What is Commercial Plumbing?

Commercial plumbing refers to the building and maintenance of water supply and waste drainage systems within buildings that aren’t private residences. Just like in residential settings, commercial networks provide sanitation so people can conduct business and live together safely.

For a deeper dive into what commercial plumbing is, this guide highlights the key differences with residential plumbing. With a better understanding of what makes commercial systems unique, you’ll have a greater appreciation for what it takes to maintain cleanliness in a business setting.

Types of Buildings

Unlike residential, a wide range of buildings have plumbing systems that are classified as commercial. In general, any large building used by many people is said to have a commercial plumbing system, such as:

• Shops
• Office Buildings
• Hospitals
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Schools
• Factories
• Apartment Complexes
• Other Businesses

These buildings all have different sizes and uses, so commercial networks are very diverse. Whether it’s employees using the restroom in an office building or chefs doing the dishes in a restaurant, the plumbing system needs to meet the building's needs.

Scale

Since commercial plumbing systems are located in buildings used by hundreds if not thousands of people, everything must be bigger in order to handle the volume. In fact, master plumber Roger Wakefield says that in contrast to the 3/4” to 1” water supply lines for homes, he’s seen commercial buildings with 6-inch water supply lines.

In addition to larger pipes, the sheer amount of plumbing needed in commercial systems can be quite impressive. Chicago’s 110-story Willis Tower has 25 miles of plumbing and the 2,722-foot Burj Khalifa in Dubai has 62 miles of pipes, these skyscrapers showing the massive scale of some commercial plumbing networks.

Complexity

Commercial plumbing systems are also much more complex. Buildings like factories, hotels and schools have numerous sinks, toilets and drains, so the piping network is bigger and more complex. This makes both building and maintaining the plumbing more difficult.

Take the example of snaking a house’s drain line. It’s fairly straightforward in a single-family home, but in a multi-level office or apartment building, plumbers have to check each floor individually in order to locate the problem area. This means that repairs on commercial systems can be frustrating and time-consuming.

Water Pressure

Commercial plumbing systems must also maintain proper water pressure. A ny-engineers.com article states that municipal water pressure in New York City is usually enough for buildings of up to 5 stories. Above that, gravity can make poor water pressure an issue, causing fixtures and pipes to work less efficiently.

In order to solve this problem, plumbing systems in highrises often have elevated water tanks and booster pumps so that the water pressure stays constant throughout the building. Although these pumps can be costly, they are an essential part of many commercial plumbing systems.

Preventative Maintenance

Given their scale and usage, commercial plumbing systems require a lot of preventative maintenance. Most commercial plumbers recommend a thorough inspection at least once per year. Commercial inspections can be time-consuming and often utilize expensive equipment such as pipe cameras, so preventative maintenance in a large building is no easy task.

Even if routine maintenance is costly, it’ll save money in the long run. According to Johnson Plumbing, commercial networks that receive routine maintenance are 40% more efficient and 90% less likely to cause problems. It’s easier–and cheaper–to stop problems before they appear, so the expense is worth it.

Health Requirements

Commercial plumbing must also follow local health requirements, especially in food and beverage businesses. For example, most local health codes require restaurants and bars to have hot water in order to sanitize dishes. If inspectors find out a restaurant doesn’t have hot water, it may be shut down.

Although lack of hot water is inconvenient for homeowners, their homes are still liveable. However, since law dictates that businesses must have working plumbing, failure to correct issues can lead to business closure, hurting the establishment’s bottom line.

Urgency

Since commercial plumbing systems serve large buildings and many people, issues must be resolved as soon as possible. If not, they can cause issues for the whole building.

For instance, a leaky shower on the 10th story of a hotel may damage not only the floor in that room but also the ceiling in the room below, a small problem quickly becoming a much larger one. Issues in private residences should be solved quickly as well, but since they usually don’t affect other structures, residential issues don’t have the same level of urgency.