Tips For Maintaining Water System In Your Unoccupied Office Building

Several circumstances can lead to temporary or permanent building closures that may force them to lie unoccupied for extended durations. Many issues can arise in vacant commercial buildings, and one such challenge is maintaining the water system. Office buildings in the country are designed to withstand high foot traffic and have robust plumbing systems meant to endure high volume usage. When buildings experience little to no footfall, the water systems remain non-functional. When the water lies unused for a prolonged duration, plumbing issues can crop up, compromising the potable water.

Stagnant water inside the building plumbing system leaves faucets, fixtures, valves, and pipes to turn dry. The water loses its freshness and becomes unfit for consumption as well as other purposes. The water quality slowly degrades, and the chemistry changes due to low levels of disinfectants residuals like chlorine, increase in metal corrosion, rise in the standing water temperature, build-up of disinfection byproducts over time, and growth of pathogens like Legionella and Mycobacterium Avium that can harm the health if the water is used immediately without treatment. 

Another issue that arises in an unoccupied office building due to sitting water is the risk of mold growth. Mold spores become airborne and can slowly take up the entire office building. Wet spots and musty odor indicate mold presence that can severely impact the employee's health when the office building opens. Mold can trigger allergies and cause respiratory illnesses.

Some fixtures can also develop leaks and problems that may require repairs to restore functionality.

The best way to maintain a water system in unused buildings is to flush the entire plumbing system before reopening to remove low-quality water. It may require repeating the procedure multiple times to entirely remove the contaminated water from the system and restore optimum water quality. Once the water quality improves, turn the fixtures for at least half an hour weekly to maintain supply in unoccupied buildings. It will re-fill the p-trap and prepare the plumbing system for frequent use once the office building sees foot traffic again. However, the frequency of flushing may also depend on the occupancy.

 

Keep the flushing frequency low for partially occupied buildings (about ten minutes daily) to continuously maintain the water quality. Start flushing the fixtures located closest to the main supply and then move to the farthest. Flush cold water plumbing first, followed by hot water plumbing. For heaters and other hot water-using appliances, maintain the water temperature to prevent microorganism growth. Measure the concentration of chlorine residual to check the effectiveness of the flushing process.

Change water filters regularly to prevent the accumulation of impurities and bacteria growth. Clean faucet aerators and replace them annually.

Get the office building plumbing inspected and maintained routinely by plumbing professionals. It helps identify and repair issues on time to help fixtures and appliances perform optimally and prevent problems in the future. 

It will be a nightmare to find degraded water quality and faulty or malfunctioning plumbing equipment when office buildings reopen after a long time. Proactively maintaining the water system when the office building is closed can help the water quality and flow to remain normal when normalcy returns.

Hire professional plumbers to take care of the plumbing system and offer efficient solutions to keep the office building ready for operation at any time.