What’s New in Pittsburgh Commercial Water Line Inspection and Repair
Why is Commercial Water Line Inspection Important?
Water line inspection, particularly commercial water line inspection, is just something the vast majority of people don’t give much thought to. They turn on their water spigots throughout the day and use water that’s delivered to them by way of a commercial water line.
But they just don’t give a whole lot of thought to how the water got there and how the sewer lines take the water away once they’re done with it. Then if by chance they do happen to give some thought to commercial water line inspection, for the most part, they tend to assume that it was inspected when it was installed and that one inspection will do for the entire service life of the plumbing system.
Pittsburgh is an older city, though, compared to most. Along with the roads, bridges, and buildings older not so old water pipes, Pittsburgh commercial water line inspection and repair is also something that needs to be done on a timely basis.
The other option is to defer inspections and maintenance and gamble, hoping that the pressurized water lines hold out. Avoidance also means to expect that aging sewer systems don’t degrade to the point that they show their age by developing beginning to leak.
The problem with this strategy, though, is that no water pipes last forever, and ever since the installation was completed, they’ve been undergoing a long gradual process of degradation.
So this leads to the question, what are the common causes of commercial water line damage? It turns out that there are several types and causes of damage that Pittsburgh commercial water line inspection and repair professionals look for, and the first one is age.
Iron and steel water lines, in particular, are susceptible to damage caused by rust. This type of commercial water line can look fine on the outside, while on the inside, rust has been gradually eating away at the walls.
Another cause of damage to commercial water lines is yearly freezing and thawing. When water freezes, it expands, and this leads to increased pressure on a water line that, given enough time, will lead to leeks. Even if the water is drained out in preparation for freezing weather, the freezing and thawing mean expansion and contraction in the metal, which in turn, given enough time, can lead to cracks in a water line.
Changes in water pressure are yet another less well-known cause of damage. Here again, it’s the expansion and contraction that’s the culprit that leads to cracks. Research has shown that temperature variations of as little as ten degrees are enough to cause damage over time.
Ground settling is another issue Pittsburgh commercial water line inspection and repair professionals are looking for. This is mainly a problem in wastewater drainage lines because they’re low pressure.
Low pressure means that they rely on gravity flow to function, and if the ground settles, it can cause sags in the line that will, in turn, inhibit flow, leading to blockages.
A Closeup Look at Pittsburgh Commercial Water Pipe Inspection and Repair
So then, how often should you have your commercial water lines inspected? The answer to this question is every few years or so. Particularly if you are in an older building. But there’s a catch. The catch is if you are plagued by termites, you might consider having your commercial water pipes inspected sooner.
Termites need water to thrive, and if there’s no water, there will be no termites. This is why old wooden structures remain intact for hundreds of years in some cases if they’re in a desert. The presence of mold is also a prime indicator of damaged commercial water pipes because mold, just like termites, needs water to grow.
So, in turn, a reasonable question to ask would be what does commercial water line inspection include? The answer here is that a Pittsburgh commercial water line inspection and repair includes more than it used to in decades past.
It’s the result of new developments in commercial water line inspection technology that now allows plumbers to reach further into the pipes to see more. One of the primary new tools they use is a high-tech waterproof miniature camera attached to the end of a long cable to run deep inside water pipes to get a close-up look at what couldn’t be seen in the past.
This tool is handy in the inspection of sewer pipes to check for clogs, tree roots, sags, and areas that have degraded to the point that sewage is escaping.
Another helpful tool in the arsenal of today’s Pittsburgh commercial water pipe inspection and repair professional is pressure testing equipment. With this technology, commercial water lines can be pressurized, and then gauges are used to determine if water is escaping.
If the pressure remains stable, then the pipes are sound. On the other hand, if a reduction in the pressure is detected, that would be a prime indicator there’s a leak.
Then once a leak is detected and located, there are is a wide range of new products and technologies that make repairing them easier and longer-lasting than in the past. Trenchless water pipe repair technology is a stellar example of new high-tech developments that now allow Pittsburgh plumbers to reach deep underground into sewer pipes without digging a trench.
Then folks, of course, need to know how much does a commercial water line inspection and repair typically cost in Pittsburgh? The answer here is that it costs a whole lot less than it used to and there’s are a few good reasons for that.
The first one is, as mentioned above, new technologies and high-tech solutions make the inspection and the repair process faster, easier and cheaper today. For commercial businesses, this means shorter downtime and fewer interruptions, which translates directly into savings.
Then another thing to keep in mind here is that issues like mold and sewage leaks are taken far more seriously by state and local inspectors than in the past. They just can’t be ignored anymore because to do so is to take on the risk of being held financially culpable for toxic exposure to clients and tenants.