Maintenance Guide

Commercial Plumbing Maintenance Checklist for Building Managers

A practical checklist, organised by equipment, to help building and facility managers plan plumbing maintenance, spot problems early and get useful reports from contractors.

Start with a site register

Good maintenance starts with knowing what is on site. List each drain line you know about, pits and grates, stormwater or sewer pumps, testable backflow devices, hot water units and any commercial kitchen or amenities plumbing. Note where each item is, how it is accessed and who holds keys or access codes.

There is no single correct interval for every building. How often each item needs attention depends on its age, condition, how heavily it is used and what has gone wrong before. Use the register to record what was found at each visit so intervals can be adjusted over time.

Drains and sewer lines

Slow-draining fixtures, gurgling or odours in amenities and kitchens
Recurring blockages in the same line — a sign to inspect with a CCTV camera rather than only clear it
Grease build-up in kitchen lines and how often jetting has been needed
Overflow relief gullies and inspection openings: accessible, capped and not buried

Roof drainage

Box gutters, rainheads and outlets clear of leaves and debris, particularly before winter
Overflows and downpipes free-flowing and securely fixed
Staining on ceilings or walls below gutters after rain

Pumps and pits

Pump alarms tested and reporting to someone who will respond
Silt and debris levels in pits, and whether grates are intact
Pumps cycling normally — not running constantly or starting and stopping rapidly
Discharge lines and valves included in inspections, not just the pump itself

Backflow prevention devices

Location and type of each testable device recorded in the register
Testing booked in line with your water corporation's notices for the site
Test results kept on file, with any failed device repaired and re-tested

Water and heating fixtures

Hot water units: leaks, corrosion, relief valve discharge and age of the unit
Tempering valves and mixing valves serviced where fitted
Dripping taps, running toilets and failed flush valves in amenities
Visible pipework for leaks, corrosion or poor support

Planned versus reactive work

Planned work is booked in advance from the register: drain jetting, pump and pit servicing, backflow testing and gutter clearing. Reactive work responds to a fault — a burst pipe, a blockage, a pump alarm. Most buildings need both. A record of reactive call-outs is useful when deciding what to add to the planned schedule, because repeated faults in one area usually point to an underlying cause.

Signs that need prompt attention

Water where it shouldn't be: ceilings, basements, lift pits or car parks
Sewage odours or overflowing gullies
A pump alarm, or a pit level that keeps rising
No hot water, or water discharging from a relief valve continuously

What a useful service report includes

Site, date of visit and which items were inspected
What was found, with photos of faults and their location
Work completed during the visit
Recommended repairs, separated into urgent and planned, with an itemised quote
Anything that could not be accessed or inspected, so it can be followed up