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Replacing Aging Hardware in Multi-Unit Real Estate

Written by Posted On Wednesday, 11 December 2019 11:11

If you are an owner of commercial property, you know that piping issues can come up as they begin to age. Because some commercial buildings have older plumbing systems, you should ask about the piping before you purchase the property. It is also important that you have a plan in place for handling repair and maintenance problems before they occur. Here are some things that you need to know as you devise a customized plan for each.


1. Do Some Research

As you learn how to take care of each commercial building that you own, understand that each of your buildings may have vastly different requirements for their piping systems. Especially consider the differences between pipes constructed with outdated materials like lead and galvanized steel, and copper, PEX, CPVC, or stainless steel pipes – the latter of which are often used for higher pressure applications or sanitary tubing.

First consider the age of your commercial buildings. This will help you determine what material the pipes were made from. For instance, if you have a commercial building that was constructed during the 1970s, 1980s, and the 1990s, there is a very good chance that the pipes are too old to repair effectively. When you’re dealing with older pipes, your best option is to replace, rather than repair. Patching old pipes is a temporary fix and could lead to more expensive repairs down the line.


2. Contact a Plumbing Inspector

As stated previously, the state of the plumbing in each commercial building can differ from one to the next. Depending on its age and the type of plumbing that was installed, the pipes in these plumbing systems may need to be completely replaced. Starting early with these inspections and following through quickly is pivotal to avoiding critical problems that are normally associated with corroding pipes.

Here are some of the symptoms that you should know about to prevent serious issues from occurring.

Noisy plumbing

Turning on the water in a commercial building should not cause so much noise that everyone in the vicinity hears groans, screeches, clicks or thuds. Commercial fixtures have been designed to minimize sound.

Low or unbalanced water pressure

Unlike a home's plumbing system, commercial buildings are constantly under a lot of stress due to the overall functions that they serve to large numbers of people. Therefore, issues with aging can occur much sooner than in a residential property.


For instance, in some cases, corrosion in the piping system can reduce the output greatly because of the blocks of corrosion formed inside. This can happen in pipes that are used daily, by a large number of people. When this happens, the faucets in the building may begin to output only small amounts of water at a time due to low water pressure.

Water from the faucets is discolored

A major indication of the need for pipe replacement is the discoloration of the water. Water that comes out with brown or red coloring is a sign that the pipes are corroded and that pieces of the inner piping have flaked into the water that is coming from the faucet. This water is contaminated and toxic. It is an issue that should be fixed right away.

Leaks are recurring

You are constantly calling a plumber to fix the same leaks. The fixes are just a temporary repair and are often a sign that a catastrophe is inevitable.

Hot water temperature is unpredictable

Another key sign is the unpredictability of the temperature in the water that comes out of the faucet. For instance, the hot water may be scalding in temperature due to malfunctions in the sink's temperature control valve.


3. Contact a Re-Piping Expert


Contacting an expert to initiate a re-piping system can be very intimidating due to the size of the project. However, if you understand when it is time to start this type of re-piping project (before a disaster) in one of your commercial buildings, you can avoid major costly plumbing disruptions in your facilities.


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James Stevenson

Hi, My name is James and I've been involved in the property and real estate industry for 10 years now. I hope people will like to read about my thoughts and experiences in the industry and please contact me if you want to discuss my articles further!

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