Our Guide to Commercial Plumbing

Commercial plumbing is significantly more complicated than its domestic counterpart. Commercial plumbers specialise in the installation and maintenance of extensive waste removal and water supply systems for a wide range of businesses and commercial housing complexes.

This work for a commercial plumbing group may include the installation and maintenance of metal roofing and guttering, trade waste systems, sprinkler systems, and water and sewage lines. While also including minor repairs for commercial drain leaks, burst pipe and repairs to kitchen and bathroom fixtures.

Intensive Work

Commercial plumbing work requires more work than fixing home plumbing issues. For example, a shopping complex has multiple bathrooms and drinking fountains spread throughout the entire structure. Aside from bathrooms, a shopping centre would have many kitchen facilities and restaurants.

Installing, repairing, and maintaining this very complex plumbing set-up can be very challenging and will require a number of procedures, such as CCTV inspection, jet blasting to clear blockages, valve testing and replacement, and more.

Installing Plumbing from the Underground Up

A commercial plumbing contractor is often tasked with making sure that a new business has a functional water supply and waste drainage lines. During this process, they may have to excavate trenches and lay pipelines that link the building’s piping system to the local water main and sewage system. Great care needs to be taken to ensure that the water supply system is kept safe from contamination.

Once the exterior plumbing systems have been set up, the plumbing inside the building needs to be set up. Based on the establishment’s requirements, the plumber may install bathroom sinks and toilets, drinking fountains, kitchen sinks and fire sprinklers. If it is a housing complex or a hotel, he may also be tasked to install water heaters and boilers.

Maintaining Existing Commercial Plumbing

An equally important aspect of a commercial plumber’s job is performing maintenance work. For instance, making sure that the drainage system is free from grease and other debris that may cause blockages in food service establishments. This is a common issue in most busy hotels and restaurants. The plumber may be called upon every now and then to clear greasy drains or to install special traps that prevent such blockages.

Focusing on Safety

While all plumbers are concerns with safety, for themselves and their clients, these concerns are heightened for commercial plumbing. Plumbing in a public space poses many more potential risks and so commercial plumbers must be intimately familiar with all the relevant safety measures and apply them diligently.

For example, they need to make sure that the kitchen drainage is working properly and that the drinking water lines are clean and free of contaminants. This requires being familiar with all applicable health codes and regulations for commercial establishments.