{"id":471,"date":"2021-11-01T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.althoffindcommercial.com\/blog\/?p=471"},"modified":"2023-06-15T16:13:04","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T21:13:04","slug":"risers-what-they-are-how-to-know-they-need-replacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.althoffindcommercial.com\/blog\/plumbing-service\/risers-what-they-are-how-to-know-they-need-replacement\/","title":{"rendered":"Risers: What They Are, How to Know They Need Replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"copper-pipe-burst\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

At Althoff, we offer extensive commercial plumbing services to all types of buildings and facilities. You\u2019ll find we offer plumbing services many other local contractors don\u2019t\u2014it\u2019s why our motto is \u201cChallenges accepted!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major challenge in commercial plumbing is handling multi-story buildings. Moving freshwater against gravity from one floor to another requires specialized plumbing devices and structures. One of the essential parts of the plumbing of multi-story structures is the risers. Plumbing in buildings simply can\u2019t work without them. We offer riser replacement services for customers who need the best in office building plumbing in Chicago, IL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What are risers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may not know about the risers in your building because they are supposed to carry out their job without you noticing anything. Risers, which are also called riser mains<\/em>, refer to the water supply lines that move from one floor to another. In other words, the vertical pipes in a building that allow fresh water to rise from lower floors to upper floors. Risers have features such as backflow preventers to stop water from moving in the wrong direction through the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risers can be made from a variety of materials, and the types in your facility depend on the building\u2019s age. The most common riser materials are plastic, copper, brass, and galvanized steel. Like any part of a plumbing system, risers have a limited lifespan and at some point will need to be replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can I tell if I need riser replacement?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can make an estimate on riser replacement based on the age of the pipes. Depending on the material, risers can last from 40 to 100 years. Plastic pipes have the shortest average lifespan, about 40 years, although they often last longer. Galvanized steel can last for 50 years, brass for 70 years, and K-type copper for 100 years. (You can see why copper piping has become the most commonly used metal in commercial plumbing.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Age isn\u2019t an absolute determining factor for riser replacement, however, since the amount of use the risers receive, their maintenance history, and the presence of chemicals in the water that causes corrosion can all lower their lifespans. If you have an older facility that may have outdated risers, we recommend calling our plumbers to inspect them to see if you need to have them replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are specific warning signs you can watch for that will tell you it\u2019s time to have new risers put in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n