Plumbing Preventative Maintenance Program – Why Should You Have One?
A plumbing problem can occur at any time, which is especially true for strata managers who manage large properties. An unanticipated plumbing disaster will cause an already overworked strata manager to lose time and money, and create a Friday afternoon nightmare.
However, you can avoid these scenarios through regular plumbing maintenance. Strata companies typically work with professional plumbers to set up preventative maintenance schedules. This is to ensure that commercial and residential plumbing is in good condition all year round and they are then less likely to have plumbing emergencies.
JML Plumbing & Gas has spent years cultivating relationships with strata companies throughout the ACT. We are proud to provide our customers with dependable and skilled strata plumbing services.
Benefits of having a Preventative Maintenance Program (PMP) for plumbing:
Cost-effective – In the long run, taking part in a preventative plumbing maintenance program can save you money. The cost savings of PMP outweigh the costs you incur when the problem becomes worse and more expensive to fix. Short-term cost savings are much less than long-term investments. We replace old components and materials as new technologies and materials emerge.
Worry-free life – The property manager, property owner, and tenant will all have peace of mind that the equipment and plumbing services are being inspected by a qualified professional and have a custom PMP for the individual property.
Prevents risk – Regular maintenance can help you maintain your equipment and services in the best possible condition. It’s a good idea to have a backup plumbing solution in place in case of a problem. This way, you can avoid potential safety hazards and keep your property functioning properly.
Company trust & confidence – Your equipment/services will last longer, giving you more confidence in your investment. Also, using the same contractor reduces the chances of mistakes in maintenance work on your project. This is because the contractor has a good understanding of the project/site and its history. The contractor will take care of their work because it is their reputation on the line. The contractor can provide valuable input into the work that needs to be done and when it should be done.
Time-saving and flexibility – Investing in prevention is more time-saving than waiting for something to go wrong and then paying for it. Prevention is always the best option, but not everyone has the time and resources for it. Trust JML to prompt you into PMP programs with reminders.
How often should you perform preventative plumbing maintenance?
Each site is different and we customise it based on the inspection that we carry out. Preventative plumbing maintenance should be performed while equipment or plumbing systems are fully functional to avoid such situations. Most systems and equipment should be tested at least once a year. This is especially crucial for older structures with more vulnerable roofs, old drainage lines, backflow prevention devices, and pumping chambers. A preventative plumbing maintenance audit should be performed on newly constructed residential homes or units at the conclusion of their DLP (Defects Liability Period) to ensure the systems are operating at full capacity. The defects liability period is getting shorter and shorter these days, thus inspecting plumbing systems for underlying faults is more critical than ever.
What plumbing systems need to be maintained on a regular basis?
WELL PUMPS
Pumps are one of the most important pieces of equipment to consider for a Strata complex. They are found in practically every building and are in charge of important tasks.
Two pumps are used in a typical pump system. If one of the pumps fails, the second pump can handle the extra demand for a while, while the faulty pump is located and repaired on the next planned visit, assuming you have an ongoing maintenance contract with a reliable plumbing firm. Without an ongoing maintenance contract, the surviving pump is now carrying twice the load it was designed for, and it will most certainly break far sooner than if both pumps were operational.
STORMWATER SUMPS AND DRAINS
When it isn’t raining, stormwater sumps and drains are often overlooked. Sumps are used to collect and store silt, leaf litter, and other debris that could otherwise reach the drain. If the sump is not maintained, it will fill up with litter and debris, overflowing and washing down the pipe. When the system blocks, the stormwater system will overflow, causing significant property damage and flooding.
It takes specialised drain cleaning equipment to clear a blockage down the line. Overall, it is significantly less expensive to clean the drains on a regular basis as part of a preventative maintenance program than it is to repair them.
PREVENTION OF BACKFLOW
Backflow prevention devices, such as DCVs and RPZDs, are the single most significant plumbing device for ensuring safe drinking water. These backflow devices are put in where recognized dangers exist and are designed to prevent polluted water from flowing in the reverse direction of the pipework, finally leading to your drinking outlets like your kitchen taps. Backflow devices that have failed have resulted in death (rare cases) and serious harm and sickness due to polluted water.
Backflow devices that are testable are required to be tested and repaired every 12 months by law, with the results being given to the government and submitted via an online portal.
HOT WATER
Some buildings have communal hot water systems, in which all units’ water is heated in a central plant room and then circulated throughout the structure. This will be the situation if your apartment does not have a separate hot water unit.
Members of an executive committee frequently compare their commercial system to a hot water unit in a typical domestic residence that served a single-family and only required maintenance every 5 years.
A commercial hot water plant room demands significantly more maintenance than a household system. These systems use a lot of energy, sometimes more than half of the building’s overall energy use. If the system is neglected, the operating costs might skyrocket, the system’s reliability will deteriorate, resulting in frequent and costly breakdowns, and the infrastructure will suffer substantially more wear and tear, requiring replacement far more frequently than it would otherwise.
Almost all hot water manufacturers advocate routine maintenance for these systems, which requires a plumber to service them at least once every six to twelve months.
BLOCKED SEWER DRAINS
When a blocked sewer drain occurs in the main piping, the surcharging sewage should overflow in an open space rather than in someone’s home or unit. To ensure that this happens, there are tight height requirements for relief gullies. A pocket of water at the bottom of the gullies keeps sewer gases from escaping, generating foul odours and perhaps spreading disease. Depending on the building’s construction, the ORG should always allow this to happen but some older buildings do not have a complying ORG.
Tree roots can also be a major problem for blocked drains in Canberra. Once tree roots get in they continue to slowly (sometimes quickly) grow in the pipe until it blocks up. Once it blocks the entire complex’s sewage is overflowing on the property creating havoc. This can be avoided in several ways.
- Clearing the drain annually in the problem areas with water jetting
- Relining the pipe without excavation or disturbing the area above the drainage
- Excavation of the damaged area and replacing with new PVC drainage
This is one of the most basic parts of continuous maintenance, but it is frequently overlooked by occupants who have undoubtedly been suffering from foul odours or overflowing sewage on a regular basis.
SEDIMENT TRAPS AND AGGREGATE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
Groundwater is captured by aggregate drainage systems and diverted into the stormwater system. This prevents building movement, structural damage, and damp concerns.
The sediment trap is fitted on the aggregate drain line on a regular basis. It permits any silt that has entered the drain system to settle at the bottom of the sediment trap where it can be removed during semi-annual maintenance, while the remaining water flows down the pipework to the stormwater system. If these sediment traps are not maintained, they will become blocked with sediment, causing the aggregate pipe to solidify.
Attempting to unsolidify an aggregate drain may be quite costly. And it generally necessitates the drain being dug up and replaced. Because this is usually done beneath a concrete slab, the cost can quickly escalate.
TRADE WASTE SYSTEMS
Prior to entering the sewer system or water storage tanks, wastewater treatment systems treat the water. Failure to maintain these systems effectively might result in government fines or significant damage to your onsite property or infrastructure. These consist of Grease traps, plaster traps, oil separators, septic tanks, and wash-down bays to name a few.
Why you need a specialist for your Strata Plumbing Preventative Maintenance
Without a doubt, plumbing is the most complicated and diverse trade in the construction sector. Water, sanitary drainage, stormwater drainage, gas installations, roofing, pump installations, water treatment, and so on are only a few of the fields covered. There are hundreds of sub-fields in each of these fields.
This is why becoming a licensed plumber takes at least 6 years but just 2 to 4 years for the other trades.
There are various industries within each of these vast domains, such as new home plumbers, new commercial plumbers, new townhouse plumbers, commercial fit-out plumbers, commercial maintenance plumbers, residential maintenance plumbers, and so on.
Each of these sectors has mandatory safety classes that your plumbers must complete. On top of that, there is a long list of specialty training you can pursue if you want to specialise.
Why JML Plumbing & Gas?
JML Plumbing & Gas specialises in strata plumbing repairs and maintenance, providing the highest level of professionalism, efficiency, and safety possible. We cover everything from residential units to commercial complexes and government buildings and infrastructure. JML plumbers are responsible for routine strata maintenance work at predetermined times, as well as 24-hour emergency assistance.
Our cutting-edge software tools track fleet, service, and materials, so property owners don’t have to worry about a thing. Our strata management staff takes care of everything and gets the job done.
The advantages of hiring us to do your strata plumbing services are:
PLUMBERS WITH EXPERIENCE
You can rest assured that your property will be maintained by plumbers with experience in strata maintenance and repair. You can rest easy knowing that they can handle any issue on any sort of property.
LESS RESPONSIBILITY AND HASSLE-FREE MANAGEMENT
Our strata services are effective, streamlined, and, most importantly, trouble-free. Our qualified plumbers communicate with strata management on a regular basis about scheduled repairs, emergency repairs, and maintenance needs. Any issues that develop are the responsibility of strata plumbing, and the property owner does not have to worry about the technicalities.
EMERGENCY STRATA REPAIRS
You won’t have to worry about being taken off guard or having your plumber not answer the phone if you use JML plumbing & Gas because we offer 24-hour, same-day plumbing emergency services. So, rather than having to worry about this risk arising, you can relax knowing that everything will be taken care of for you with JML Plumbing & Gas.
