There are two main types of plumbing companies, commercial and residential plumbing providers. Although there are plenty of plumbing businesses that provide both residential and commercial services, it’s important to team up with industry specialists depending upon your unique property needs.
Below we’ll be going over some of the main differences between commercial and residential plumbing, and you may be shocked to find out how different these industry niches truly are!
Common Differences Between Commercial & Residential Plumbing
Although there are plenty of differences between commercial plumbing and residential plumbing, below are some of the common ones you should know about:
The Plumbing System’s Daily Usage
In commercial properties, plumbing usage tends to be far greater as compared to residential homes. This is typically because commercial buildings will have many tenants, employees and clients needing to use plumbing fixtures on a daily basis.
And as compared to residential plumbing systems where families are usually the only ones using the system, commercial properties require far more complex pipe fitting procedures and outlet systems. So because daily usage is far greater in commercial plumbing systems, the entire system itself has to be constructed differently as compared to residential systems.
Durability & Size of Plumbing System
Because commercial buildings have more daily usage, they’ll subsequently require larger plumbing fixtures that provide better durability. This is incredibly important when it comes to avoiding unnecessary pressure and straining on the plumbing system.
Residential plumbing systems are much smaller, so they only require low-grade pipe fixtures due to the decreased amount of overall usage.
Commercial Plumbing Is Far More Complex
Commercial properties will typically have multiple floors that all require plumbing fixtures and piping, whereas residential properties typically only have a few floors at most for plumbers to deal with.
This means that commercial plumbing systems are incredibly complex from a navigation standpoint, and commercial plumbers need to be thoroughly experienced when it comes to handling these types of building structures.
Plumbing System Efficiency
Although every plumbing system can experience issues in terms of efficiency, the impacts of plumbing inefficiency can be more dramatic within commercial systems. This is largely because commercial plumbing systems are used by a lot of people, which makes the timing of plumbing repairs much more urgent.
And when a commercial building needs a plumbing repair, it’s crucial to hire plumbers who have many years of experience supporting large properties. This is because even the smallest of issues can slowly but surely lead to damages within the piping system’s foundations!
Plumbing Damage Probability
Commercial facilities have much more complex plumbing systems, which makes them more prone to damages as compared to residential homes. Although residential plumbing systems do experience damages every now and again, the extent of these damages tend to be limited as compared to commercial plumbing repairs.
There are many scenarios in which commercial plumbing problems create disasters for multiple floors in a building, which will require immediate professional attention.
Different Types of Water Heaters
It’s also important to know that commercial and residential properties always have different types of water waters. Commercial buildings will require much larger storage tanks as compared to homes, and sometimes these commercial water heaters can store up to 250 gallons of water or more.
So it’s absolutely critical to always work with a water heater specialist that has experience handling commercial-grade water heaters when necessary, because residential water heater specialists typically work on entirely different appliances!
Totally Different Plumbing Work Scopes
Commercial plumbing projects are often very similar to one another because most commercial properties will develop similar plumbing systems, but residential properties vary dramatically in terms of different applications and appliances that may be used throughout a home.
A lot of residential plumbing projects will need to be done at any time of day when repairs are needed, but many commercial projects tend to take place on the weekends when employees aren’t in the building. So the overall work scope between residential and commercial plumbers is very different, which is why these two similar professions are often considered to be completely unique from one another!
Contact The Local Plumbing Companies In Your Area To See How They Can Support Your Property’s Unique Needs!
There are plenty of differences between commercial and residential plumbers that aren’t listed here, but the above list is a good starting point when you’re trying to figure out the differences between these two similar professions.
You can learn more about commercial and residential plumbing by speaking with the plumbing companies located in your area!