Plumbing isn’t the first issue you think of when running a hotel, but it can make or break your guests experience and your budget.
If your plumbing isn’t maintained it could lead to leaks that cause damage, clogged toilets which lead to unhappy guests, and spending more money than you need to.
How can you ensure your hotels plumbing meets the needs of your guests’ and saves you money?
Hotel Plumbing Layout
The layout of your hotel plumbing is a major factor in how your plumbing functions. If your hotel is just being built, it is best to start with a plumbing plan that maps out your system.
This will mean you can optimise your plumbing to ensure it will be able to handle all sorts of situations.
The plumbing plan will include how water is brought in and waste back out. It will typically include the water supply lines, drains, vent pipes, valves, and fixtures such as toilets and sinks.
A plumbing plan can save time and expenses later on.
Even if your hotel is not newly built, you should have a plan of your plumbing and a plumber can look at it to let you know how it can be improved.
It is important in your hotel kitchen that your plumbing is designed to make things more efficient because most dining establishments can use anywhere from 200 to 20000 litres of hot water on a daily basis.
The kitchen’s dishwashing station is the main area that most plumbing issues will occur.
The main plumbing issue in kitchen is clogging. But this can be easily managed by training staff to ensure they throw any residue from plates in the bin before washing.
You can also place a wire mesh over the plughole to catch any debris that could clog your sink.
You could also go tankless which means a high-powered burner quickly heats up the cool water to cope with demand, saving on water and money.
Design And Installation
The design and installation of your pipework is important to get right. You should always get qualified and experienced plumbers to attend to your hotel plumbing.
Atmostherm are experienced at dealing with commercial plumbing issues. We recently designed a complete plumbing system for a two story, 36 bed sheltered apartment block.
We installed the pipework using copper tube and press fittings to reduce hot water dangers.
We also insulated the pipework and used foil back insulation to prevent overheating and condensation.
On completing the project, the plumbing system and storage tanks were chlorinated and certified for use to ensure the premises met the required regulations.
An unexperienced or under qualified plumber could mean you experience issues with your plumbing later on.
Water And Waste Challenges For Hotels
There are several major hotel plumbing problems that can cause unpleasant issues for guests.
Clogged Drains
Along with food clogging kitchen sinks, hair can also clog bathroom drains. Guests may also put items down the toilet that can block it.
Clogged plugholes can cause bad smells and prevent toilets and sinks being used properly.
Leaking Pipes
Pipes that are old can corrode over time. Bad weather can also cause burst pipes.
Sometimes the leaks are not obvious which can lead to water dripping on to ceilings or floors and causing mould.
Water Pressure
Low water pressure can make it difficult to flush toilets and cause other issues that can impact your guests stay.
Waste Issues
There can be sewer line backups that again can cause terrible smells to permeate throughout your hotel and lead to areas spilling over with dirty water.
How To Manage Your Hotel Plumbing
There are ways of fixing all of these issues. Some can be very quick and affordable options.
Drainage
Avoid blocked drains by using hair catchers in bathrooms and wire mesh in kitchen sinks.
These will catch most of the hair to avoid it going down the drain.
It is also important to clean your drains regularly. This can be by using chemicals or getting professional drain cleaners to do this for you.
Repairing Pipework
Water leaks can be fixed by locating the source of the leak and replacing the damaged pipes or fittings. You may also be able to seal the leaks with epoxy or pipe wraps.
Water Pressure
Using low flow devices such as showerheads, toilets, and taps can regulate the amount of water released per unit of time.
Low flow doesn’t mean low performance so it won’t affect the water pressure or ruin your guest’s experience.
Low flow devices use aerators to disperse the water jet into many streams, so the same volume is achieved but with less water.
This not only helps to regular appliances to keep guests happy, but it can also save on water. This is particularly useful if you are in a part of the UK that has to pay water rates.
Water pressure can also be improved by replacing old pipework, cleaning aerators, or installing pressure-boosting systems.
Waste
Problems with your sewer lines can be cleared using hydro jetting, drain snakes, or sewer line cameras to locate and remove blockages.
Servicing
It is important to maintain your plumbing to ensure it is running efficiently. You should service your plumbing at least once a year to avoid any unexpected breakdowns and expenses.
It is important to regularly check guests’ rooms when they leave to ensure the facilities are adequate for your next guests to avoid any complaints.
Choosing The Right Plumbing Experts
It is important to choose experienced and qualified plumbers to carry out any work to your hotel plumbing.
At Atmostherm we are a long-established company with all the major certifications, accreditations, and compliances.
All our design and installation work conform to the requirements of WRAS, and other relevant guidelines.
We can handle your hotel plumbing from the initial enquiry to the design, supply, installation, servicing, and maintenance.
To solve your plumbing problems, contact us today.