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Restroom appearances are impacting big decisions

What are people really thinking when they enter the restrooms in your building?Restrooms are one of the places with the highest number of complaints. Poor first impressions are hard to overcome, consider what people are commenting on in your building...

Best's Best: Keeping a busy medical school running

Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Va. Houses a 555-bed general hospital and a 206-bed children’s hospital across multiple facilities.Well-rounded education and training led EVMS to its ranking as the 49th best medical school in the U...

Preparing your facility for hurricanes and tornadoes

Experts are warning to begin preparing now for hurricanes and tornadoes as the U.S. faces the dawn of the fifth consecutive year of above-normal activity.If you live somewhere in the south or mid-Atlantic coast like I do, then you are familiar with t...

Conquering the clog: tackling commercial building drain cleaning

When slow drains begin to drive your tenants crazy, they will certainly call on you to come to their aid with the solution.In past blog stories, I have described the benefits of multiple chemical solutions to drain blockages. But today, I am going to...

How to manage an empty building

Fewer cars on the road and mandatory business closures across the country have made ghost towns out of office and school buildings.However, the essential maintenance personnel remaining inside have had alter the ways in which they manage our built en...

How to win the battle against rust

Years ago, I was an adventurous kid with the coolest metallic turquoise-colored bike. I would spend an entire summer taking my bike to dive down a hill so tall that it seemed as though was towering over all of the surrounding houses in the neighborho...

Are you prepared to respond to emergency situations?

Solidifying an emergency plan can take the emergency out of a power outage and reduce it to an annoyance.There are many situations that could create a power outage in your building including extreme weather, a damaged power line, or worn-out equipmen...

The right pipes for the job: copper or PVC?

How much do you like surprises?What about surprises that cost you money?If you have seen your water bill sneaking up, don’t be too quick to chalk it up to tenants frivolously leaving the tap running —it could be the pipes. Hard water and some water t...

It's not a man's job: Women flush away gender stereotypes of the plumbing industry

What does a typical plumber look like? A 40 or 50-year-old man with a single-syllable name?  What if the plumber coming to the job at your building happened to be a woman, would you be surprised? I would likely need a double ...

Where is our restroom privacy?

We are often concerned about our privacy, passionately defending it at the instance when it may be in jeopardy. However, if you have lived in the U.S. for your entire life then you have likely allowed one area where privacy is severely lacking to bec...

Water efficient fixtures: Myth vs. fact

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992 created a federal minimum efficiency standard for all toilets, urinals, showers, and faucets.At the time, the newer 1.6 GPF toilets were a headache compared to their 3.5 GPF counterparts. The low-flow toilets had te...

Reducing the sounds from HVAC systems

Often, people try to carefully curate the sounds in their lives to create an enjoyable day-to-day environment.The importance of soothing sounds has led to sleep apps to be valued in the millions and YouTube videos of people folding towels or reading ...

Know when it's time to replace plumbing fixtures

Updating plumbing fixtures immensely improves the aesthetic of the room. Customer, tenants, or students may develop a negative image of your building because of outdated, worn-out fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens.In addition to showing people who a...

Commercial building inspections: What to expect on inspection day

Prepare to show off what you do best. When it’s time for your building inspection, you will be prepared to ace it and ‘wow’ your inspector with astounding confidence.The inspection of your building is preformed by a building inspector, who is a perso...

The four ways you could begin energy efficient efforts in your building today

It may surprise you how big the payoff is for taking small measures around your company’s building to become more energy efficient.A Mississippi city kicked off the new year by approving energy efficiency measures that are estimated to save it more t...

How to battle mold in your building's restroom

Mold thrives in damp areas like bathrooms and without taking measures to clean and prevent mold, it may only continue to grow.Leaking toilets, steamy showers, and knocked over water glasses are only a few examples of areas where mold will easily grow...

This newly released faucet brings fresh design together with efficiency

A fresh faucet can rejuvenate the aesthetic of a bathroom. Beyond the clear necessity of faucets, there are countless options to provide contemporary design as well as optimize water usage.A leaking faucet will waste 192 gallons per month, and 2,304 ...

Contracts and Bids

Did you know Best Plumbing Specialties participates in Bid Solicitations and Contract Awards?Best Plumbing Specialties proudly maintains a large selection of national contracts with Government and Educational Purchasing Cooperatives on the Federal, S...

Avoiding Cold Stress

Winter is in full force and working in cold weather can be brutal. Even if you have the proper protection, exposing yourself to extreme weather conditions can have serious short and long-term effects. Cold stress occurs by driving down skin temperatu...

The Importance of a Clean Restroom

When you walk into a facilities restroom, the first thing you notice is if it’s clean or not. Restroom cleanliness speaks volumes about an organization. It is important to send the positive message of clean facilities for both visitors and emplo...

Is Bluetooth the Best?

Long are the days where we simply turn something on without it being connected in some form. The fact the technology that has now been integrated in our daily lives is a little scary but mostly, pretty exciting. However, this is coming from someone w...

ADA Compliant Lavatory Covers

ADA regulations can affect your facility in many ways. Americans with Disabilities Act title III prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations in commercial facilities. As you can probably as...

Preparing Your Facility for the Winter

As the weather cools down, it’s important to prepare your facility to stand up to the potential threats to safety caused by lowering temperatures. These preparations become harder to take care of as temperatures drop, so be sure to take a good look a...

Vandal Proof Plumbing

Theft in school bathrooms and prisons is an unfortunate matter that can take a toll on your facility and your budget. Damage and theft of flush valve, faucet, and other fixture parts not only causes a strain on your budget but affects the overall app...