Although the same basic principle is the same, residential and commercial plumbing are quite different. Read on to find out more about the four chief ways they are different.
1. Scope
Most homes have one or two bathrooms, two or three sinks, and in some cases, a sprinkler system or other outside apparatus that uses water. Commercial buildings have a dozen or more bathrooms, each with many toilets and/or urinals, several water fountains, multiple sewer connections, and many other devices that require large amounts of water. Also, homes are usually only two stories, perhaps three, while commercial buildings can rise 100 stories or more. Commercial pipes and fixtures can handle the extra load while residential pipes and fixtures would not.
2. Different Building Codes
You may never have more than 10 people in your house at one time, and even if you do, then they’ll probably only be there for a couple of hours for a party or some such activity. Sure, you might have a big family, but even then, seldom will you see more than two or three toilets, showers, or sinks operating at once. In a commercial building, dozens, if not hundreds, of people could be using toilets, sinks, and showers at any one time. The commercial fixtures have to be able to handle that, and residential fixtures just wouldn’t cut it in a commercial situation. Similarly, the supporting building infrastructure has to be able to support the extra space and weight of all the necessary plumbing systems and piping that go into commercial construction.
3. More Required Inspections
Probably the only time you’ll have your house inspected is when you plan to sell it. Commercial buildings must have frequent comprehensive inspections, and these include the plumbing system in those buildings. Even with a big family, your plumbing system won’t usually need major overhauls more than once a decade if that. Because so many people use commercial plumbing in different ways every day, the wear and tear on those systems is far greater. And, because the health and safety of so many people every day is important, it’s crucial for commercial plumbing systems always to be in tip-top shape.
4. More Complex Equipment
Industrial boilers, larger sewers, additional pumps, and other similar items are common in commercial buildings whereas they’d be unheard of in residential properties. One of the “low-tech” things that all commercial buildings need is a collection of standpipes. While firefighters would be able to fight a fire in your house using the local hydrant, you can’t run a hose up 60 floors and through an elevator shaft to fight a fire on that floor of a commercial building. The standpipe brings water up to that level, which enables firefighters to be able to fight any fires on that floor effectively.
Commercial plumbing requires specialized plumbing parts, techniques, and upkeep. Remember, residential plumbers won’t generally be able to handle commercial systems. It is possible, however, for a plumber to be well-versed in both disciplines.