Roots and Leaks Who to Call With a Plumbing Problem

Plumbing is a key part of any infrastructure that can often be taken for granted. From sinks to toilets, any number of appliances in both homes and commercial buildings depend on water being pumped accurately and effectively from the source to the destination. The problems that can develop from a faulty pipe could cause damage to a building and to a business’s brand.

Many research studies say a good percentage-between 20% and 35%-of toilets in residences leak. Even seemingly small problems, such as a leaky faucet, can cost a home owner or business owner a great deal of money. A leaky faucet that drips, for instance, at a rate of one drip per second can waste as much as 3,000 gallons of water per year.

Commercial plumbing aims to fix these problems while generally adhering to the International Plumbing Code, which sets the regulations for aspects of plumbing such as backflow prevention, sanitary drainage, storm drainage, and water heaters. The International Plumbing Code has been adopted either at the state or local level in 35 states.

Some of the issues surrounding plumbing have developed with the increasing progress of technology. For instance, skyscrapers and high rise buildings generally need more than the gravity-fed city mains; electrically operated pumps are needed for water to reach elevated storage areas.

And sometimes government regulations come into effect, such as when the U.S. Department of Energy issued new energy efficient mandates in 2015 that require higher energy factor rating on almost all residential water heating products in single family homes and apartment buildings.

Commercial plumbing company offers services such as sewer repair, which can often happen when a sewer passes the 40-year-old mark, and others such as drain cleaning and leak line detection. Commercial plumbers may know what questions to ask, such as if you have clay plumbing pipes that tree roots can easily infiltrate or damage. And plumbing repair can head off a larger problem as well.

Here are some final tips about plumbing and whether you should consult a commercial plumbing company.

Hotels should have the capacity to store at least one day’s supply of water.
Depending on how big your house is or how many people live there, a commercial plumber may need to pump your septic tank once every five to ten years.
Fat and oil build-ups cause about 47% of residential or commercial sewer overflows that happen each year.