Commercial Plumbing

Imagine operating a kitchen without running water. It wouldn’t be long before the dishes towered like a plate stack in a cartoon parody. Worse, picture the irritation on your customer’s face as they stumble upon the third stall with an out-of-order sign. Both of these scenarios illustrate the vital role commercial plumbing plays in today’s business enterprises.

LaVergne's offers an array of commercial plumbing services to businesses in and around Mount Vernon. Our water system experts work in a number of settings including office buildings, schools, restaurants, and retail stores. If you have questions regarding how plumbing works in your commercial building, we invite you to give 360-685-8098 a call. If you prefer to read up on your own, we’ve prepared a short primer below.

Businesses and homes have a lot of differences. The latter is designed based on the occupant’s comfort goals. They’re often below two-thousand square feet and regularly used by the same group of people. Commercial enterprises, meanwhile, are made to maximize profit and often eclipse the average home in traffic and size. This difference of purpose leads to the following differences in residential and commercial plumbing.

• Building Size: This is the main thing that differentiates commercial from residential plumbing and is why few plumbing companies get into it. Systems for even a small business are much larger and more complex than what you’d find in a home. In a commercial building, you need pipes and fixtures that can handle hundreds of users on a daily basis. This additional stress means commercial plumbing fixtures must be carefully deployed and designed.
• Multiple Stories: Your typical residential home tops out at two levels. An office building, meanwhile, could have well over a dozen floors. Each floor often requires its own plumbing setup and must be carefully merged with the main system. The role of gravity in multi-story buildings must also be accounted for, or pressure issues may result.
• Local Codes: All plumbers—commercial or residential—must be licensed by Washington to work in the Bellingham area. But the similarities end there. Plumbing codes can differ widely for residential and commercial properties. If any work isn’t up to code, you can be on the hook for expensive repairs. That’s why we advise always choosing a plumber with extensive commercial experience.
• Inspection Requirements: When compared to residential properties, commercial ones must be inspected on a much more regular basis. At a minimum, quarterly plumbing system reviews are recommended. Pipe cameras and other specialty equipment are often necessary to complete these maintenance visits.

Commercial plumbing equipment is relatively durable, but it isn’t invincible. Like any other plumbing system, it will eventually break down and need repair. Unlike with residential homes, however, missing a sign of trouble in a commercial building isn’t just an inconvenience. It can lead to lost profits, hiked insurance premiums, and long-lasting damage to your business’s reputation. That’s why it’s vital to keep an eye out for:

• Leaks: Even small leaks often signify larger problems. By calling a plumber at the first sign of trouble, you can quickly find the water’s source and prevent an issue from escalating out of control.
• Pressure Loss: If customers or residents start complaining about a lack of water pressure, you might have a large problem on your hand. This issue can be caused by improper system set-up or blockages deep within the piping system
• Noises: Is there something gurgling in your pipes? Are whistling noises making occupants nervous? This symptom of commercial plumbing issue can be a sign of water hammering or a failing pump.
• Frequent Clogs: Your handyman has unclogged that toilet on the third floor for the third time this week. While you can plunge it out again, this returning issue likely needs a professional’s touch. If you live in Bellingham, you should reach out to our plumbers to kiss that blockage goodbye for good.

When you need competitive commercial plumbing service in our neck of Washington, give LaVergne's Plumbing and Heating a call. Our expert plumbers understand the challenges posed by commercial plumbing and can engineer solutions to overcome them. Whether the issue is a public restroom installation or replacing an old grease trap, our expertise is ready to be put to use. We proudly serve not only Bellingham, but also Mount Vernon, Anacortes, and the surrounding areas.