5 Commercial Plumbing Services That Improve Your Business

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Plumbing is a critical aspect of business operations. No matter what niche your company represents, your staff, clients, and suppliers are going to be using the plumbing, and some companies rely on water as a major part of the process. As you will see here, there are many ways that commercial plumbing services will save you money or even improve your bottom line.

1. Drains and Pumps

Clogged drains and sewage pumps that aren’t working efficiently lead to a wide assortment of workplace incidents. Slip-and-fall injuries, water-borne bacteria, and respiratory problems have all been associated with problems that could have been prevented by regular commercial plumbing services.

2. Emergency Plumbing Issues

If a water line bursts, it can threaten electrical systems, inventory, carpeting, and more. Having a commercial plumbing contractor on call has the potential to save you thousands of dollars on a single call. Even more to the point, getting a plumber on-site as quickly as possible may be able to avert the need for other repair companies such as electricians, remodeling contractors, and more.

3. Restroom Maintenance

Research has shown that restrooms in disrepair are a common workplace complaint. With commercial plumbing maintenance, repairs are made quickly, fixtures and appliances that aren’t working are replaced or repaired, and your restrooms will be more resistant to rodent and insect breeding, mold and mildew, and more.

4. Business Expansion

When businesses grow, their plumbing demands increase as well. Commercial plumbing contractors can help you make the transition into a new location– or the construction of a new building– easier and cleaner. During new construction, it is often imperative to have running water available on the job site, which means your plumbing contractors are among the first work crews needed in the project.

5. Specialty Plumbing

Whether your company uses equipment with individual water requirements or you oversee a factory where eyewash stations are required by law, you will need professional plumbers to handle your specialized water installations.  When you have a commercial plumbing company on contract, they are able to get new installations completed faster because they are already familiar with the plumbing layout of your building.

Commercial plumbing is a broad field, licensed and regulated in the state of California to assure customers of code compliance, safety, and in-depth working knowledge of the tasks they perform. Plumbing maintenance and other plumbing services contribute more than you may realize, including impacts on attendance, performance, health, and morale.

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating provides 24/7 household plumbing services for homes and multifamily buildings. We pride ourselves on our professional and quality work. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for residential plumbing services any time, any day of the week.

My Water Isn’t Getting Hot. Do I Need Water Heater Repair & Replacement?

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Your water heating system is not especially complex, but it does involve some specialized components that are designed specifically for use in the water heater repair & replacement industry. A trained home plumbing inspector will know what to look for based on whatever problem you are having. As an example, let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons for the lack of hot water and what solutions are available.

Begin With a Plumbing Inspection

Plumbing inspections are an important part of household plumbing, including water heater repair & replacement. The plumbing contractors will locate and diagnose any plumbing situations and provide you with the options available. You may not have to replace the water heater, and some repairs can be made in only an hour or less.

Heating Elements

The heating element is a special component that is inserted into the water heater and is directly controlled by the thermostat. When the thermostat falls below the set temperature it activates a switch that causes the heating element to warm the water surrounding it in the tank. All 3 of these parts, the thermostat, the switch, and the heating element, can be replaced, but it should also be cautioned that an aging water tank can also cause heating elements to become corroded or blocked.

Plumbing Blockages

Over time, old pipes can become clogged with mineral buildup that prevents your hot water from flowing properly. This leads to less hot water reaching the faucet. As old water tanks begin to break down, they can contribute to the clogs by adding rust or other corrosive byproducts to the water flow. Depending on the location and age of the pipes, you may have to have the water heater or some of your home’s plumbing replaced.

Valve Repair and Replacement

Most water heaters have valves at the intake and output connections to the tank. Valves that are only partially open or not functioning correctly have the effect of reducing water pressure and apparent water temperature. Some types of water valves can be repaired, but it is much more common to simply replace a failed valve. Repairing a valve requires more time and labor to rebuild than the cost of a new one. 

There are other reasons for not having hot water, including things like a tripped circuit breaker or broken connection. All of the possibilities will be examined during your home plumbing inspection, options will be provided, and you can select the one that seems the most appropriate for the situation.

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating provides 24/7 household plumbing services for homes and multifamily buildings. We pride ourselves on our professional and quality work. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for residential plumbing services any time, any day of the week.

Did You Know That Commercial Plumbing Services May Improve Employee Retention?

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Every company wants to keep its best employees, and commercial plumbing services can play a role in making that happen. Having a plumber on call to clear clogged drains, repair leaks, and make sure that everything is working the way it is meant to work is a bigger incentive for employees to stay with the company than you may think, as we will illustrate with these common plumbing concerns.

Repair Leaks

Sinks, drains, and fixtures that leak can be demoralizing for your employees. Enlisting commercial plumbing services will keep leaks from becoming a problem, and studies have shown simple plumbing maintenance can reduce employee absenteeism and promote higher retention. Plumbing maintenance is a small price for retaining key employees that your business relies on.

Clear Drains

Drains that are always backing up or not flowing at all affect employee morale and may even have serious health consequences. Commercial plumbing services will keep your drains working properly and are available for emergency assessment and repair in the event that something goes wrong or a toilet becomes clogged beyond what an ordinary plunger can alleviate. It may come as a surprise, but the condition and functionality of the plumbing are among the top 5 employee complaints in office environments.

Fixture Upgrades

A sink valve that turns instead of turning on is annoying in the best of circumstances, but it can be fixed quickly by commercial plumbers. The same is true of loose and wobbly toilets, safety showers, and eye wash stations. Keeping all of your plumbing fixtures functioning as they were designed to work shows your employees that you care about their well-being, and that goes a long way towards attracting good workers and keeping exceptional recruits.

Distracting Plumbing Noises

At some point in our lives, we have all been in a situation where a leaking faucet became extremely distracting. In an office environment, small things like dripping faucets or pipes rattling in the walls can have serious impacts such as incorrect work performance, reduced employee productivity, and even employees who can’t accept the distractions any longer and go in search of new and less distracting employment.

Whether you prefer to call a commercial plumber when you need it or take the more efficient route of having a commercial plumbing maintenance contract, it pays to make plumbing an important part of the office budget. Employees will be more productive, and you will find it easier to hold on to employees that have proven their worth time and time again.

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating provides 24/7 household plumbing services for homes and multifamily buildings. We pride ourselves on our professional and quality work. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for residential plumbing services any time, any day of the week.

4 Reasons Water Heater Repair & Replacement May Improve Your Family’s Health

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No one looks forward to water heater repair and replacement, but it is something that most homeowners will eventually have to face. Not only do faulty water heaters have the potential to cause extensive home damage, but a bad water heater can also lead to serious health concerns for your family.

1. Mold and Mildew

Mold is one of the biggest health risks posed by your plumbing system and water heater repair and replacement may be the fastest and safest solution. While mold manifests itself visibly on ceilings, walls, and floors, it also releases spores into the air which can be inhaled by family members and their pets. If your water heater is getting old, it may be providing bacteria with a viable breeding ground that impacts everyone in the home and may have serious consequences for people with respiratory problems like COPD and asthma.

2. Wet Floors

As water heaters get older, the potential for leaks increases. Leaking water heaters increase the risk of slip and fall injuries along with issues like floor or ceiling deterioration that are unrelated to health– until plaster begins to fall or floors start to cave in. The best remedy is to call for a home plumbing inspection at the first sign of a leak and get the problem corrected before it can develop into a major renovation.

3. Water Quality

A water heater’s tank and internal parts can become corroded or rusty when they get old. If you have noticed that your water smells funny, has an unpleasant taste, or seems to be cloudy or discolored, the problem may be that your water heater is getting old and needs to be replaced. This problem is usually associated with an aging water heater but the deterioration will occur faster if you live in an area with hard water, even if you use water softeners.

4. Reduce Infestations

If your water heater begins to leak a little, it is time to take decisive action. Rodents and insects are attracted to moist areas because they need water to live and insects like flies and roaches need moist surroundings to breed. Coincidentally, rodents are also a major cause for water heater repair because they gnaw at the wiring which can lead to water heater failure or even electrical fires.

Your water heater is a vital component of your home plumbing system, but most water heaters are only rated for 10 to 15 years of service. If your water heater is starting to show its age, now is the time to schedule a home plumbing inspection to determine whether repair or replacement is a viable solution.

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating provides 24/7 household plumbing services for homes and multifamily buildings. We pride ourselves on our professional and quality work. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for residential plumbing services any time, any day of the week.

5 Situations Where Trenchless Sewer Replacement is the Best Choice

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Fixing sewer problems with trenchless sewer replacement is a faster, simpler, and more appropriate solution than traditional trenched repairs. In some cases, trenchless may be the only logical solution. If you are considering having your sewer lines replaced, take a look at these 5 situations where trenchless sewer lines are the best option.

1. Protect Your Landscaping

If your existing sewer lines run beneath established landscaping, a trenchless sewer replacement will preserve your landscaping investment. It should also be noted that long-established landscaping– especially trees and shrubbery– is the primary cause of sewer line damage resulting from the slow penetration of powerful root systems.

2. Under Your Foundation

Traditionally, replacing the sewer lines beneath your foundation entailed expensive concrete removal, hand-digging, and more. With trenchless replacement, two holes are dug at each end of the installation, and special equipment drills beneath the foundation to insert new lines. The final costs are often much lower than the older, labor-intensive method. Consulting with a qualified plumbing contractor will help you determine which replacement method works best for your situation.

3. Crossing Paved Areas

Unless you want to have your driveways and sidewalks cut out and then patched afterward, trenchless sewer lines are the best way to put new pipes under existing pathways. A common example is when a patio or paved courtyard has been installed over the original plumbing lines.

4. Limited Sewer Access

There are a lot of reasons that plumbing contractors may not be able to get to the area for traditional ditch-based sewer lines. Renovations and household additions that have been built since the original lines were installed, lawn decorations, fixed storage buildings, and other construction are typical. Because a trenchless sewer system only requires 2 access points, it can eliminate extensive tear-down and rebuilding.

5. Municipal Tie-Ins

As cities expand, sewer systems get upgraded and older septic tank systems are replaced with municipal sewer lines. When this happens, new sewer lines need to be installed from the sewer mains to your house, often traversing areas that are difficult or even impossible to reach with traditional trenching equipment. When this happens, trenchless sewer installation is sometimes the only solution.

Trenchless sewers are more versatile than sewers that require long ditches, removal of existing structures, and costly foundation removal and replacement. Even in a situation where a trench system is less expensive at first glance, the additional removal and replacement costs associated with the job can easily make trenchless sewers a more cost-effective solution.

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating provides 24/7 household plumbing services for homes and multifamily buildings. We pride ourselves on our professional and quality work. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for residential plumbing services any time, any day of the week.