When something goes wrong with a building’s plumbing, it can be tempting to avoid calling up commercial plumbers. Landlords, property owners, and building managers have a strong incentive to find the lowest-cost solution possible to problems. As a result, when plumbing problems inevitable arise, it can be tempting to squint until the problem doesn’t look like such a big deal.
Unfortunately, this leads to situations where small problems escalate into full-blown plumbing nightmares. By the time you call in the commercial plumbers to save you, it’s too late to avoid a colossal bill.
But how do you know when you can get away with a call to the maintenance man, and when you should call a plumbing repair company ASAP? Ultimately, you have to make a judgement call as situations arise, but here are a number of examples to help guide your decision making.
Scenario #1: Toilets Keep Clogging
Unlike the low-pressure toilets in so many of our bathrooms, many commercial buildings have high-pressure toilets. If a toilet gets clogged, call the maintenance man. If the toilets keep clogging again and again and again, then you could have a more serious problem that requires help from a professional plumbing company instead.
Scenario #2: Can You Remember the Last Time You Paid for Sewer Inspections?
If you can’t remember exactly when you last paid commercial plumbers for sewer line inspections, then it’s time to schedule service ASAP. Otherwise, you could be in for a nasty shock. Sewer lines typically only last for 40 years, and too often commercial buildings have old clay pipes that are barely functioning. Sewer inspections can actually save you money in the long run. If you identify cracks, tree root intrusion, and other common plumbing problems early, then you can pay for sewer repair instead of a total sewer line replacement.
Scenario #3: Your Water Bill Mysteriously Goes Up
Often, when there’s a sudden spike in the water bill, landlords or managers will just tell their tenants to stop wasting water. This can go on for months, all the while a hidden leak is wasting water by the gallon. Even a minor leak can waste thousands of gallons of water a month, and this isn’t just a financial waste. All that leaking water can pool around your building’s foundation, causing serious problems.
So if any of these situations sound the least bit familiar, then it’s time to call for commercial plumbers before the problem gets even worse. And it will get worse; it always gets worse.