12 April 2012
On Rising Plumbing Costs
Our annual maintenance budget for plumbing is about $15,000 in 2012. While this represents about 6% of our budget, the plumbing costs have been slowly rising over the past few years. The simple, but accurate, answer as to why this happening is because our building is getting older. This year our building celebrates its 35th birthday.
As the plumbing pipes in our building get older, like us, they tend to wear out. Corrosion, debris in the line, fluctuating pressures and the buildup of sludge takes its toll on our pipes. When the pipes reach the end of their life, they leak. Routine maintenance can only do so much to slow thi process. Over the coming years we will have to replace more and more of our pipes and this is a costly process.
Several weeks ago we had two vertical 3” pipes develop leaks. An alert homeowner noticed a small reoccurring puddle of water around her bathtub. Our plumber broke into the adjacent wall and confirmed that two building pipes were cracked and that several sections had to be replaced. The picture below shows the extensive cracks in the two pipes.
Residents are urged to the vigilant and to immediately report to the management company any unexplained leaking or puddling of water in their units.