The bottom-line benefits of avoiding the ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’ mentality

— By Thomas A. Westerkamp

Efficient plumbing systems are essential for smooth facility operation, but too often they are overlooked until a problem arises. Rarely is the adage, “out of sight, out of mind” more applicable than with plumbing systems.

One strategy for managers developing a preventive or predictive maintenance program for plumbing systems is to focus on locations in facility plumbing systems that traditionally have caused problems. By identifying these components, technicians and inspectors can detect problems early and take steps to troubleshoot minor problems before they become big problems.

Traditional trouble spots
Water, gas and steam lines under varying pressure are common trouble spots, but trouble also can occur in drain and sewer lines that are not under much pressure. Hot- and cold-water piping systems are usually made of copper, while steam and gas piping are made of malleable iron.

The piping itself usually is not a problem unless it is very old, in which case leaks occur first at the joints and then in pipe walls, where pinholes appear due to the thinning of the wall from corrosion or erosion.

Problems most often occur in the fittings — water valves, steam valves, pipe elbows, tees, unions and the like. Since valves contain moving parts, rubber O-rings and packing, the main culprits tend to be normal wear, corrosion, erosion and mineral buildup.

In steam lines, erosion from the high-velocity steam and corrosion due to acid concentration cause thinning of the walls. Also, water hammer — slugs of water that can move at more than 80 miles per hour — can crack piping or loosen joints and cause leaks in the header piping and heating coils.

Early warning signs
Visible leaks usually are the first signs of trouble with plumbing fixtures and piping. Sometimes, however, the only indication is discoloration at the source of the leak. A rust stain on steel pipe or a blue-green copper oxide corrosion stain on a copper pipe might be the only indication if the leak is very small.

A mineral buildup near the faucet or flush stem of a fixture before any accumulation of water appears also might be a sign of a very slow leak. This situation is especially true with seldom-used valves. Since no water flows around the seat or moving parts, minerals keep building up on them, creating a permanent seal.

In older systems, while no leaks might appear, the faucet valve might become more difficult to open and close. If no action is taken, the valve soon will freeze up solid, and no amount of force will open or close it.

A gas leak is another early warning sign of plumbing problems. The first step in case of a gas leak is to notify the gas company so a representative can determine the problem. If the service entrance line on the utility side of the meter is the source of the problem, the utility will fix it. If it is on the facility side of the meter, the inspector will find the problem, and either in-house crews or an authorized plumbing contractor can fix it.

Finally, steam leaks usually are visible and look like water vapor as the steam condenses as soon as it hits the atmosphere. Leaks usually appear first at valve stems, piping joints or heating-coil tubes. Then, as the effect of wear continues, the leaks become more widespread and show up on the pipe walls, as well.

Keeping small problems small
An equipment history record is an excellent tool to use in troubleshooting plumbing systems and preventing large, expensive problems. This record can be either a simple manual logbook, where a technician makes a log entry each time he or she makes a repair, or a computerized maintenance management system.

Managers and facilities can benefit tremendously from collecting this information. For example, suppose a department logs each restroom repair and sorts the repairs by restroom. The record would show the item that was repaired, repair date, repair frequency, required labor and parts used. Analyzing the data might show that one restroom is costing the organization more than all other restrooms combined.

After accumulating some system history, managers can more easily identify problems and determine causes. Did a faucet fail prematurely? Was vandalism evident? Was a drain stoppage occurring frequently? Was a water tap left on often?

Managers and supervisors then can plan corrective action: upgrading the faucet design; vandal-proofing the fixtures; checking and improving the water flow; or retrofitting faucets and flush valves with sensor-type flow controls. Each of these steps lowers the maintenance cost, improves reliability and frees up labor and other resources so they can be directed at other problems.

The final step
Preventive maintenance inspection routes should include infrequently used valves, such as supply shutoff valves and pop valves on boilers. These valves might not be cycled for years under normal operating conditions, so when they are needed, they might not operate because they are frozen in place by mineral buildup and corrosion.

This situation is especially dangerous in the case of the boiler pressure relief valves because a pressure buildup could cause an explosion.

A problem with a water supply valve is more of a nuisance than anything, but it still is not welcome if a technician can’t shut off the supply to replace a faulty faucet or flush valve. It is good practice for technicians to cycle these seldom-used fixtures at least annually so they continue to function as needed.

A good troubleshooting and corrective maintenance program will pay for itself repeatedly. As problems are designed out of the system or as improved preventive maintenance inspections detect problems earlier, managers can apply the savings to other solutions, creating a reliable source of funds for a continuous improvement effort for plumbing systems.

Usually, the two most difficult parts of the repair are turning off the water supply and disassembling the old cartridge from the valve housing. If the supply valve has not been closed for a while, it might be stuck. The best remedy is to spray the stem with a liquid penetrant to dissolve buildup around the stem.

Technicians should let the penetrant work for at least a half-hour — several applications might be needed for really stubborn valves. If the fixture supply valve won’t close tightly enough, technicians might have to go further down the line until they find a valve that will stop the flow.

With the supply shut off, the next challenge is to remove the old cartridge, which can be stubborn, especially if it has been in a hard-water environment for a long time — another good reason for looking into a water-softening system.

The next step is to use a cartridge puller made especially for this purpose. It seats against the valve body and has a threaded screw that screws into the old valve cartridge stem. Once assembled, turn the puller with the turning handle, a little to the left and then to the right. The toughest buildup will break loose. Check inside the housing with a flashlight and remove any debris.

The new cartridge can be brass or plastic. Some professionals recommend plastic because it is less inclined to mineral buildup and costs less, too. Technicians can replace an old brass cartridge with a new plastic one for the same model valve.