When a commercial plumbing problem is an emergency
A business has a different threshold for urgent than a home does. A single clogged restroom sink can wait for a morning appointment. A floor drain pushing water up in a commercial kitchen cannot, because a kitchen with a backed-up floor drain often has to stop cooking until it is fixed.
Call us right away for an active leak you cannot stop, any sewage backing up from a floor drain or restroom, no water at all to the building, or water near electrical panels or equipment. We take these calls at night, on weekends and on holidays, and we book same-day visits for less urgent jobs when the schedule allows.
What to do while you wait
Do what is safe from the list below and leave the rest. Staff safety comes before stock.
Find and close the main shutoff
In a multi-tenant building the main may serve every suite, so tell the property manager before you close it. A tenant-only shutoff, if one exists, is the better first move.
Kill power near the water
If water is reaching outlets, a panel or a kitchen appliance, shut off that breaker only if you can reach it dry. Otherwise stay back and say so when you call.
Stop using the fixtures
Do not flush, run dishwashers or pour more down a backing-up drain. Every gallon you add has to go somewhere, and it is usually the floor.
Protect stock and records
Lift boxes onto pallets or shelving, unplug equipment on the floor and move paper files. Water wicks up cardboard and drywall faster than most people expect.
Document before you clean
Take photos and a short video of the source, the water line on the walls and the damaged items. Your insurer and your landlord will both ask for them.
Who we work for and what the work covers
We service small and mid-sized commercial buildings around Zionsville: offices, retail shops, restaurants and cafes, salons, medical and professional suites, and the rental properties that landlords and property managers look after. Our scope is repair, replacement, service and diagnosis of the plumbing inside and under those buildings.
Typical calls are leaking supply lines, failed restroom fixtures, slow or blocked drains, water heater problems, floor drains and sewage lift pumps that stop working. We can often work from a work order sent by a property manager, so tell us the unit, the tenant contact and who approves the cost when you call.
Commercial Plumbing problem right now?
Call the 24/7 line. Tell us what you see, and we will tell you what to do first and what a visit involves.
Signs a commercial building has a hidden leak
Large buildings hide leaks well. A suite that nobody enters over a weekend can lose water for two days before anyone sees it.
Meter moves after hours
Check the water meter when the building is empty and every fixture is off. If the dial or digital reading keeps changing, water is escaping somewhere.
Stained ceiling tiles
A brown ring or a sagging tile points to water above, but the source is often several feet away along a pipe or joist.
Musty smell in one area
Damp drywall and carpet pad smell before they look wet. A smell that stays after cleaning is worth a closer look.
Warm or soft floor spots
A warm patch can mean a hot water line leaking under a slab. A soft or lifting floor suggests water has been sitting a while.
Pressure drops in one suite
Low pressure at a single tenant space, while others are normal, can mean a leak or a partly closed valve on that branch.
A water bill that jumps
A sudden rise with no change in how the business operates is often the first clue. Compare the last few bills before you call.
Commercial leak detection without tearing up the building
We start with the simplest tests. Shut every fixture, read the meter, wait, and read it again. If it moves, we isolate zones by closing valves one branch at a time until the reading stops, which narrows a leak to a wing, a floor or a single run of pipe.
Then we pinpoint it with listening equipment, a thermal camera for hot water lines and a pressure test on the isolated branch. Where a drain line is suspected, a drain camera shows cracks and offsets from the inside. The goal is to open one small section of wall or floor instead of several.
We will tell you when a leak cannot be found without more invasive work. Sometimes the better answer is to re-run a short section of pipe rather than chase a pinhole inside a slab. Our leak detection service covers the same methods for homes.
Floor drains, grease and commercial drain service
Restaurants and cafes send fats, oils and grease down the line every hour. Grease cools, sticks to pipe walls and hardens, so the drain narrows a little each week until a Friday rush finds the limit. A kitchen with a grease trap or interceptor needs it emptied and cleaned on a schedule that matches its volume.
How often depends on seating, menu and local requirements, so ask your landlord's lease terms and the Town of Zionsville which rules apply to your space. We can clean and inspect a trap, check that its baffles and lid seal are intact, and clear the line beyond it. For stubborn buildup, hydro jetting scours the pipe wall instead of poking a hole through the blockage.
Floor drains in shop areas and mechanical rooms matter too. A floor drain that has dried out lets sewer gas up, and one that backs up usually points to a main line problem. We can also test and replace a sewage lift pump or ejector that moves restroom waste from a below-grade level up to the sewer line.
Backflow assemblies and testing for businesses
A backflow preventer keeps water that has been in your building, including irrigation water, boiler water or a carbonator line, from being pulled back into the public supply. Many commercial properties have one on the main, on a fire line or on an irrigation system.
Testing is planned work, not an emergency, so we schedule it like a normal service call. Which assemblies need testing, how often, and who receives the report depends on your water utility and the Town. Ask your utility and the Zionsville Planning & Building Department before you book, and tell us the make and size of the assembly if you know it.
We can test an assembly, repair worn internal parts or replace one that fails. We do not skip a failed test, and we will not sign off on a device that is not working.
Owner, tenant and landlord: who handles the plumbing
Lease language decides who pays, so read yours before the problem, not during it.
Usually the building owner or landlord
- Main supply and the underground line from the meter to the building (the Indiana OUCC says that line is typically the customer's responsibility)
- Shared drain and sewer lines serving several suites
- Building-wide water heaters and boilers
- Hidden leaks inside walls and ceilings
Often the tenant
- Fixtures inside the leased space
- Clogs caused by the tenant's own use, such as grease or wipes
- Tenant-installed equipment like dishwashers and ice machines
- Grease trap service in a restaurant space
What we do not do
We do not work on industrial process piping, medical gas, fire sprinkler systems or large high-rise mechanical plants. We do not design a building's plumbing from scratch, and we will not pull a permit for work that needs a different licensed trade.
If a call falls outside our scope, we will say so on the phone instead of sending someone who cannot finish it. For a restaurant remodel or tenant build-out, ask the Zionsville Planning & Building Department which permits apply, then tell us what the plans call for.
What affects the price of commercial plumbing work
Commercial jobs vary more than residential ones, so we quote after we understand the building.
Access and hours
Working in a ceiling above a dining room or after closing takes planning. Night and weekend work is priced differently from a weekday call, and we say so before we start.
Pipe size and material
A half-inch copper branch is a different job from a four-inch cast iron drain. Larger pipe means heavier parts and more labor.
Number of fixtures or zones
Testing one backflow assembly is a single visit. Locating a leak across several suites takes time zone by zone.
Permits and inspections
Some commercial work needs a permit. The Zionsville Planning & Building Department can tell you what applies to your project.
Parts and equipment
A lift pump, a grease interceptor or a backflow assembly each have their own cost, and the right size depends on your load.
A commercial property policy usually responds to sudden, accidental water damage like a burst supply line. It usually does not pay for slow leaks, wear or the failed part itself. Check your policy, ask your agent, and if you rent, ask your landlord what the building's policy covers.
Call us with the building type, the problem and the address, and we will give you a clear price before work starts.
Call (317) 740-1302Commercial plumbing in Zionsville and nearby towns
We are based at 11530 S US 421 and serve Zionsville and nearby towns, and our Whitestown service area page covers the neighbouring town. If the work means digging outside, Indiana rules ask excavators to notify Indiana 811 at least two full working days before digging, so plan that into any trenching work.
Before a contractor works in your building, confirm the license on the state's online license verification. We are licensed and insured, and we expect to be checked. If the building also has a water heater issue, our water heater repair page covers that.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Our emergency line runs 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays, and less urgent jobs can often be booked same-day. Call, describe what is happening and what you have already shut off, and we will tell you what to expect.
For a burst line or sewage backup, close the main and keep people out of the wet area while you wait.
Offices, retail shops, restaurants and cafes, salons, professional suites and rental buildings. We work on supply lines, drains, fixtures, water heaters, floor drains, lift pumps and backflow assemblies.
We do not do industrial process piping, fire sprinklers or medical gas.
Often yes. We isolate zones with valves, then use listening gear, a thermal camera and a pressure test to narrow the leak to a small area before anything is opened.
Some leaks inside slabs or behind finished walls still need a small opening. We tell you where and why first.
It depends on how much cooking you do, the size of the trap and the rules that apply to your space. A busy fryer kitchen fills a trap far faster than a sandwich shop.
Ask the Zionsville Planning & Building Department and your landlord what is required, then set a cleaning schedule we can follow.
Requirements depend on the type of assembly and the water utility that serves your building. Ask your utility and the Zionsville Planning & Building Department what applies.
Once you know, we can test it, repair worn parts or replace a failed assembly.
Yes. Send the property address, unit, tenant contact, a short description and who approves the cost. We will call the tenant to set the visit and report back to you.
Tell us up front if the owner needs photos for insurance or an itemized invoice.
Permit rules vary by the type of work and the building, so ask the Zionsville Planning & Building Department at 1100 W Oak Street. They review building permits for the Town.
Simple repairs often differ from new lines or remodels. We will tell you if the job we are quoting might need one.
The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency licenses plumbing contractors, journeymen and apprentices. Acting as a contractor or journeyman without one is unlawful.
Enter the contractor's name in the state's online license verification, and check it before the first visit, not after the invoice.
Sources
Figures and guidelines on this page are taken from these public sources. Local rules and utility details can change, so check the source before you rely on a number.
- Town of Zionsville Planning & Building Department, permit review (Local government)
- State of Indiana license verification (State of Indiana)