It is important to understand the differences between residential and commercial plumbers to ensure you choose the right service. Despite providing the same service and sharing many similar functions, most people don’t understand the many differences between residential and commercial plumbing.
After all, at its bare bones plumbing involves installing and maintaining pipework that moves water throughout a property. However, given the differences in scope and size between commercial and residential properties, it makes sense that the plumbing requirements for each one differ significantly.
Here are 3 big differences between residential and commercial plumbers:
1. Places They Work
As the name suggests, a residential plumber offers their services for residential properties. This means any type of plumbing issue that occurs in a home is dealt with by a residential plumber, who is trained and equipped to fixed problems common in household plumbing systems. From leaky kitchen pipes to clogged bath drains, any type of plumbing problems in a house are fixed by a residential plumber.
On the other hand, a commercial plumber provides their services in commercial properties. This covers a massive range of property types, from factories to hospitals to supermarkets and everything in between. If it’s a building used for commercial purposes, then only a commercial plumber is suitable for the job as the plumbing systems are very different to home plumbing systems.
2. Complexity of Their Work
Residential plumbing is far from an easy job but it is much less complex compared to commercial plumbing. The reason is quite simple – commercial buildings put more strain on their plumbing systems so require more complex maintenance and repairs.
For instance, a hospital’s plumbing system is dealing with hundreds or even thousands of people each day. That’s not just more people using the sinks, toilets, and showers, but complex requirements such as the safe disposal of medical waste. Compared to a household that has just a few people people using the plumbing system, the complexities of the system are night and day.
As a result, repairs, maintenance, and installation work in commercial plumbing is generally much more challenging, even in smaller commercial properties.
3. Types Plumbing Problems They Deal With
As mentioned, commercial buildings put their plumbing systems under much greater strain than people do with their home plumbing. Combined with the fact the systems are generally larger and more complex, there are a myriad of issues that can arise in commercial plumbing.
Yes, there are many similar problems like blockages, leaks, but not on the same scale as those in commercial buildings. For example, clogging and blockages occur more frequently due to more people using the system, while health and safety requirements mean that plumbers need to get the system back and working as quickly as possible.
Sewage odors are a big issue in commercial plumbing too, with the more complex plumbing systems facing more issues such as broken flanges, dried out drains, and rotting gaskets. Commercial buildings are often connected directly to sewage systems, meaning more issues can occur compared to a private resident, which often has drains running out into the neighborhood sewage system.
Southwest Mechanical is a full-service mechanical contractor that provides services in Los Angeles County for all aspects of commercial property services. We offer a wide range of mechanical services for all projects. Headquartered in Southern California, Southwest’s professional staff and trades people deliver a full range of serves for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, boiler hot water, general contracting, electrical, concrete, roofing, waterproofing, waste management, energy management, and consulting. Contact us for service today at (866) 808-0354!
