7 Differences Between Residential and Commercial Plumbing Services

Plumbing is key in any building, whether it’s a huge office building or a small home. However, you might not call a professional to work on your commercial plumbing repair as you would DIY fix an issue with the pipes in your property.

What’s the difference? Plumbing mechanisms work the same way across buildings, but there are a few differences in how things are done because of the scale of commercial buildings and other factors.

Commercial plumbing requires a different set of skills than residential plumbing, and not all plumbers are able to do both. Here are some of the biggest differences between residential and commercial plumbing.

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  Size of the Job

In even the largest residences, plumbers are only dealing with a handful of bathrooms, a kitchen, and perhaps a laundry room. In a commercial building, there may be several bathrooms and sinks, maybe even across several floors.

It’s best to hire experienced plumbers to take on large jobs like this.  They have the knowledge and skill to tackle multiple bathrooms and find the potential source of any problems.

From the amount of piping in the system to the size of the water heater, everything in a commercial building tends to be bigger. These buildings need to serve anywhere from dozens to hundreds of people a day. 

• Health Concerns

Commercial buildings that are open to the public must follow strict guidelines, and for a good reason. Poor plumbing leads to a hygiene issue, and it can also raise safety issues for employees, customers, or clients.

Commercial plumbing appliances must be sturdy, easy to clean, and drain very well to avoid common issues and ensure a high standard of cleanliness. Large-scale plumbing systems adhere to different codes than residential plumbing, so look for a plumber with expertise in this subject.

Sticking to the code is vital, so find a plumber that can keep your business up to date with hygiene and plumbing codes. 

• The Complexity of the Plumbing

Residential plumbing has its quirks, but the smaller scale and simpler appliances usually mean that there’s a limit to how complex the plumbing and corresponding issues will be.

When it comes to commercial plumbing issues, plumbers could be dealing with a multi-floor problem and hundreds of yards of pipes. Commercial plumbing sometimes requires special equipment to deal with these complex systems which a reliable plumber Fontana can provide.

Not all plumbers have the same certifications. Commercial plumbing requires a special skill set, and trained plumbers will have familiarity with the unique challenges that come with operating in a large building.

A certified commercial plumber will know the best way to approach all of these possible issues in the shortest amount of time, so a business can get up and running again as soon as possible.

• Frequent Usage of Plumbing

The more people using the plumbing in a building, the more of a strain there is. Frequent use invites the possibility of more issues, as a result of normal wear and tear.

The plumbing in a residence gets less used than those at even the smallest business. Between employees, customers, and other guests, the facilities in commercial buildings are in use all day long.

This means each plumber Fontana must use more durable, commercial-grade appliances and parts to ensure that bathrooms, kitchens, and other workspaces can hold up to the frequent daily use. Make sure your plumber has the tools and parts necessary to keep your plumbing in top condition. 

• Multiple Floors

Everyone on earth has to play by gravity’s rules, and that includes plumbers. Having multiple floors certainly adds to the complexity of any plumbing job.

Gravity affects plumbing, and plenty of commercial buildings have multiple floors, especially larger office or city buildings. Most homes have three or fewer stories, which limits the extent of the potential plumbing issues.

It can be difficult to get the water pressure right when you need to send it up to such heights.

Commercial plumbers need to account for this situation with pressure-regulating valves and other techniques. Otherwise, the water pressure at the lower levels would be too high, and the water at higher levels would be too low.

Another example is how branch water lines stem from one to many, delivering water to dozens of floors. When you’re working in a large building, a lot of small factors come into play and can have a ripple effect on the plumbing as a whole. 

• Potential for Damage

Water damage is a serious concern for any building, so plumbers should be chosen with care. For a commercial building, it can be disastrous. At worst, untreated water damage can have effects on the structure of a building. It can seep through multiple floors, affecting walls, ceilings, and floors.

Water damage can require expensive repairs and potentially require a company shutdown. That’s why it’s important to fix your plumbing problems as quickly as possible, to minimize and prevent damage.

Seek out skilled, knowledgeable plumbers who you can trust to handle your plumbing issues swiftly because they will save you countless hours of time and money. 

• Locating Leaks and Other Issues

An important part of plumbing is finding the origin point of a water leak or other issue. Finding the leak is less challenging in a home, but it can take more time and effort to do so in a large commercial building.

Pinpointing a leak in a commercial building requires detailed knowledge of how the plumbing system overall works. In a home, the search is limited to a few rooms, but in a building, it’s spread out across multiple floors on a larger scale.

Find a Trusted Plumber Fontana CA

Experienced commercial plumbers will have an efficient approach to the search, letting you get back to business as usual as soon as possible.

There are some similarities across residential and commercial plumbing, but skill and experience set some plumbers apart as experts in commercial services.

If you’re looking for a trusted plumber Fontana CA, our plumbers are skilled and efficient in addressing problems with commercial plumbing, from water leaks to pipe repair.

If you need plumbing help for a commercial building, contact our team at Bobby Blue Plumbing today.