Larry Snow, a project manager at Crockett Facilities Services, Inc. (CFSI) – a mechanical and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) contractor providing facility management, operations and maintenance, and HVAC services to government and commercial customers – was recently quoted in the Buildings magazine article “5 Plumbing Nightmares.”
The article outlines five potential undetected leaks that could be causing your water bills to rise. These include:
- Chemical Reactions: “Most of the leaks come from the bottom of a pipe, usually where it’s been put together with an elbow,” says Snow. “The water sits for a while and tries to eat pinholes in the pipe.” It may not sound like much, but Snow recalls an incident when a tiny hole, no bigger than one-sixteenth of an inch, resulted in over $53,800 in repairs.
- Deferred Maintenance: Snow explains how many owners and managers do not perform the recommended maintenance on their gate valves. He goes on to say that “the biggest problem I find in buildings is that none of the valves are exercised, so they freeze up.”
- Using the Wrong Hose: “Instead of using a stainless steel braided hose for the water supply to the ice maker, sometimes a clear plastic hose is used,” says Snow. “Your home refrigerator usually runs between 45 to 50 psi, but in a commercial building, you’re dealing with about 80 pounds, so a plastic quarter-inch hose can’t last forever.”
- Blockages: Flushing inappropriate items can cause a toilet to overflow. Urinals, meanwhile, suffer from a more gradual buildup of calcium deposits inside the pipe. If these are not cleaned, backups can occur.
- Inappropriate Pressure: It is important to test pressure regulators annually (or more often if possible). “Adjust the regulator valve while watching the gauge,” says Snow. “Start with less pressure and watch your gauge, then add more pressure, watch your gauge, and return the setting to where it should be. This is something most mechanics and building engineers don’t do, but you pay for it down the road because it comes back to bite you.”
So how can you ensure the above scenarios do not happen in your building? Preventive Maintenance: more specifically, a preventive maintenance service contract with CFSI. When we perform preventive maintenance for our customers, we create customized checklists based on their equipment and the frequency of our preventive maintenance visits. Our annual HAVC preventive maintenance service contracts can help you protect your investment, reduce your utility bills, and prevent emergency repairs.
CFSI has been providing world-class service to our commercial and government customers since 2000.
Call 202.600.2787, email sales@crockett-facilities.com or complete our online form for a service quote. Crockett Facilities Services Inc., a top ten mechanical contractor, provides 24/7 commercial HVAC and mechanical services throughout Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.