Commercial Plumbing Maintenance Checklist for Tampa Bay Businesses

For a business, a plumbing problem is never just a plumbing problem. A clogged restroom, a failed water heater or a leak over a weekend means closed doors, unhappy customers and repair bills that cost more than prevention would have. A simple maintenance routine catches most problems early. Here's a checklist you can adapt for an office, restaurant, retail space or medical building.

Monthly

• Walk the restrooms. Look for running toilets or urinals, dripping faucets, loose fixtures and slow drains. A single running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons a day.
• Check sensor faucets and flush valves. Replace batteries before they die, and note any that run on or don't shut off.
• Pour water in floor drains that don't get regular use, so the traps don't dry out and let sewer odors in. See sewer smell causes.
• Look under sinks and around water heaters for drips, stains or corrosion.
• Review the water bill. A jump without a reason usually means a leak.

Quarterly

• Clean high-use drains before they clog, especially in break rooms and kitchens. Restaurants should keep grease traps on schedule. See grease trap maintenance.
• Check water heater temperature and pressure. Make sure the relief valve's discharge line isn't dripping. See water heater leaks.
• Clean faucet aerators to keep flow up. Tampa Bay's hard water clogs them quickly.
• Inspect exposed piping in mechanical rooms and ceilings for corrosion, sweating or loose hangers.

Annually

• Backflow testing. Most commercial properties have backflow preventers that protect the public water supply, and water utilities typically require them to be tested every year by a certified tester. Keep the test reports on file.
• Flush the water heater to remove hard-water sediment, or descale tankless units.
• Exercise shut-off valves. Turn the main shut-off and fixture valves so they don't seize, and replace any that won't close.
• Camera-inspect the main sewer line on older buildings or any building with recurring backups.
• Check water pressure. Pressure that's too high wears out fixtures and valves faster.

Be Ready for an Emergency

• Label the main shut-off valve and make sure managers and key staff know where it is.
• Label fixture and zone shut-offs so one problem doesn't mean shutting down the whole building.
• Keep your plumber's number posted where staff can find it.
• Know who's responsible, landlord or tenant, for which parts of the plumbing in your lease.

Planning a Build-Out or Upgrade?

Remodels and tenant build-outs are the best time to replace aging fixtures and valves, add bottle fillers, upgrade restrooms and fix problem drains. Planning plumbing early keeps the project on schedule. See how plumbing fits a build in new construction plumbing stages.

Commercial Plumbing in Tampa Bay

Believe Plumbing works with offices, restaurants, retail, medical and dental offices, and multi-unit properties across Tampa Bay. See our commercial plumbing services, examples of our commercial work, or contact us.