Plumbing services are not created equal. You have residential and commercial plumbing services, both of which serve a common goal. That is to ensure your plumbing system is up and running for the necessary usage and tasks.
The reality is that residential and commercial are two different types of expertise. For this reason, we’ll explain the seven main differences between residential and commercial plumbers. Whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner (maybe both), you know that their services will be needed be it for emergencies or if you want to take preventative measures.
Ready to dive in? Let’s take a look at the following list below.
Scope of work
The first thing we’ll take a look at is the scope of work. Of course, residential plumbers will focus on residential spaces like individual homes, apartments, condos, etc. Commercial plumbers will focus on plumbing systems that are in commercial and even industrial buildings.
Commercial plumbers focus on larger scale projects. Such plumbing systems are a bit more complex and have a more sophisticated setup compared to residential plumbing systems. Thus, you have a professional that knows their way around the larger scale plumbing systems that get used a lot more often than residential ones.
Size and complexity of plumbing systems
We’ve already touched on this in the previous point. Residential plumbing systems will be smaller in size. Of course, there are larger homes with plenty of bathrooms – meaning a bit more of a larger plumbing system, but maybe not as complex as commercial ones.
Speaking of which, commercial plumbing systems are larger in size. And they tend to be a bit more complex. It can operate large-scale water heaters, has a piping network that is massive in design, and tough enough to handle a whole lot of use.
Plumbing systems in residential settings aren’t built like that. They are built well enough to handle the basic tasks that happen at home. It includes doing the dishes, taking showers, the usual bathroom activities, and watering your garden (among other things).
So the functionality is a bit simpler compared to its commercial counterpart. A plumbing issue may be easier to spot in a residential setting compared to a commercial system (depending on how large it is).
Plumbing installations
What do residential plumbers install? Mostly water heaters, toilets, garbage disposals, and faucets. So the simple, run of the mill plumbing stuff.
Commercial plumbers focus more on industrial-grade pipes, large scale drainage systems, and high-capacity water heaters. Of course, it comes down to one thing – usage and the number of people on site.
This is just stating the obvious. Your commercial building could have a few to hundreds of people (or more). The plumbing system will be operating all the time fulfilling every possible need. So of course it needs the high-capacity fixtures in order to function properly.
On the other end of the coin, residential plumbing systems just handle plumbing needs of the household and the guests you may have. If you’re having a dinner party with over a dozen people, it could bring a slight bit of stress on your plumbing system.
Pipe repairs
Pipes can crack, leak, or bust. Residential plumbers can diagnose and repair issues with the pipes in your home. Of course, commercial plumbers will fix commercial pipes – even if the issues are a bit more complicated.
One major difference between residential and commercial pipes is size. Commercial pipes contain industrial materials and are larger in diameter compared to their residential counterparts. Not to mention, the layouts between the two will be much different.
Water heaters
Residential water heater installation will be standard for a kitchen sink, shower, and other relevant fixtures. Commercial water heaters will operate at a much higher capacity. You never know how many people in a hotel are taking a shower at the same time or how often a restaurant could be washing the dishes after a customer’s meal.
Either way, this type of plumbing equipment is always appreciated. Because without hot water, a lot of tasks may not be completed. That’s because hot water is great for sanitization purposes when washing dishes.
Compliance with regulations
While both residential and commercial plumbers are responsible for meeting certain regulations, they differ between the two. Residential plumbers need to make sure that local building codes and regulations that pertain to residences are being followed properly. However, commercial plumbing regulations are different and a bit more complex to navigate compared to residential ones.
Commercial plumbing systems need to follow more regulations. For example, these are issued by local agencies, state health departments, and industrial safety agencies like OSHA. All of which is to ensure that the plumbing system is safe in a commercial and industrial setting.
Failure to comply with regulations – regardless if it’s a residence or commercial space – may lead to possible legal issues. A plumber will make sure this doesn’t happen.
Team size
Residential plumbing services will have a few highly-trained individuals on their staff that understand everything about residential plumbing systems. Commercial plumbers have a much larger team and will often work with engineers and architects regarding large scale projects they’re working on. As such, the larger the plumbing system, the more hands you’ll need to handle the project.
It may be overkill to have more than two people working on a residential plumbing system. And it would be the most overwhelming task ever for one commercial plumber to figure out an issue with a large scale plumbing system.
Final Thoughts
No plumbing system is the same. Neither are the plumbing services that exist near you. While a plumbing system is different in terms of fixtures, the amount of activity it handles, and so much more – there’s always a plumbing service that will fix any issue that may arise.
For homeowners, they have someone who can check out the problem at any time with one person on the job. In a commercial setting, it may be a multiple person effort. Either way, plumbers will make sure that both systems run smoothly without issue – day or night whenever needed.