Choosing My Contractor
5 Impacts Of Plumbing Problems On Your Business
Diego Rojas
Commercial plumbing problems can come with many hidden costs. These costs can continue to impact your business long after the problem has been repaired.
1. Paused Operations
Depending on the severity of the issue, you may need to pause business operations. Closing early due to sewer backups or broken water lines impacts your customers, your staff, and your bottom line. Major issues can take several days to sort out repair, which means your normal business operations can be suspended for as long as the repair takes. This can be a major hit to your profits.
2. Loss of Merchandise
Depending on the type and location of the plumbing issue, merchandise can become damaged. Flooding from overflowing fixtures can drip through ceilings and onto sales floors or storage warehouses, ruining your product investments. Often, flood water is considered a biohazard, so you won't be able to attempt to salvage the merchandise or even sell it at a discount. In the case of food merchandise, the local health department may deem it necessary to write it off even if it isn't directly affected by the plumbing issue.
3. Customer Perception
Even if you manage to avoid operation interruptions, there can still be a negative impact when it comes to customers. Many plumbing issues are just plain smelly, and the foul odor can be very distasteful to any customers on-site. One visit to a business that is dealing with plumbing issues can be enough to lose a customer for life. If word gets around, the impact could be even more severe.
4. Increased Maintenance Costs
It is often much more expensive to repair and replace plumbing following an emergency situation. For example, regular drain cleaning is much less expensive compared to replacing a burst sewer line and repairing all the damage that the raw sewage caused. Skipping routine maintenance is a false economy that will likely cost your business much more in the long run.
5. Fines and Code Issues
Certain plumbing issues can result in fines. One example is businesses that are required by local health departments to have a regularly serviced grease trap. If you have a plumbing blockage that is due to lack of or an improperly maintained grease trap, you can end up with an expensive fine. You may also be responsible for the repair costs to both your business and the municipal sewage lines.
Contact a commercial plumbing service if you need help with your business's plumbing.
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By the time I finally finished saving money for my new home, I knew that I wanted something special. I didn't want to buy a starter home, and I really didn't want to deal with fixing up an older place. Instead of scouring the market and dealing with real estate agents, I decided to work with a general contractor to start building a place of my own. However, I didn't choose my contractor willy nilly either. I spend hours interviewing and researching various construction firms until I found the business I wanted to work with. This blog is all about working with contractors, so that you can make better construction decisions.