Grading maintainability parameters for sanitary-plumbing system for high-rise residential buildings

Abstract

Sanitmy -phunbing system can waste energy and even become a source of fatal contamination tmless designed, constructed or maintaii1ed properly. Human health and convenience are the two critical issues and it is in1portant to identify, analyse and quantify the maintainability parameters of complex sanitary-plumbing systems to meet requirements of today's bigger andbetter buildings. This research was tmdertaken to investigate the common defects in sanitary plumbing system in high rise residential buildings and their causing factors which may be the critical maintainability parameters of sanitary-phunbing systems. From the detailed case studies of five residential buildings ii1 Singapore, a total of 113 defects were identified for ten major components of sanitary-phunbing system. Out of them 56 were graded as significant by 33 experienced facility managers based on frequency of occurrence and their adverse effect on: economy, system performance, enviroruuent and health. Poor maintainability consideration in design stage was apparent from tl1e comprehensive defect analysis. The defect conunonly found in almost all the components was the " inaccessibility" for regular inspection and maintenance.