EXPERIENCE SPEAKS: Plumbing

Retail Facility Business asked several experts about plumbing issues pertaining to retailers and shopping centers. Our experts are: Larry Rothman, director of plumbing and engineering services for Cincinnati-based Roto-Rooter Services Company; Neil A. Sperling, managing partner and founder of GGS Partners; Vincent J. Sorco, director of business development for Pittsburgh-based Mongiovi & Son Enterprise; and Sal Brunetto, in the Commercial National Accounts division of Montgomery, Alabama-based Rheem Water Heating.

RFB: What are the most common maintenance calls you get regarding plumbing issues at retail stores?

Larry Rothman: Typically, there are few plumbing fixtures in a retail environment. Toilet repair and maintenance requests are the most common calls we get from retailers. The types of repairs include replacement of faulty or worn parts in tank and bowl toilet systems (conventional, residential toilet types). These are often found in commercial establishments. The heavier duty commercial toilets occasionally need flushometer maintenance or replacement parts to keep them operating. On tank and bowl systems, most repairs are as simple as replacing or resetting the flush lever up to and including replacing all of the “guts” inside the tank.  “Running” flushometers are the most common types of problems we see with commercial toilets. Unfortunately, many repairs are caused by customer abuse. Kicking a flushometer or a tank will many times cause the seal between the flushometer, or tank, and bowl to become loose or disjointed. This will cause leaking at the back rim of the bowl.

Neil Sperling: The most common is a clogged or broken toilet.  The second-most common is an overflowing toilet. Then, a non-working faucet or no hot water [are other common maintenance problems that retailers have].

Vince Sorco: The most common maintenance calls at retail stores are (1) urinal clogs, (2) leaky faucets and (3) floor drains backing up.

Sal Brunetto: Usually no one even thinks about their 20-year-old water heater until it stops working properly.  In the food service arena that usually happens on Friday at 6 p.m. — on Valentine’s Day — guaranteed. A bad water heater will shut a down a restaurant and keep it closed until the heater is replaced while dollars fly out the window in lost business and/or fines. We spend a lot of time helping facility managers find an emergency replacement water heater or troubleshooting the one they have.

RFB: How can these common problems be prevented?

Rothman: For the repairs that are not caused by abuse, checking the fixtures at regular intervals would allow you to stay ahead of the problem in many cases. In tank and bowl systems, taking the lid off the tank to inspect the parts is a good start. Running a finger around the flapper valve will give you a good indication of wear, making sure that all of the parts are tightly sealed and there is no movement of parts that shouldn’t be moving. Also, make sure that the fill valve is properly set to allow the correct amount of water to enter the bowl.

For flushometers, manually inspect the flushometers on a regular basis. Make sure the flushometer reacts quickly when the handle is pulled or the override button is pressed. If the flushometer seems to react slowly, the diaphragm may be in need of repair or replacement. If the flushometer has a battery-operated “electric eye,” make sure the batteries are replaced at the manufacturer’s recommended interval.

Sperling: It is not economic to not do plumbing PMs. The best way to prevent them is [by] educating the store staff on proper usage (what not to flush) and trying to keep customers from mis-using the facilities. Call clogs or breakages in right away to prevent bigger problems.

Sorco: These problems can be prevented by having a licensed trained plumbing company perform “peace of mind” inspections. [For example], go through the entire location with a checklist of common items and alert managers to situations. This allows them to be proactive and to eliminate multiple service calls.

Brunetto: We try to educate facility managers about the importance of simple equipment maintenance. Service/maintenance agreements as well as installing quality equipment is the cheapest form of insurance they can buy. However, it all starts with the install. Even the best, high quality commercial products installed incorrectly will fail prematurely. 

RFB: What should retailers and property managers look for when hiring a plumbing service provider?

Rothman: At the very least, you should want a service provider that will be available when you need them to be, day or night and on weekends. If a fixture starts leaking late at night, you may cause considerable damage if the plumber doesn’t address the problem promptly. Make sure the plumber stocks the parts for the type of equipment you have in your store. If they don’t have the parts with them, you may again have to wait several hours for the problem to be resolved as the plumber tracks down the parts from a plumbing supply house. If you only have one toilet in your bathroom and it’s not working for several hours, it becomes a major inconvenience for your staff and your customers. Guarantees are another important consideration when choosing a plumber. Will the provider stand behind his work?

Sperling: Proper insurance; response time; hourly rate; length of time in business;  24-hour and 7-day availability; how do they accept service requests (electronically, fax etc.), and their ability  to store  and track a location’s history, which will discover trends, repeat calls, etc.

Sorco: When hiring a plumber, retailers should make sure that the company is licensed, fully insured, [and has] qualified, trained technicians. They should also ask for referrals of companies similar to theirs. They should also visit the facility and review the warehouse, vans and management of the company.

Brunetto: A reputable plumber/contractor is an absolute must.  Most manufacturers will recommend quality firms in your area — just ask. As with all facets of business, relationships are important. If you find a good contractor, try to use them exclusively. It’s okay to shop a price just to keep everyone honest, but a contractor you trust and has performed in the past for you is always worth a little more money. Also, a contractor that knows there’s more work after the current job with be less inclined to “hit a home run” in terms of billing on the current project.

RFB: In what ways can retailers or property managers update their plumbing fixtures to be more environmentally friendly? What are some other environmentally conscious trends in the industry?

Rothman: The greatest movement in the service side of the plumbing industry is the switch to fixtures that use the lowest amount of water possible to safely and efficiently operate the plumbing system. Water and energy conservation are major issues in fixture and replacement part design and many companies are looking for ways to conserve water and do their part for the environment. There is a wide variety of new plumbing products and parts designed to conserve water. The engineering and design of everything from low-flow toilets to showerheads has greatly improved over the problematic early models.

Sperling: Auto-sensing faucets; waterless urinals; high-efficiency toilets; recycled paper products; auto-sensing toilets and paper towel dispensers; and “green” cleaning products.

Sorco: Retailers can install metered faucets, waterless urinals, recirculating pumps, and side-mount automatic flushers.

Brunetto: Replacing old, inefficient water heaters, boilers, faucets and HVAC equipment with the latest high efficiency products such as tankless water heaters and low-flow fixtures is the smartest method to be more environmentally friendly on several levels. First, the lower energy consumption and cleaner emissions translate into a lower carbon footprint. Secondly, the reduced energy costs go directly to their operational bottom line which is crucial now more than ever. Lastly, their individual operations are likely to improve in terms of a better end product, improved experience for their patrons, and/or increased rents for property managers.