Commercial vs Residential Plumbing
Residential and commercial plumbing may just sound like a difference in scale, but there are many more differences. A qualified residential plumber may not have the skill set necessary to handle commercial plumbing.
What is Commercial Plumbing?
Commercial plumbing is the type of plumbing required to serve a large building — anything that qualifies as “commercial property.” This might include:
Apartment complexes or condo developments.
Retail centers.
Office buildings.
Warehouses.
Hotels.
Schools.
Government buildings.
What is Residential Plumbing?
Residential plumbing is the type of plumbing found in single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes — anything that qualifies as residential real estate instead of commercial real estate, with the exception of larger apartment complexes or condo developments.
What is The Difference Between Commercial and Residential Plumbing?
DIY Plumbing. Handy homeowners or landlords may be able to fix many residential plumbing problems themselves with simple tools. This is almost never the case for commercial plumbing — those fixes require the skill set of an experienced commercial plumbing contractor.
Daily Usage Requirements. More people typically depend on fewer plumbing fixtures in a commercial building compared to a residential building. As such, commercial plumbing needs to be rated for higher daily usage.
Size, Complexity, and Durability. Commercial plumbing is big and complex compared to residential plumbing. Commercial plumbing is also more prone to breakage and harder to fix, so it behooves commercial plumbing service providers to use components with commercial-grade durability.
The Effect of Gravity. Commercial buildings tend to be taller — anywhere from four stories to 20 stories or higher. Commercial plumbing contractors must account for the effect of gravity when moving water through that much vertical space. For context, if a plumber were to try and route water to the top floor of the Burj Khalifa using a single vertical pipe, the water in that pipe would be under 280 tons of pressure — more than most pipes can handle.
Regulatory Compliance Burden. Commercial buildings typically have higher burdens of compliance with health and safety regulations. Commercial plumbers must know the applicable regulations and how to comply with them.
Different Water Heater Needs. Commercial plumbing usually requires larger water heaters with more gas input levels, sometimes as much as 250 gallons or more. Residential plumbing rarely requires a water heater with a capacity larger than 100 gallons.
Complexity of Repairs. Not only is commercial plumbing more prone to breakage, but it can be harder to fix. The systems themselves are more complex, and issues may be harder to spot. For example, a drainage problem in one unit might be due to a blockage in a different unit, requiring the plumber to snake multiple units in order to fix it.
How to Choose the Right Plumber
Check Credentials
Make sure the commercial or residential plumbing service you choose is fully licensed and that the license is in good standing — not revoked, lapsed, or suspended. Also, ask to see the plumber’s surety bond and proof of insurance. This is to reduce the risk both to you and the plumber.
Check Reputation
Ask the plumber to verify his/her track record. Ask for references if possible. Check the plumber’s reputation on popular reputation-management websites, like Google reviews, Facebook reviews, Yelp, Angie’s List, and the Better Business Bureau.
Check Specializations
Verify that the plumber has experience with your kind of building, your kind of plumbing system, and the kind of work that needs doing.
Check Hours of Operation
Commercial plumbing repairs may cause the building to become uninhabitable for hours at a time, which might cause businesses that occupy the building to shut down and lose productivity. To minimize downtime in a commercial building, check that the commercial plumber is able to perform work during your “closed” hours to limit the loss of revenue.
Need to have your plumbing looked at? Schedule an appointment with us today! We are fully qualified for both residential and commercial plumbing work.
