TDT PLUMBING
HIGH LEAD OR COPPER LEVELS
It’ s wise to have your building’ s water tested at the tap for lead and copper, no matter what types of pipes you think are in the building. Lead, copper, and galvanized pipes have been proven to leach lead.( Copper pipes leach copper, and they often have lead solder that leaches lead.) But there are many types of lead contaminants, which include lead fixtures, lead flux, and other items, so it’ s best to call in an expert( such as TDT Plumbing) to do a thorough investigation and water test.
WATER HEATER AND BOILER ISSUES
Commercial water heaters often have a life expectancy of around ten years, with boilers often lasting a much longer time. Common water heater problems include not enough hot water, water that is too hot, leaks, strange noises, pilot light issues, and defective thermostats. Boiler problems include increased or decreased steam pressure, scale build-up, de-aerator cracking, feedwater line erosion, leaks, and other issues due to overheating. Some of these problems can be prevented with regular maintenance, and some issues will be solved by purchasing a new water heater.
DRAIN CLOGS
Drains are nonpressurized pipes and they may clog if preventative maintenance isn’ t in place. Kitchen drains, sewer drains, roof drains, and storm drains all have the potential to clog and cause backups, which could lead to flooding or sewage overflow on your business’ s property. Having the drain pipes hydro-jetted at least once a year will greatly reduce the likelihood of clogs.
SEWER SMELLS
If you or anyone on your property smells sewage, it could be coming from a breached sewer pipe. These types of pipes run underground( beneath the building and landscape) and could also run vertically through the building. So if foul smells are coming from the grass outside( you’ ll probably also see a large wet spot), the floor, or the walls, this could be a cracked sewer pipe leaking sewage into whatever empty space is nearby. Obviously, this is a plumbing emergency that should be dealt with immediately.
MIC BUILD-UP IN FIRE SPRINKLERS
Microbiologically influenced corrosion( MIC) is a major contributor when it comes to failures in dry-, wet-, and pre-action fire sprinkler systems and can cause failure in as little as five years. As you would assume, MIC buildup can literally be a devastating or life-threatening problem. Chemical reactions between oxygen, water, and metal pipes can create bacteria that leads to MIC buildup, causing pinhole leaks, low water pressure, and obstructed sprinkler heads, resulting in the sprinkler systems not working efficiently when the building needs them the most. Preventative maintenance begins with cleaning and flushing the pipes if they’ re corroded; draining and refilling the system as frequently as possible; as well as being cognizant of leaks in the system.
HVAC FAILURES
A properly working HVAC( heating, venting, and air-conditioning) system is imperative for keeping tenants, guests, or residents comfortable inside a building. The lack of maintenance and visual checks for an HVAC system and its unit can cause leaks, increasing operating costs and resulting in inadequate heating or cooling. The system should have a life span of around 10 – 15 years, but if the system needs to be repaired more than once a year, it is probably time for a new HVAC system or a renovation of the existing system to greatly extend its useful life.
It’ s also important to note that plumbing repairs have come a long way from the days of ripping out pipes and replacing them( called repipes). Modern plumbing technologies utilize innovative, in-place processes that prevent the need to access the full pipe system or pipeline. Instead, the cleaning, repairs, or restoration can occur by only utilizing the pipe system’ s access point, such as a sink’ s angle valve stub-out or the sewer clean-out. One of the most popular modern methods, called pipe lining, has the benefits of no destruction, reduced costs, little to no pipe system downtime, minimal project turnaround, and little to no disruption to the property. Pipe lining is revered as a preventative investment, because it prevents the plumbing issues listed above and considerably extends the useful life of the pipe system. TDT Plumbing employs a wide variety of the world’ s most innovative, time-proven, pipe-lining technologies to restore all types of pipe systems without the disadvantages that repipes bring.
Preventative maintenance need not be expensive. Consider these tips for better piping maintenance:
• Build a routine for visual checks.
• Monitor utility bills.
• Perform other tests and diagnostics.
• Create an annual maintenance plan.
• Plan for upgrades or renovations.
• Put a little money every month into a budget for plumbing upgrades or repairs.
Conducting preventative maintenance is less expensive than repairing and replacing. Your building is like a car. If you don’ t take it in for tune-ups, you never know what could go wrong, and ultimately, your car can stop working altogether. That’ s not a scenario you want with your building’ s plumbing, either. +
Vic Caso is TDT Plumbing’ s Director of Business Development and has worked for more than ten years in the plumbing industry. TDT Plumbing is a full-service plumbing contractor that can handle basic residential plumbing challenges as well as large, complex or custom-designed projects for commercial or government entities. Since 1998, TDT Plumbing has proudly served the Houston, Austin, and San Antonio areas. If you have any questions or would like more information about their services and technologies, please feel free to contact TDT Plumbing at 713- 697-2088 or email Vic directly at Vcaso @ tdtplumbing. com.
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