite advanced and big to carry out the larger tasks in a convenient way. These include power tools, generators, industrial vacuums, saws, pipe cutters and large cleaners, among others.
These tools also require experience and training while also coming with separate instructions of their own.
Water Systems
A large part of the work that commercial plumbing involves is installing and maintaining water systems in commercial buildings.
This means that they need to figure out essential issues such as the source of the water, how to connect multiple pipelines across the large structure, the water pressure requirements, pipes for hot and cold water, wastewater pipes and more.
They also need to account for problems with these systems and how to make use of backups during emergencies.
Cleaning and repairing such systems is also something that commercial plumbing involves.
Inspection and Maintenance
Commercial plumbing does not simply involve installing pipework. Plumbing inspections and maintenance of the plumbing structures are highly important as well.
It is likely that plumbing structures, such as pipes or fixtures, might develop some issues as they continue to be used over time. These could include blockages, backflows, bursts and leaks.
In this case, commercial plumbers need to be present to carry out regular cleaning and maintenance to maintain the lifespan of the plumbing work.
Additionally, commercial plumbing also includes ensuring that all the installations meet the required standard and follow all safety conditions and regulations.
Specialized Codes
Plumbing is usually performed under specialized codes that can list down the standards, rules and regulations that plumbers should follow while installing and maintaining structures while also ensuring safety standards.
Further, plumbers also need to carry a license so that they can carry out their work appropriately and reliably.
Some of these codes tend to focus more on commercial plumbing, since it covers a much larger scope. For this reason, it is important that everything meets the relevant national or local codes so that legal or safety issues do not arise later on.
These codes might also highlight safety equipment and appropriate guidelines to cover certain kinds of tasks.
Fire Systems
Fire systems are also something that commercial plumbing includes. While this does not have to do with more advanced fire equipment, it does include accounting for fire sprinklers and ensuring that they are set up in advance and accurately so that they can easily be accessed in case of an emergency.
Moreover, it is important that commercial plumbers get rid of potential fire hazards that may arise through plumbing installations to minimize the damage that these could cause.
Apart from installing these systems, it is also necessary for them to carry out regular inspections and maintenance of these systems to ensure that they work properly. Replacing older or non-functioning parts is also required here.
General Repairs
As plumbing systems are used more and more, they might wear out and undergo major or minor damages. This is likely to take place in commercial plumbing as well.
The reasons for these damages could either be natural aging of the equipment or an accident that causes the problem.
In either case, carrying out such general repairs is important when it comes to commercial plumbing to ensure that everything works well.
Regularly servicing the plumbing systems and fixing the problems is something that can make the pipes and fixtures last for a long time.
Final Remarks
Through this explainer guide, you have now gone through most of the relevant information about commercial plumbing, including what it means and what it includes.
It is clear that commercial plumbing is an advanced form of plumbing that has some differences from residential plumbing.
There are several aspects involved in commercial plumbing that include its large scope, installing water and fire systems, taking preventative measures, following codes and carrying out general repairs and inspections.
It is important to find reliable commercial plumbing companies so that the commercial establishment can have up-to-date plumbing installations while also meeting the necessary standards.