5 Things to Put on Your Plumbing Maintenance Checklist
Any property manager worth their salt knows that regularly checking a building’s plumbing system is essential. When the water, drainage or heating system goes down in a commercial building it can also affect your clients’ productivity – a knock on effect everyone can do without. In the long run, proactive plumbing maintenance will cost less in terms of time, money and stress than reactive emergency repairs. So, if you want to catch the small things before they become a major problem, here are our picks for essential plumbing maintenance issues to add to your checklist.
Burst or leaking pipes – if you’ve ever dealt with a burst pipe, you’ll know the aftermath isn’t pretty (or cheap to repair). Turning off an unoccupied building’s heating in very cold weather, failing to replace or repair old or corroded pipes or leaving little leaks until tomorrow are decisions that will probably come back to haunt you. So, play it safe, keep on top of general wear and tear and look out for any tell-tale signs that something might leaking, like mould, mildew or pooled water.
Drains and sewers – a backed-up sewer or blocked drains are no-one’s idea of fun. It goes without saying that keeping things flowing along nicely is a lot easier than cleaning up after a drainage disaster. From toilet overflows caused by people putting things like baby wipes down the loo, to greasy, gurgling plugholes that take hours to drain, there are plenty of issues to keep an eye out for. Test your flow rate and backflow valves regularly and get the professionals in with drain un-blockers, power rods or hydro jets to keep everything moving.
Taps – most properties have a dripping tap somewhere or other. While it might seem like a pretty minor complaint, a drip or two has the potential to turn into a torrent if you leave it long enough. It can also waste a surprising amount of water. In many cases, a quick repair with a new washer might do the trick. However, the leak could be caused by something more serious lurking in the water system. If a simple washer change doesn’t get it sorted, it’s time to call in a local plumber to dig a bit deeper.
Water pressure – most of us like a happy medium, and it’s no different with your water pressure. Too high and your tenants could end up being sprayed with water every time they turn on the tap. Too low and, not only will it take hours to fill the bath, it could indicate a leak or burst somewhere in your pipes. If you don’t have balanced water pressure, check your pumps and pipes pronto. Pressure fluctuations can cause serious damage to your plumbing system and any plumbed-in appliances, so you need to get them fixed as soon as possible.
Boiler servicing and water heater checks – a building isn’t inhabitable without hot water and safe heating. Make sure your boiler is regularly serviced and maintained by a fully-qualified, Gas Safe registered heating engineer. Good maintenance is a significant factor in ensuring good boiler performance and keeping the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning at an absolute minimum. Frequent water heater checks are also important. This should keep your water temperature on point and all safety valves and overflows in good working order.
Commercial plumbing maintenance services
While there are some jobs and checks you can do yourself as a hands-on landlord or property manager, sometimes you need some assistance from the professionals. Whether it’s scheduled plumbing maintenance services or assistance in an emergency, we’re here to help. Our plumbing maintenance and repair engineers are available on 24hour callout across South Wales, the West Country, South East England and the M4 corridor. To find out more about our team and what we can do for your property, get in touch with our friendly helpdesk.
