Turning on the tap in your high-rise apartment building might seem simple or might get lost in the monotony of everyday life. But the truth is that this daily action requires a complex and sophisticated commercial plumbing system for support and reliability. When it comes to tall buildings in Houston, commercial plumbing is essential for getting water from the lobby all the way to the penthouse with the simple twist of a handle. Learn more about how AAA Plumbers in Houston serves as a critical resource for some of the tallest apartment complexes in the city.
Demystifying Commercial Plumbing’s Role in Fighting Gravity
The biggest challenge when it comes to commercial plumbing for Houston’s high-rise apartments is resisting gravity and supplying water to extremely high levels. Houston’s tallest apartment building currently stands at 46 stories high, making commercial plumbing a challenge.
Gravity is constantly pulling every physical object down to earth, including the water that flows through plumbing systems and supplies hot water for your daily showers. We measure this in a water pressure measurement system called PSI. This is a vital measurement when it comes to conducting successful plumbing against gravity for tall high-rise buildings. Commercial plumbers can determine the level of strength needed in the system by using a simple calculation:
- For every foot of elevation, the water pressure drops by 0.433 PSI. Typically, city water supplies are only able to reach a PSI of 40-80, meaning that it is not powerful enough to reach 600 feet in the air for tall buildings.
Because of this problem, many high-rise apartment buildings in Houston require powerful commercial plumbing solutions.
The Core Components of Successful High-Rise Plumbing
While high-rise buildings might look sleek and minimalistic, the truth is that they require a vast network of complicated, specialized commercial plumbing systems. In order to efficiently fight back against gravity, these systems are carefully engineered to consistently deliver water flow to even the tallest flow. While every system is unique, they all use similar core components for optimal plumbing power.
Water Booster Pump Systems
Behind every Houston high-rise commercial plumbing system, the real star of the show is the water booster pump. A booster pump at its core is a component that helps increase the pressure of the pipes – serving as a turbocharger for your plumbing system. Without increasing the force of your city’s main supply, nothing more than a trickle would be available for higher floors. The two primary types of booster pumps include:
- Constant speed pumps: These are the original type of booster pumps. While they can be seen as less efficient than modern models, they pioneered the way for supplying water to the top floors of tall buildings.
- Variable frequency drive (VFDs): This type of booster pump is the modern standard for modern commercial plumbing. What makes them more efficient than constant speed pumps is their ability to maximize and customize pump speed based on real-time water demand, instead of running at the same speed constantly. This can help offer significant energy savings and precise pressure.
A huge factor in commercial plumbing is pump redundancy. This means having a reliable system of booster pump backups at the ready in case an emergency ever occurs. The redundancy pump will take over automatically, preventing any disruption in water flow, even to the top floor. This can help drastically decrease downtime, maintenance emergencies, and renter complaints.
Pressure Reducing Valves
While the booster pump works to propel water up to the tallest floors, its job wouldn’t be possible without pressure-reducing valves. High pressure may be required for top floors, but it can be a costly, dangerous problem for lower levels, like burst pipes and damaged fixtures. Over time, the constant intense pressure can lead to seal failure and significant leaking. In extreme cases, it can even cause detrimental flooding and serious damage.
Pressure-reducing valves work like a physical gate to slow down the pressure. At AAA Plumbers, we can strategically install them at key points in the plumbing system to create exact pressure zones. We typically do this based on each floor and the pressure required to achieve consistency at each level. This helps prevent damage on lower levels, while still ensuring the top levels get adequate water pressure at all times.
Pressure-reducing valves can be an excellent tool for reducing damage and increasing tenant satisfaction, but they require expert skill to install at the correct locations for optimal results. Because of this, working with AAA Plumbers is vital for your high-rise commercial plumbing needs.
The High-Level Reservoir and Header Tanks
While booster pumps, redundant pumps, and pressure valves all play integral roles in high-rise apartment commercial plumbing systems – what happens when the power goes out? The true hero of commercial plumbing systems is often the header tank, also known as a cistern or roof tank, which provides a constant, stable water supply at the top of the building, as opposed to the lower levels. When a large amount of the water supply is housed at a high level, it lets gravity work in its favor to provide a constant flow to the floors below. Because of this, even if the booster pumps are powered off, the top floor of your commercial high-rise building can still enjoy a stable flow.
The Vast Benefits of Smart Plumbing Systems
Luckily for high-rise apartment buildings in Houston, the days of needing uncontrollable brute force in order to boost water are over. As we make more advancements in modern commercial plumbing, it becomes more reliable for tall buildings. The biggest development we use at AAA Plumbers is VFD pumps. These pumps can help fight for your building’s energy savings and contribute to lower bills, less energy consumption, and more accurate pressure service. By choosing a system that tailors its pressure to your building’s needs, not only will you receive better results, but it will also last longer and need less maintenance.
Along with the integration of VFD technology, automated plumbing system monitoring can play a key role in catching small repairs before they turn into large-scale, catastrophic failures. When you use these systems, you’re able to see real-time data on your system’s performance, as well as specific pressure, flow rates, and tank levels. By doing this, you can rely on predictable maintenance schedules instead of emergency, stress-inducing failures.
A Commercial Plumber’s Indispensable Role
No matter what advanced tech or high-quality booster pump you are using for your high-rise apartment, these systems are useless without the help of a seasoned commercial plumbing team like AAA Plumbers. High-rise apartment complexes have some of the most complex plumbing requirements of any structure. Not only are they tall and require immense force, but they also have dynamic usage throughout each unit. These buildings demand a plumbing system that can perform consistently at all times. At AAA Plumbers, we strive to help find the perfect plumbing solution for our clients, regardless of how tall their building is. Check out our Google reviews to see why we are the most reliable commercial plumbing company in Houston:
“I have had the pleasure of using this company on several occasions and will continue to call and recommend them. They are always professional, respectful, and responsive. Top-notch service and customer care!” – Travis B.
Contact us today to receive a free commercial plumbing estimate for your high-rise apartment complex!