Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Building’s Systems

Managing an older high-rise building is anything but simple. There are many systems in a building that can be complex and difficult to maintain. This article summarizes what these systems are and gives insight into their life, maintenance and replacement.

DRAIN-WASTE-VENT PLUMBING
The plumbing that takes the sewage out of your toilet and the water from your sinks is known as the drain, waste and vent system (DWV). Wastewater and sewage drain via gravity, down a vertical pipe in the wall called a stack. In most buildings, these stacks are cast iron, but some are copper. The usable life of cast iron pipes is 40 to 50 years depending on maintenance and the building owners’ tolerance for repairs. If a building is in this age range, the piping should be assessed. Most of the buildings we’ve seen over 40 years old have leaking or cracked piping. Most times the pipes are behind counters and cabinets, so it is important to start planning now for this invasive and costly building maintenance.
 
MATERIALS
Cast iron is the standard material being used today in piping. It is cost-effective, easy to fire-stop and quiet. Copper is a better material, but it is rarely used because it costs 2.5 times more than cast iron. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are often considered because of the perception that they are cheaper and better material; however, fire-stopping is much more difficult with these materials, and they are much louder than cast iron, inviting future liability to the Association of Apartment Owners (AOAO). Solving the fire-stopping and noise issues makes this material more expensive to install than cast iron, which completely erases the cost savings.
 
PIPE LINING
Another option is pipe lining, which is cheap and less destructive, but it is very problematic. Buildings move and so do the pipes in them. Pipe lining has a propensity to crack at the joints. Pipe lining has its place in underground piping that is under a slab or road, but it is not suitable for the vertical and horizontal pipes in a building.
 
DOMESTIC WATER PIPE MATERIALS AND REPLACEMENTS
Most if not all multi-story condos have copper water piping. Copper is often called a “forever material.” For this reason, it is rarely replaced all together. Typically, if copper piping fails, it fails at the solder joints. These fittings can be repaired or replaced during the cast iron waste piping replacement.  It would be rare to replace an entire copper domestic supply system.
 
Galvanized pipe was used extensively into the 1960s. If your building has galvanized water pipe, it should be replaced.
 
Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) is a flexible tubing that became popular in the 1980s due to its low cost and ease of installation. It has a history of failure in high-rise buildings in Hawai’i. There have been several lawsuits related to the use of PEX piping and the subsequent leaks due to failed fittings and other installation problems. Therefore, it is not a recommended material for high-rise installations.
 
BOOSTER PUMPS
Domestic water booster pumps are required to raise the pressure of the incoming water supply so that the upper floors of the building have adequate water pressure.  The pump is typically located in a pump room at the bottom of the building and runs continuously to supply water to plumbing fixtures throughout the building. It consists of an electric motor, controls, pump, special valves and an expansion tank. The expected usable life is 20 to 35 years. If a pumping system is older than 20 years, preparations should be made to replace it.
 
BACKFLOW PREVENTERS
The odd-looking pipe and valve assembly at the front of your property is the backflow preventer. Once the City’s water enters your property, the backflow preventer keeps the water from flowing back into the City main. The backflow prevention program started in 1970s for the health and safety of the public. If there is a pressure drop, the backflow preventer keeps potentially contaminated water out of the City’s supply. If a building was built after 1970, it should have a backflow preventer. If a building was built before 1970, any new plumbing work will trigger the requirement to install one. The Board of Water Supply (BWS) has specific requirements for where it can and cannot be installed and what type it is. Therefore, a permit and BWS approval are required before one can be installed.
 
A backflow preventer consists of valves and check valves. Any reverse flow is dumped out onto the ground. It is normal to see water dumping from one. However, if it is constantly leaking water, it is likely broken. It should be located as close as possible to the water meter so no connections can be made in front of it and defeat its purpose. The backflow preventer could be located outside near the front of the building or inside the building in the pump room. If located inside, it requires a floor drain in case it dumps water during a pressure loss on the City’s supply. The assembly must be tested annually.
 
FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
All high-rise commercial buildings and newer high-rise residential buildings have an automatic fire sprinkler system installed. The system consists of a combination of steel and copper piping, sprinkler heads and a pump to maintain adequate pressure for several of those heads to spray water at once.
 
Sprinkler heads throughout the garage or building are most commonly full of water and connected to the City’s water main through a separate meter. The heads are activated by heat, so only the heads in the direct vicinity of the fire will spray water. The piping could be copper, steel, or chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC). The life of the pipe depends on the material. The heads need to be replaced every 50 years or sooner if they show signs of corrosion. The fire pump can last anywhere from 20 to 35 years.
 
ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
A reliable electrical system is often taken for granted. Electrical distribution systems typically do not give warning before catastrophic failure. Proper maintenance is required for system longevity. This includes infrared scans, cleaning dirt from panels and bus bars and replacement of parts that show signs of failure. An electrical system’s life is dependent on the availability of parts for its maintenance. More likely is the need for replacement to gain capacity on the system for air-conditioning and EV (electric vehicle) car-charging. There are, however, two brands of electrical equipment that have been proven to be unsafe. A building with FPE or Zinsco electrical equipment should be updated as soon as possible. An assessment from a professional electrical engineer is required to determine exactly what a particular system needs.
 
FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS
Every high-rise building requires a voice-evacuation-type fire alarm system. The system consists of a main control panel, amplifiers, speakers throughout the building for 100% audibility, strobes in offices and common areas, and initiation devices such as pull stations, smoke detectors and heat detectors. It is very important to be able to hear the alarm from every occupiable space in the building. A building with an old bell system will not be heard in all areas.
 
SECURITY SYSTEMS
Building security is accomplished with a combination of access control, cameras and alarms. The more secure the building, the less freedom and convenience the occupants will have. It is important to balance safety and security with convenience. A professional electrical engineer can assess the property and help a building owner accomplish a good balance between security and convenience.
 
DON’T DELAY
Buildings contain several complicated systems that can be difficult to maintain. Yet, maintenance of these systems is paramount. Delaying maintenance or ignoring problems only makes things worse and more expensive. It is important to note that any changes or additions to the systems described in this article require design by a registered professional engineer and require permitting by the City and County of Honolulu. Installation must be performed by a licensed contractor. Do not be fooled by unlicensed people who may say otherwise. When in doubt, it is best to call a licensed engineer for advice. Permitting violations never go away, but more important is the safety of the occupants of the building.