Plumbing Systems

A good preventive maintenance program should include the following:

• Faucets
• Fixtures (sinks, toilets, tubs, shower stalls)
• Under sinks
• Laundry equipment
• Accessible piping
• Inaccessible piping
• Lead content
• Water usage: compare with previous year’s and month’s usage as each billing is received.
• Restaurant grease traps: traps need to be cleaned once or twice a month. This should be included in the tenant’s lease, and a manager should inspect grease traps regularly.
• Sewers: technology using cameras and hydroacoustics may be necessary to detect leaks and/or pipe failures. This equipment is expensive and is not used regularly. Sewer lines should be checked and cleaned regularly, especially if that is not a municipality’s responsibility.

The property manager and the maintenance staff are responsible for the following:

• Document the location of all water shutoff valves and know how to turn them off.
• Know how to turn off fire sprinklers that have accidentally activated.

Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes (PVC)

Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes (PVC) are extensively used in a variety of plumbing-related needs because they have the following characteristics:

• Corrosion and chemical resistant
• Flexible, lightweight, and nontoxic
• Low thermal conductor
• Low maintenance
• Variety of joining methods
• Long-term performer (generally more than 25 years)

Plastic piping is available in a variety of colors for ease of identification. The following are colors generally used for different applications:

• Gas Distribution: formerly bright orange or tan; now yellow or black with yellow stripes
• Water Distribution: black, light blue, white, clear, or gray
• Sewers: green, white, black, or gray
• Drain, Waste, and Vent (DWV): black, white, tan, or gray
• Hot and Cold Water Distribution: tan, red, white, blue, silver, or clear
• Cable Duct: a variety of colors
• Fire Sprinklers: orange (safe for plenum use)
• Industrial Process: dark gray/PVC, light gray/CPVC
• Reclaimed Water: purple or brown (local jurisdiction may set requirements)

Domestic Water Systems
Domestic water systems are made up of a supply system and a waste system. The supply system includes the following:

• Pressure regulator to maintain a constant water pressure
• Meter to measure water usage
• Heater or boiler to provide hot water
• Filters to remove minerals and purify drinking water
• Copper piping of various sizes to maintain pressure throughout the building
• Various fittings to control the flow of water: valves, elbows, reducers, tees, and caps
• Risers to act as shock absorbers (should contain air); placed near outlets to reduce "water hammer,” the sound that occurs when air is trapped in the system

The waste system includes the following:

• Traps to keep gases from entering the building
• Vents to allow gases to leave the building
• Clean-outs to allow cleaning of lines
• Removable caps to allow access to lines
• Check back flow valves to keep sewage from backing up into a building
• PVC or cast iron piping of various sizes to allow for uniform flow of wastes
• Backflow valves (required by some municipalities)

Storm Water Drainage Systems

Storm water runoff is rain or snow melt that flows off the land, from streets, rooftops, and lawns. The runoff carries sediment and contaminants with it to a surface water body or infiltrates through the soil to ground water.

Some of the principal contaminants found in storm water runoff include organic compounds, pesticides and herbicides, pathogens, nutrients, sediments, salts or other de-icing compounds, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals. Some of these substances are carcinogenic; others lead to reproductive, developmental, or other health problems that are associated with long-term exposure.

Structural devices have been developed to encourage filtration, infiltration, or settling of suspended particles. Some of the more commonly used practices are described below.

• Grass Swales: shallow, vegetated ditches that reduce the speed and volume of runoff. Soils remove contaminants by infiltration and filtration. Maintenance of grass swales involves regular mowing, reseeding, and weed control, along with inspections to check for erosion and ensure the integrity of the vegetative cover. To function properly, the inflow to the swale must be sheet flow from a filter strip or an impervious surface (i.e., not from the end of a pipe).
• Grass Waterways: wide, shallow channels lined with sod, often used as outlets for runoff from terraces.
• Buffer Strips: combinations of trees, shrubs, and grasses planted parallel to a stream. Maintenance of buffer strips involves controlling weeds and mowing grasses once or twice annually.
• Filter Strips: areas of close-growing vegetation on gently sloped land surfaces bordering a surface water body. They work by holding soils in place, allowing some infiltration, and filtering solid particles out of the runoff from small storms. The width and length of the filter strip depends on the size and grade of the slope it drains. Maintenance activities include inspections, mowing, and removal of sediment build-up.
• Storm Water Ponds (wet ponds): consist of a permanent pond, where solids settle during and between storms, and a zone of emergent wetland vegetation where dissolved contaminants are removed through biochemical processes. Wet ponds are usually developed as water features in a community. They increase the value of adjacent property. Other than landscape maintenance, only annual inspection of the outlets and shoreline is required. Monthly maintenance contracts are available to maintain these lakes or ponds.
• Constructed Wetlands: similar to wet ponds, with more emergent aquatic vegetation and a smaller open water area. Storm water wetlands are different from natural wetlands in that they are designed to treat storm water runoff and typically have less biodiversity than natural wetlands. Maintenance requirements for wetlands are similar to those of wet ponds.
• Infiltration Practices (basins and trenches): long, narrow, stone-filled excavated trenches, 3 to 12 feet deep. Runoff is stored in the basin or in voids between the stones in a trench and slowly infiltrates into the soil below, where filtering removes pollutants. Infiltration devices alone do not remove contaminants. They should be combined with a pretreatment practice such as a swale or sediment basin to prevent premature clogging. Maintenance consists of annual inspections, inspections after major rainstorms, and removal of debris—especially in inlets and overflow channels.

Contact local government authorities to see if ordinances are in place to manage storm water. Numerous examples of local source water protection-related ordinances for various potential contaminant sources can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency website, http://www.epa.gov/.

Sanitary Sewer Systems

A sanitary sewer system consists of three basic elements:

• Waste Lines and Drainpipe: carry sewage from each of the fixtures in the building down through the walls and under the floor then outside the building to either a public sewer system beneath the street or a septic tank somewhere belowground on the property. A clog in any of these pipes stops waste from reaching its destination.
• Vent Pipes: travel from each plumbing fixture (or group of plumbing fixtures) upward (inside walls) and out through the roof. The vents allow air into the sewer lines so they drain freely. A clogged vent pipe can be a serious problem and can prevent good drainage of the waste.
• P-traps: traps are in every fixture: sink, toilet, washing machine, floor drains, etc. If the fixture drains into the sewer system, the water or waste first travels through a p-trap. The trap allows water and waste to enter the sewer system while at the same time preventing sewer gases from backing up into the building. A clogged p-trap can inhibit the flow of waste and allow malodorous gases to back up into the building through the fixtures.

The most common causes of sewer service line backups are improper disposal of household items, such as paper towels, sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, and cooking grease; garbage disposal misuse; and food debris, such as fruit and vegetable peelings, in kitchen sinks. Grease, roots, and rags that are inappropriately discharged into the sewer system can also cause problems in sewer lines that are connected to main or city sewer lines.

Wastewater Lift Stations

Wastewater lift stations are facilities designed to move wastewater from lower to higher elevation through pipes. Key elements of lift stations include a wastewater receiving well (wet-well), often equipped with a screen or grinding to remove coarse materials; pumps and piping with associated valves; motors; a power supply system; an equipment control and alarm system; and an odor control system and ventilation system.

Lift station operation is usually automated. However, frequent inspections are recommended to ensure normal functioning and to identify potential problems. Lift station inspection typically includes observation of pumps, motors, and drives for unusual noise, vibration, heating, and leakage; check of pump suction and discharge lines for valve arrangement and leakage; check of control panel switches for proper position; monitoring of discharge pump rates and pump speed; and monitoring of the pump suction and discharge pressure.

Weekly inspections are typically conducted, although the frequency really depends on the size of the lift station. If a lift station is equipped with grinder bar screens to remove coarse materials from the wastewater, the collected waste materials must be collected and disposed of in a sanitary landfill site. If the lift station has a scrubber system for odor control, chemicals must typically be replenished every three months. If chemicals are added for odor control ahead of the lift station, the chemical feed stations should be inspected weekly, and chemicals should be replenished as needed. An inventory of critical spare parts should be maintained. This information is typically available from the operation and maintenance manuals provided with the lift station.

Water Usage for Irrigation

Another major concern for a property manager is water usage and conservation. In some parts of the country, water is a scarce resource, and water usage must be carefully managed.

Irrigation systems should be checked frequently for leaks and broken sprinkler heads. Muddy or overgrown areas are signs of leaks in the piping system. Setting timers or controllers to turn the sprinkler system on at night is not always wise because malfunctions can be overlooked.

Incorrect water pressure is a common problem with irrigation systems. When the water pressure is not correct, the sprinkler does not perform as designed. Some areas won’t be watered either because the water doesn’t reach far enough or because the sprinkler overshoots the area altogether. High pressures can also damage nozzles and heads–sometimes even causing them to break off.

• Spray heads should be operating at about 25 to 30 psi; rotor heads 30 to 50 psi.
• A landscape or sprinkler professional may be needed to check the pressure at sprinkler heads. If the pressure is too high, pressure-reducing valves and heads may be installed. Existing heads can sometimes be retrofitted with new nozzles instead of being replaced.
• Consult your manufacturer’s instructions and specifications to ensure proper pressure.
• To avoid wasting water, some good irrigation guidelines include:

• Water only before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Less water will be lost to evaporation.
• Water the lawn less frequently in cooler weather. Overwatering can cause shallow root development and make a lawn more susceptible to instects and disease.
• Use a rain shutoff device so the sprinklers don't operate when it's raining.
• A good sprinkler system is designed with zones because lawns and shrubs have different water needs as do sunny and shady areas.
• Drip irrigation systems use lew water. They are recommended for trees, shrubs, and flowers.

The property manager might consider submetering water uses that do not put water into the sewer system so the property would only have to pay for the water charge and not the sewer charge. Some areas of the country give credit on the water bill if water that is sent to the cooling tower is submetered. Additionally, some municipalities adjust the water bill during watering seasons if submeters are used.

More Information

Some resources for determining proper techniques and calculations for piping systems follow:

• State university extension services
• Certified landscape irrigations auditors in the area
• Local municipalities

Polybutylene Pipes

Polybutylene is a form of plastic resin that was used extensively in piping from 1978 until 1995. Polybutylene piping was used to connect to main water lines and outdoor irrigation systems. It was also used in interior systems, including fire sprinkler systems and floor heating systems. Most commonly, polybutylene pipes are found in the Sun Belt and in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northwest Pacific states.

Apparently, scientific evidence that these pipes fail is scarce. However, several class-action suits have been filed with manufacturers such as Shell Oil, E.I. Dupont, and Hoescht Celanese Corporation. Though the manufacturers never admitted the material was defective, they have agreed to pay an initial amount of $950 million in claims. Two well-known settlements for class-action suits are Spencer vs. Dupont and Cox vs. Shell.

It is believed that oxidants, such as chlorine, in the public water supplies react with the polybutylene piping and acetal fittings causing scaling and flaking. The pipes become brittle and microfractures are formed, reducing the basic integrity of the piping. The system becomes weak and may fail without warning, causing damage to the building structure and personal property.

The real estate manager should confirm the type of piping used in the properties he or she manages. If polybutylene piping is present, the manager must inform the owners and plan whether and how to install new piping. Sometimes this is corrected during renovations.

Though polybutylene pipes may function well and look fine, apparently failure is just a matter of time. Failed polybutylene piping can present a wide variety of problems involving financial, insurance, and legal issues. A property manager may have to face insurance coverage and premium increases, insufficient capital reserves, inaccurate building inspections, and potential mortgage escrows.