New-generation Maintenance Issues

By: Winston Huff

There is a growing realization in the plumbing industry that commercial and institutional buildings are not isolated from their surroundings.

Today’s buildings use large amounts of potable water and generate large amounts of sewer waste. Also, green spaces are being replaced with hard roofs on buildings, which are surrounded by large, hard-surface parking lots. The result of these parallel trends is fewer places for water to re-enter the earth.

Manufacturers also are faced with a number of myths among managers and product specifiers, namely:

• Water closets have to use 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf).
• Urinals use 1 gpf.
• Hand washing requires 1.5 gallons of water per minute (gpm).
• Showers use at least 2.5 gpm.

The plumbing industry is responding the these myths and changing priorities in facilities by producing fixtures that use less water and, as a result, produce less waste. But because these fixtures use technology advances not available with standard fixtures, managers also should be aware they often demand new installation and maintenance routines.

(Click HERE for the full story by SSR's Winston Huff in the June 2006 issue of Maintenance Solutions magazine)