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PLUMBING & DRAIN SERVICES IN BARRIE
Did you know that institutional buildings may have massive plumbing systems that are used by hundreds of people at different times throughout the day? Schools, government buildings, healthcare properties, campuses and other institutional properties may depend on restrooms, kitchens, mechanical rooms, pumps, drains and water lines that operate properly.
Sureflow Plumbing & Drain offers institutional plumbing services in Barrie for both public and privately owned institutions. From plumbing repairs to drain and sewer issues, water lines, pumps, pressure control equipment, backflow prevention, renovations, maintenance and emergency plumbing – we can help!
Schools, medical centres, hospitals and universities are just some examples of institutional properties that need dependable plumbing.
Because institutional buildings can be so large, they sometimes have much larger and more complex plumbing systems than what you would find in a regular home.
These buildings often have multiple bathrooms, mechanical rooms, kitchens, floor drains, water risers, and pumps that are used all throughout the building.
Some common institutional plumbing services include:
Which institutional plumbing services you need will depend on what kind of property you have, as well as if your problem is contained to one area or if it impacts a larger area.
An institutional plumbing issue can involve anything from one dripping faucet to a building-wide problem that affects many fixtures.
If one faucet is causing issues, chances are it only affects one washroom. However, if a water line fails, or there is an issue with the main drain or pressure control, an entire floor or portion of the building can be affected.
The first step is to determine how much of the building is affected.
If multiple areas seem to develop the same problem at around the same time, it may be best to inspect all shared plumbing before treating each symptom individually.
Public washrooms, kitchens, employee rooms, floor drains and more can put heavy use on your building’s drainage system.
All of those drains will eventually connect to a larger line that they share. Problems can occur anywhere along those lines.
If one sink is draining slowly, it likely has a blockage somewhere close to the fixture. If drains on multiple floors, or multiple fixtures, begin to drain slowly or back up at the same time, the restriction could be further down a shared drain branch, or in the building’s main drain.
Sureflow offers commercial drain cleaning and high-pressure water-jet cleaning services for drains that qualify.
The main drain takes wastewater from several locations of the building and expels it to the sewer line.
If that drain becomes clogged or restricted, several issues can occur throughout your property.
Some issues that may occur if your main drain has a problem:
The more toilets that are affected, the more likely your problem is rooted in a shared drain rather than one individual fixture.
If a sewer backup is affecting an institution or business, it can become a serious operational and sanitation issue.
Floor drains, toilets or other fixtures on lower levels may start to back up with wastewater if a common drain is blocked.
Avoid unnecessary use of plumbing in the affected area until the backup clears.
Restrict access to the wastewater as you troubleshoot the plumbing issue and follow the facility’s own emergency guidelines.
Floor drains are common in many parts of institutional facilities.
Floor drains in mechanical rooms, kitchens, basements, utility rooms, washrooms and service areas all rely on proper drainage.
Floor drains can become partially clogged by dirt, sediment and debris over time.
A floor drain may not show signs of a problem until a larger amount of water is introduced and needs to drain away.
Sometimes the buildup is in a larger section of pipe further along the line.
Hydro jetting may be able to remove mud and other material from inside of the drain if the pipe is hydro jet compatible.
Not every clog needs high-pressure water cleaning.
Consider the type of clog and condition of your pipes before deciding on hydro jetting.
When repeated clogs are an issue, the line should be checked.
Occasionally blockages continue to return after cleaning due to buildup, damage, tree roots or another issue further down the line.
The inspection camera will not clear the drain.
However, when your drain was regularly cleaned with only temporary results, a camera can identify what may be causing the issue.
Schools, healthcare facilities, campuses and other institutions often have public washrooms.
Toilets, urinals, sinks and faucets may be used all day long by visitors, employees or residents.
Some common problems we see in washrooms include:
If multiple problems are happening across several different fixtures, there may be a main plumbing problem that affects the whole room.
Public restrooms can have fixtures that are flushed dozens of times per day.
An individual toilet that is clogged might be a problem isolated to that toilet.
When multiple toilets start backing up at the same time, the clog might be farther down a common drain.
Running toilets should also be fixed since they can waste water and lead to chronic maintenance issues.
Institutional faucets and sinks can be located all over public bathrooms, employee rooms, kitchens and utility rooms.
Leaks can originate at the faucet itself, along supply lines, at shut-off valves or at drain connections.
Locating the true cause of the leak will eliminate the need to replace components that aren’t damaged.
Not fixing leaks can allow them to become larger over time and begin damaging cabinetry, walls and floors.
Institutional offices and other facilities can have their own staff washrooms or employee bathrooms.
Staff fixtures can be subjected to the same issues public bathrooms do including clogs and running toilets.
If both staff and public restrooms begin having issues at the same time, there could be an issue with the pipes between them.
Taking note of which fixtures are affected can help determine the best place to begin looking for problems.
Some institutions have kitchens or even cafeteria-style eating areas.
These rooms can have multiple sinks, floor drains, dishwashers and plumbing lines that supply hot water.
Food particles and grease can build up inside of drains over the years.
Kitchen drains should be maintained both as individual units and as a part of the whole building.
Kitchen drains can slowly become clogged over time.
A sink might appear to drain slowly long before it actually becomes clogged.
If multiple sinks begin to drain slowly at the same time, the clog might be farther down a shared drain.
Heavy buildup might call for hydro-jetting where the condition of the pipes allows for high-pressure cleaning.
Cafeterias usually only see their plumbing put to heavy use a few times each day.
They may have sinks, floor drains and bathrooms that are used by many people during busy periods.
A clogged drain might seem very minor when only a few people are using the building.
The severity of issues can be magnified when everyone is using the restroom, washing their hands or kitchen equipment.
Tracking when problems happen can help staff determine if scheduling cleaning would help.
Facilities of larger sizes will often have mop sinks or utility sinks.
Water draining from these sinks may contain dirt or debris from cleaning.
Debris entering the drain can cause buildup over time.
Narrowing can occur slowly as the material washes into the drain.
Address a slow mop or utility sink before wastewater overflows onto the floor.
Leaks have far to travel through larger buildings.
The origin can start at a pipe, valve, fixture or water connection.
From there, water can leak through ceilings, walls and floors.
Here are a few signs to look for:
The leak is not always right next to the broken pipe.
Locating these types of leaks can prove very difficult.
The cause could be coming from a bathroom, supply valve, mechanical room or another type of plumbing connection from above.
Water can run through joists and other structural material before dripping through.
Take note of the highest point where the leak is visible. This can help you determine where to look.
Functional shut-off valves can help make repairs in large buildings less stressful.
There can be valves for individual fixtures or entire rooms/floors.
What happens if your shut-off valve no longer functions?
You could be stuck shutting off water to a much larger area.
Employees should know where main valves are and what areas of the building they control.
Knowing where the master water shut-off is located is essential for every large building.
If you have a large leak, you may need to use the main valve if a smaller cut-off does not isolate the leak.
Shutting the water off to an entire building can affect many occupants.
Knowing where sectional valves are located can help you avoid shutting off more water than you need to.
Water pressure can be more complex with larger buildings.
PRVs, booster pumps and other equipment can be utilized to manage water pressure throughout a property.
If multiple locations experience pressure issues at the same time, it could be a problem with the building’s equipment.
Sureflow also offers commercial services for pressure-reducing valve repair, service and booster-pump operating pressure tests.
If one faucet is experiencing low pressure, it could be a localized issue.
If an entire floor or multiple areas of the building are affected, it could be a larger issue.
Ask yourself these questions:
The answers to these questions can help you identify where you should start looking.
Pressure-reducing valves control water pressure within commercial and institutional structures.
Low, high or fluctuating pressure could be caused by a malfunctioning PRV.
Higher-than-normal pressure also puts stress on pipes, valves and fixtures.
Pressure-reducing valve repair and inspections are among the commercial plumbing services offered by Sureflow.
Commercial buildings and institutions with multiple floors may need booster pumps.
They’re used to increase water pressure in areas of the building where existing supply pressure is inadequate.
Low water pressure on some floors could indicate a problem with the booster system.
Booster pumps, controls and cut-in pressure should be evaluated as one system.
Institutional buildings may have more than one type of plumbing pump.
Some common pumps found in institutional buildings include:
When one of these pumps fails, the effects can trickle to every floor of the building.
Know what system the pump serves before starting repairs.
Some institutional buildings can’t function without sump pumps.
They’re commonly located in basements, crawl spaces and mechanical rooms.
Floods can occur if the pump fails and water continues to fill the sump basin.
Warning signs include:
Sureflow’s commercial plumbing services include sump pump repair, maintenance and replacements.
Buildings with lower-level plumbing may require sewage pumps.
They help drain wastewater when gravity can’t push the content to the sewer pipe.
If a sewage pump fails, fixtures that drain into that system may begin to back up.
Do not use any fixtures that drain into a sewage pump that appears to be broken.
Forcing water into a failed sewage pump will cause the water to back up even more.
Institutional buildings may have many different types of water connections.
Connections can be served by backflow-prevention devices on the main water supply to the building or on individual pieces of equipment.
Sureflow offers backflow testing as part of our commercial plumbing services.
Knowledge of where backflow assemblies are located can help facility managers keep them available for future testing and repair.
Sometimes a testable backflow preventer may look fine from the outside but have an internal component that has stopped working correctly.
Backflow testing will indicate if the device is working properly or needs to be repaired.
Documentation of prior testing and repairs can simplify future maintenance as well.
Backflow assemblies should also be left accessible and not be covered up by storage or future renovations.
Hot-water demands can be great in larger institutional buildings.
Washrooms, kitchens, janitorial closets and other areas may rely on access to hot water multiple times throughout the day.
While an issue with one sink can stem from that fixture itself, problems with hot water at multiple areas may have causes that affect more than one location.
Water-heating equipment should be properly sized to match the hot-water demand of the property.
Hot-water systems that leak can damage the surrounding walls in mechanical rooms and nearby equipment.
When insufficient hot water is an issue affecting the building, both plumbing and water-heating equipment should be looked at together.
Correct solutions will vary depending on the type of installed system and how the property utilizes hot water.
Hot water recirculation systems are used in some larger buildings.
This system can help remote fixtures from the water heater receive hot water faster.
Malfunctions in the recirculation loop can cause distant fixtures to take significantly longer to receive hot water.
Consider the pump, valves, and distribution of hot water together if several areas of a building experience lack of hot water at the same time.
Building mechanical rooms can house plumbing equipment that serves a large portion of the building.
Pumps, valves, hot-water heaters, pressure regulators and backflow preventers can all exist within these spaces.
Because of this, a leak or failure of equipment in these rooms can affect many areas of the building.
Ensuring there is clear access to the equipment in mechanical rooms can help with both emergency and routine service.
Busy schedules sometimes define institutional buildings.
Plumbing deterioration doesn’t always happen overnight. Waiting until it fails can cause unnecessary downtime for employees, tenants and building occupants.
Signs of a pending failure can include:
Recording when these problems occur can help building managers pinpoint which drains, pumps, valves or pressure systems require future attention.
Scheduled maintenance makes sense on some institutional plumbing systems.
Recording previous problems can help identify drains, pumps, valves and pressure systems that should be checked before they completely fail.
Sureflow offers scheduled maintenance as part of our commercial plumbing services. These services should be based on the individual building and previous service call history. Blanket schedules that try to service everything on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis will likely be ineffective at preventing premature plumbing failures.
One drain may continually clog and need to be cleaned more than the others.
The objective is not to run out and clean every drain in the building. The goal is to determine which drains have a history of clogging. Once known, these drains should receive preventive maintenance before the next major backup happens.
Previous service calls can establish which drains might benefit from preventive cleaning.
Facility managers may handle plumbing maintenance for large complexes.
Knowing the particulars of a service call can help plumbers diagnose the issue quicker.
Useful facts can include:
Details about the problem will help a plumbing technician identify the affected system.
Knowing which plumbing system is affected will streamline the repair.
Property managers can oversee buildings that are leased or have multiple components.
Issues can arise within individual tenant spaces or the shared building infrastructure.
Property managers should know which drain and supply lines serve each part of the building. When multiple tenants call about similar problems, plumbing problems in the shared building systems should be considered.
Universities and colleges can contain a wide variety of buildings.
Restrooms, kitchens, labs, offices, classrooms and public washrooms may all connect to a common plumbing system.
University campuses are examples of properties with unique plumbing needs.
University plumbing problems can affect one fixture, one building or multiple connected buildings.
Individual buildings on a campus can have very different plumbing requirements.
A building full of classrooms will have different drain and water demands than a cafeteria building or office with larger public washrooms.
Maintenance personnel should know if the plumbing systems are connected to other buildings. If so, problem plumbing could affect multiple buildings.
Records of previous plumbing service, drains and valves will assist future maintenance calls.
Community centres may include public washrooms, kitchens, change rooms, staff spaces and mechanical rooms.
Drains and fixtures can see heavy use during busy periods like programs or events.
A drain that looks fine during slow times could start clogging up when the building is full of visitors.
Treat recurring problems like wastewater emergencies instead of simple clogs that keep coming back.
Sports facilities can include any combination of washrooms, change rooms, staff spaces, kitchen areas and floor drains.
Plumbing systems may see sudden bursts of heavy use.
For example, multiple guests may be affected by a drain clog or broken fixture all at once.
Your recreational facility should be assessed based on which systems are shared with guests.
Municipal buildings and public-service centers can house public washrooms, staff spaces, kitchen areas and mechanical rooms.
While these buildings continue to operate, plumbing should remain functional.
Leaks or drain obstructions can disrupt the normal flow of operations.
When servicing an area, account for connected systems.
Public buildings can have dozens of people using the same set of plumbing fixtures each day.
Restrooms and sinks with heavy use may experience wear and tear faster than other spaces.
Additionally, drain issues may present themselves during times of heavy use.
Routine maintenance can help catch problems before they become bigger problems.
Administrative buildings can house office-style plumbing on floors. These plumbing systems might also serve public washrooms and large building systems.
Water lines, drains, pumps and mechanical equipment may serve multiple departments or offices.
Should several problem areas report similar issues, there could be an issue with plumbing they share.
Scale your service to the entire building instead of assuming each issue is different.
While libraries may not seem like they would have complicated plumbing, large libraries need to account for public washrooms, staff kitchens and mechanical rooms.
A messy bathroom or leaking water can impact library visitors as well as normal operations.
Should any water come into contact with books, equipment or finish work, take care of the source before it causes damage.
Library drains and fixtures should be maintained before they turn into recurring problems.
Do renovations change plumbing?
Renovations can change the requirements for water supply, drainage and venting.
Installations of new washrooms, sinks, kitchens or other facilities can increase demand for water and wastewater.
The current plumbing in a building should be considered before the renovation is completed.
Planning for water lines, drains, and shut-off valves during renovations, while the walls and ceiling are open will help with future repairs.
Institutional renovations can include changes to a single room, many rooms or floors, or even sections of a building.
Moving plumbing fixtures will require some changes to water lines, drains, and venting.
The current plumbing should be able to accommodate the demand and have convenient connections for the new layout.
Ideally, the new plumbing should be accessible for future repairs with minimal disruption.
Adding washrooms will usually require additional water supply, drainage, and venting.
The most convenient location for a new bathroom is usually based on what plumbing already exists.
Plumbing in the floors or walls above and below can also play a role in fixture placement in multi-level structures.
Plan for these needs before the walls and floors are completed.
Staff kitchens and break rooms can also be part of an institutional renovation.
These rooms often include sinks, dishwashers, refrigerators, and more.
Even a simple kitchenette should have proper water supply, drainage, and easily accessible shut-off valves.
Be sure to allow space and plan for plumbing while renovations are taking place.
Due to the heavy use, toilets, faucets, sinks, and valves will sometimes need repair or replacement.
The shut-off valve should also be checked when replacing a nearby fixture.
There is no reason to install a new faucet if the shut-off valve behind it is leaking or difficult to turn.
Older institutional buildings may have plumbing that was put in place as the building was expanded or renovated.
Different areas of the property may have varying pipe materials, aging valves, or strange routing due to the building’s history.
The cause of leaks, pressure changes or clogged drains may be widespread in older buildings.
Early diagnosis can help identify if these issues affect your whole building or just one area.
As plumbing gets older it can develop leaks, corrosion or areas of repeated repairs.
A single leak does not necessarily indicate system failure.
On the other hand, recurring problems with the same section of piping may warrant further investigation of the entire system.
Facility managers may want to keep a record of where leaks were located in the past.
Cold Barrie winters can create freeze-up problems for some building plumbing.
Pipes located close to outside walls, loading docks, entrances, garage areas and under-heated mechanical rooms may be susceptible.
A frozen pipe may initially present as diminished water flow or no water flow at all.
If the pipe has broken open, the leaking will likely occur as the ice begins to melt.
Broken water pipes can release large amounts of water in a short period of time.
Water can travel through office spaces, common areas, mechanical rooms and downwards through floors before the source is located.
If there is an accessible shut off valve in the section of pipe that will safely isolate the leak, turning it off may minimize further damage.
Emergency plumbing repairs may be required if the leak cannot be stopped by your efforts.
Water damage close to electrical panels, wiring or equipment that is energized needs to be handled with extra caution.
Warn people to stay away from electrical areas that are wet.
Keep everyone away from electrical components in wet areas.
Ideally the plumbing leak can be stopped without causing an electrical problem.
Certain types of plumbing emergencies at institutions cannot wait until normal business hours.
Broken pipes, flooding from active leaks, sewer backups and pump failures can affect large buildings rapidly.
Sureflow offers 24-hour emergency commercial plumbing services and specializes in institutional plumbing problems.
Describe the situation and how much of the building is involved when you call.
Several restrooms or other plumbing fixtures may be impacted by one major sewer clog.
Use of other unnecessary plumbing fixtures should be discontinued in the impacted area if wastewater begins to back up.
Use of sinks and toilets will only force additional wastewater toward the clog.
Access to standing sewage should be restricted until the problem is remedied.
If wastewater continues to flow into a failed sewage pump, it can create an emergency situation.
Ideally, all fixtures that feed into the failed pump should discontinue use.
Otherwise, the basin the pump drains into will continue to fill and could cause wastewater to back up into the building.
The pump system should be checked for issues before resuming use of those plumbing fixtures.
When a pump fails in a facility, water pressure, drainage, or some other important system can be impacted.
Maintenance should be able to identify which part of the building is served by the equipment.
It may only impact one system or several systems at once throughout the building.
Repair efforts should address both the pump itself and the underlying cause of the failure.
Many commercial plumbing emergencies require unique responses, but there are a few steps that can help reduce collateral damage.
Follow any additional emergency guidelines your facility has put in place for safety reasons.
Schools, hospitals and other institutional facilities will often need to stay open while plumbing work is taking place.
The affected plumbing system should be isolated from other parts of the facility if at all possible.
Knowing where your valves, drains, and mechanical rooms are located can help with this.
Facility maintenance can often assist you in restricting access to occupied rooms and service corridors.
Sometimes you don’t need to shut down an entire building just to make a repair.
While faucets, sinks and toilets can sometimes be fixed while the rest of the building carries on, bigger projects that affect common drains, vertical risers or water shut offs require some advance planning.
Take time to determine how big of an issue the plumbing problem is to decide how much of the building will be affected.
Commercial plumbing services cover institutional buildings as well. However, institutions can present different challenges because of how the facilities operate.
Some may host hundreds of people at once, stay open for longer hours and include multiple uses within the same building. Each can place various demands on the plumbing system.
Kitchens and bathrooms need especially reliable plumbing in these facilities.
Because of that, we look at the system as a whole instead of individual fixtures.
This article is geared towards plumbing that provides water supply, drainage and equipment commonly found in most buildings.
Institutional buildings can include specialized systems that go beyond regular plumbing services.
While those specialized systems should be repaired by qualified contractors who service that equipment, the conventional plumbing can be looked at independently.
If you’re calling us with an institutional plumbing emergency, it helps to know as many details about the problem as possible.
How many fixtures are affected? Is there water leaking? Are drains backing up? Is there a pressure issue? What area or floor of the building does it involve?
Those questions can help us identify if the problem is isolated to a fixture or widespread to an entire system.
Knowing the history of previous repairs can help us too if the problem has returned.
Institutional buildings may have extensive plumbing systems that supply fixtures and equipment throughout the building.
Restrooms, cooking areas, floor drains, pumps, water mains and mechanical systems are just some of the many things that need to keep functioning properly while the building is occupied.
Sureflow Plumbing & Drain offers institutional plumbing services in Barrie for schools, hospitals, campuses, public buildings and other institutional properties.
Sureflow Plumbing offers institutional and broader commercial services including drain cleaning, pumps, PRVs, backflow services, maintenance and emergency plumbing service available 24 hours a day.
Need institutional plumbing service in Barrie? Call the plumbers at Sureflow Plumbing & Drain at 705-503-7996.
Yes. Sureflow offers institutional plumbing services for schools, hospitals, campuses, public buildings and other institutional properties.
Yes. Sureflow offers commercial drain cleaning and high-pressure water jetting for drains at commercial buildings and institutional buildings when applicable.
Sureflow offers commercial plumbing that includes pump and sump pump installation and service. We also offer booster-pump operating-pressure checks.
Yes. Backflow services are included in our commercial services.
Yes. Sureflow offers scheduled maintenance programs for commercial plumbing.
Sureflow offers commercial plumbing services including pressure reducing valve repair and inspection. We also offer booster-pump operating-pressure checks.
Sureflow does commercial plumbing for renovations. Institutional renovations can include plumbing for new water lines, drains, fixtures, restrooms, kitchens and more conventional plumbing.
Sureflow offers 24-hour emergency commercial plumbing service. We have a dedicated institutional plumbing service.
