Plumbing is often an avoided topic. Nobody likes to think about the ins and outs of sanitation and how water is being supplied to one’s faucet. It’s certainly not a magical place.

Nonetheless, plumbing is a circulatory system of any community, whether it be a building complex or freehold townhomes. Often taken for granted, plumbing maintenance service providers are the unsung heroes of modern infrastructure. They silently work behind the scenes and on the front lines to provide communities with smooth functioning and flow of water and waste.

However, as time and usage take its toll, plumbing systems deteriorate. Improper and deferred maintenance lead to disastrous results, causing hundreds of thousands in repair and replacement costs of the common elements. There are methods that condominiums must undertake to keep buildings healthy and systems flowing. This is achieved through key plumbing maintenance efforts and strategic replacement schedules.

An ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure

Plumbing inspections are often overlooked or delayed due to administrative reasons—bid gathering or while seeking approval. The preventative maintenance program of plumbing systems establishes key controls that help prevent water damage, secure energy efficiency, and comply with the pertinent regulations.

The program must include both a physical and administrative approach. An annual full building maintenance program contract can be set up with a plumbing contractor to ensure all key component areas are attended to and serviced regularly.

Here are best practices to ensure effective maintenance:

Draft and carry out an inspection schedule to identify potential issues

• Check drains for water level and valves for leaks. Regular visual inspection can ensure that the plumbing systems operate within the parameters and that water flows in the right direction.

Implement a preventative maintenance schedule to key components

• Have your kitchen stacks been cleaned? If not, a multi-year program with high pressure power flushing and using the latest manufactured equipment is key to prevention of backups and water damage. Vertical stacks can prevent the costly expense of pipe replacement, since debris inside the pipes eventually will become hard like a rock and cause major blockages. Have your valves responsible for water supply been checked and calibrated? If not, establish a maintenance schedule for your mixing, pressure regulating and backflow prevention devices to prevent service interruptions. Do you have your area drains and sump pits regularly inspected and cleaned? Otherwise, it’s time to bring that specialized truck to your property to suction the excess water and debris out of the drains.

Maintain the records

• Knowledge is a saviour when it comes to emergencies and maintaining the plumbing systems. Is your valve chart accurate and is the location of each valve known? Does your service provider have the necessary valve chart and equipment locations, including service maps and drawings of all the shut off valves, clean-outs, pumps, other key equipment in case of an emergency? Are they readily available?

Educate the community and staff

• Awareness of the plumbing systems and best practices nurtures and fosters healthy buildings. Residents and building staff need to be aware of the plumbing maintenance not only in the multiplex community but also within homes. When was the last time anyone checked the toilet seals or shut off valves to the water supply in the unit.
• Educate residents that dumping cooking waste particles, grease and cat litter, in particular, may cause a major clog in the drain piping system. Cat litter, particularly, will turn into concrete at the first piping offset, and even a plumber’s snake will not be able to break through the clog which may result in a pipe that may disconnect and cause a major flood.
• Are all staff members aware of the emergency procedures and how to communicate with residents when an emergency occurs? Staff templates for different scenarios could be helpful for timely and effective communication between the community, in-person or electronically.

Preventative maintenance can keep the plumbing systems running for a prolonged period. There comes a time when the equipment is at its end of the life span and the system begins to exhibit deterioration. Domestic hot water running at high temperatures in a system not properly balanced at high velocity will quickly deteriorate the pipes and cause leaks in the system.

Installing a Judo filter to the main incoming cold-water line can prevent all the debris found in domestic water piping, which leads to problems with cartridges being clogged up within the units in a high-rise building. The key to success: strategic replacement of plumbing components.

Timing is everything

Strategic replacement of plumbing equipment can deter costly emergencies and ensure longevity of the equipment. The considerations to keep in mind are:

• Age and performance issues: As the plumbing systems have a set life span, they could become prone to failures and inefficiencies. Consistent problems with leaks, clogs and corrosions prompt a discussion on full scale or sections of plumbing.
• Technological advances: The world of plumbing is flowing in the right direction when upgrading to newer materials, and technologies can improve water flow efficiency, reliability of the equipment and avoid unexpected breakdowns.
• Cost-benefit analysis. As replacement is considered, weigh in on the opportunity costs, the avoidance of future repairs and, most importantly, reduction of service.
• Environmental cost savings: Did you know that toilets account for almost 30 per cent of an average home’s water consumption? Consider water saving fixtures, which could drastically reduce the amount disposed, help the environment, and enlarge your pocket.

By implementing preventative maintenance programs and strategic replacement schedules of various components, property managers and building owners can safeguard against costly emergencies, promote sustainability, and prevent costly disasters.

Remember, the water may flow quietly, but the diligence and dedication behind its maintenance speak volumes in preserving the integrity of our infrastructure.

Val Khomenko, RCM, OLCM is a Regional Condominium Manager with TSE Management Services Inc., providing full-service property management and consulting services in the Greater Toronto Area.

Ingrid Kulik, RCM, CMCP is a condominium manager with Icon Property Management Ltd., providing full-service property management services in the Greater Toronto Area.

Derek Smendra is the President and master plumber at ABM Plumbing and Heating Services Inc., a dedicated plumbing company serving condominium, commercial and industrial clients in the Greater Toronto Area since 2005. He can be reached at info@abmplumbing.com.