Modernizing Infrastructure: Plumbing Replacements

Plumbing may be out of sight, but it’s the backbone that keeps a building functioning safely and efficiently. From aging pumps and hot water upgrades to drain, waste, and vent replacements, proactive planning can prevent costly failures and major disruptions. With the right engineering guidance, plumbing upgrades can be managed smoothly—improving reliability, efficiency, and long-term building value.

Often hidden behind walls and below floors, plumbing systems play a critical role in a building’s daily operation. When left unplanned, aging valves, pumps, hot water systems, and drain piping can lead to unexpected outages, costly repairs, and major disruptions for occupants. Proactive upgrades—such as improving isolation control, planning pump replacements, and carefully designing hot water retrofits—help avoid these issues and extend the life of the system. With thoughtful planning and the guidance of a qualified engineer, plumbing improvements can be coordinated efficiently, minimizing downtime while making the building safer, more reliable, and easier to maintain for years to come.
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Modernizing Infrastructure: Plumbing Replacements

THE HIDDEN BACKBONE OF A BUILDING
Although often not seen, plumbing systems are a vital part of a building. Plumbing systems control fluids for cooking, washing, irrigation, air conditioning, fueling, waste management, etc. These systems are often neglected or unnoticed until expensive issues arise. Repairs and upgrades to a building’s water system are much less of a headache when planned before they become a problem.
 
IMPROVING ISOLATION CONTROL
One common upgrade is the addition of ball valves to control different zones of the building. If your building already has an adequate number of valves, then testing and replacement should be done. Maintenance and renovations are made easier when individual suites or stacks can be shut off.
 
DON’T LET AGING PUMPS LEAVE YOU DRY
Aging pumps or faulty pump controls can leave a building without water or with inconsistent water pressure. It is important to have a plan for replacement before pump issues start to occur, especially considering permitting timelines and equipment lead times.
 
AVOID HOT WATER RETROFIT PITFALLS
It is common for buildings to upgrade or repair a hot water system to make it more energy efficient. Keep in mind that seemingly simple changes can have detrimental impacts. For example, an upgrade from electrical resistance heaters to heat pumps often requires larger hot water storage and a different piping configuration. It is important that the designer understands the entire hot water system when making upgrades to an existing system. Changing to a different heating source without modifying the configuration of piping, pumps and storage might result in inconsistent water temperatures and inadequate water volumes even though the water heater is sized correctly.
 
REPLACING DWV SYSTEMS
Drain, waste and vent systems, also known as DWV systems, remove wastewater from a building. DWV systems operate unnoticed until they clog or leak. Plans should be made to finance and schedule the replacement of piping before damage from leaks become a major building issue. It is common during the replacement for buildings to reroute below-grade piping to allow for easier access for repairs and to add clean-outs throughout the building to allow for cleaning and monitoring the piping.
 
DWV REPLACEMENT LOGISTICS
An experienced and qualified team will be able to coordinate with the building to minimize water shutdowns and disturbance to units.  An individual residential unit will typically be worked on for two weeks. The residents usually only need to leave their units once for asbestos abatement, if required.
 
PLAN FOR PLUMBING SUCCESS
Proactive upgrades and repairs to aging plumbing systems can help keep a building operating smoothly while avoiding costly problems and disruptions. If your building contains older plumbing, now is the time to start preparing for upgrades. Begin by consulting a qualified engineer to obtain a probable cost estimate, which will help you budget effectively. The engineer can guide the design, coordinate permits and help solicit bids from contractors. Choose an engineer you trust, as their design choices can have a significant impact on overall project cost. Remember: with proper planning and guidance, plumbing upgrades don’t have to be stressful—they can make your building safer, more efficient and easier to maintain.