Owning a business is no joke. There’s no shortage of duties and the burden of making sure your business is successful lies mostly with you. Though some aspects of a successful business are obvious, there are others that you might not consider as being a top priority.

Making sure your commercial plumbing is running smoothly is often not at the top of most business owner’s list until something goes awry.

If you have employees or customers regularly coming into your place of business, an issue with the plumbing can quickly become a real inconvenience. Keeping your customers and your employees happy includes maintaining the plumbing.

Let’s take a look at five of the most common commercial plumbing issues to keep an eye out for so you can seek assistance early.

1. Clogged Drains

Almost every household will experience clogged drains at some point, and commercial properties are no different. As a matter of fact, commercial properties are more prone to experiencing clogged drains due to the larger volume of waste that passes through the drains on any given day.

This makes blockages and clogged drains especially common and an issue that commercial plumbing experts should handle.

In a commercial property, the toilets and kitchens have many more people using the drainage systems, and often, they do so with less consideration and care than they might at home. This can result in massive amounts of debris and waste being flushed down the drains leading to slow drainage and stubborn clogs.

2. Leaking That Requires Commercial Plumbing

In a commercial property setting, the plumbing system is much more complex than in a residential property. There are often hundreds of miles worth of pipes and with so much pipework, leaks are common.

Leaks can occur in the faucets, toilets, pipes, or sinks. This common commercial plumbing issue can start small and develop into a much more severe issue if it goes untreated. Leaks that remain untreated can develop mold and pipes can start to rot. These issues will only add to the expense of the repair, so any leak should be addressed immediately.

3. Problems Achieving the Right Water Temperature

Commercial water heaters have a big job on their hands. When something goes array, it can be very disruptive to the regular operations of the business. Commercial water heaters have to work much harder to heat all the water making them more prone to breaking down or deteriorating at a quicker pace. The result is unreliable water temperatures.

If your business requires certain water temperatures for services performed or as a part of business regulations, this issue can become a big inconvenience. If you notice that your water temperature has become unreliable, it’s time to call for commercial plumbing services.

4. Damaged Pipes

Commercial properties often have hundreds of miles of pipes running throughout them. The larger the property, the more piping that’s required. With so much piping holding so many volumes of water on any given day, pipes are prone to splitting, cracking, and even bursting.

Repairing and replacing damaged pipework can be an expensive process. It’s always best to have small piping issues fixed before they become much bigger problems.

5. Sewage Odors

Cracks and leaks aren’t the only commercial plumbing issues you might come across. Offputting sewage smells are another common problem, and when you’ve got sewage smells on your hands, it can greatly affect the success of your business.

Sewage odors can drive potential customers away and disgruntle your employees. This big problem is one that should be dealt with right away.

The most common cause of sewage odor is dry pipes that clog easily leading to a buildup of sewage within the pipes. If you’ve noticed even the slightest hint of sewage on your commercial property, don’t delay in calling a professional plumber to handle the problem before it gets out of hand.

6. Running Toilets

Running toilets stem from failed toilet flappers. Toilet flappers with a broken seal can cause the float of the toilet to fall out of level which will, in turn, keep the water within the toilet running.

If you don’t have a plumber come to fix running toilets, you might experience a drastic spike in your future water bills until the issue is fixed. It’s more cost-effective to pay for the repair than to pay months of higher utility bills.

7. Silent Toilet Leaks

Any leaks are bad, regardless of the appliance. Toilets in particular should never be leaking. If you have many toilets on your property, you can go awhile before noticing an excess of water leaking into one or more of the toilet bowls.

Silent leaks are often caused by the flapper of the toilet. Sometimes the flapper’s watertight seal cracks and leaks. This is a very common problem and can be fixed easily if it’s addressed early on.

Find Professional Plumbing Help

These are just five of the most common commercial plumbing issues that you might encounter as a business owner. There are other possible plumbing problems that might spring up unexpectedly, both big and small. Whatever the issue, we want to be of service to you.

Our family-owned company takes a lot of pride in providing the very best service to our many customers including both home and business owners.

We invite you to give us a call if you have concerns with your commercial plumbing and we’ll schedule a time to inspect your plumbing and get it repaired right away!