PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Source: Essential facts: Real Estate Management

Joseph DeCarlo/Warren-Gorham & Lamont

Plumbing

Plumbing is an area of frequent problems & breakdowns. To adequately plan for plumbing repairs, landlords & managers must be mindful of energy efficiency, cost-savings & repair efficacy:

Be aware of the location of all shut-off valves in the building.

Maintain a working relationship with a qualified plumber, who is on call 24 hrs. a day to handle emergencies.

Common problem areas are toilets, shower heads & faucets. Toilets are a source of frequent repairs & energy inefficiency.

Toilets should be replaced & serviced not only due to age but as a water saving & cost saving measure. Traditional toilets consume five to seven gallons of water per flush, representing nearly 28% of a buildings total water consumption. According to Green Seal, Inc. a Washington , D.C. company that certifies the environmental claims of manufactures, appox. 70% of this water is not required for effective sewage transport. An environmentally sound alternative is the ultra-flow flush toilet, a reduced consumption appliance that uses only 1.6 gallons per flush. While there are concerns that these low consumption toilets cause increased clogging problems, studies show that stoppages are not increased, but sometimes require double flushes. Look for pressure-assisted systems to resolve these problems.

(Shower heads & faucets cont. November)