The City of Toronto has changed its regulations for manholes. Within the next year, many businesses and commercial buildings will be delivered letters signaling they need to be compliant with these new regulations. So does your commercial property in Toronto need a manhole? Here are some questions to ask to find out.
What Kind of Building Do You Own?
The only buildings currently subject to the new regulations are buildings that are connected to the City’s water supply. If your building isn’t connected to that supply, you may not need manholes. The buildings that are now subject to the new regulations are exclusively commercial buildings and multi-family residential buildings. That being said, inspections are recommended for all commercial buildings.
Do You Plan to be connected to the City’s Water Supply in the Near Future?
Any commercial building that gets connected to the City’s water supply will have to be compliant with the new regulations. If you’re building is not yet connected, but will be in the future, you will have to have the correct manholes installed.
Who Can Install the Manholes?
Trained and certified plumbers are required for the installation, and City-approved inspectors are mandatory for any and all manhole installations. Without the properly-trained professionals, your manholes will not be up to code, and you will be subject to heavy fines.
Why Do I Need Manhole?
As the City of Toronto has vowed to monitor commercial dumping more closely, new manholes are required for more transparent and comprehensive water testing. All buildings need to be open for inspection, so those who didn’t require manholes previously will now need them.
How Long Do I Have to Comply?
If you have been served a letter by the City of Toronto regarding manholes, you may have as little as sixty days to comply with the new regulations. This has posed a problem for many commercial building owners since they aren’t aware of the significant time and energy that goes into manhole installation.
Manholes require licensed plumbers in Toronto and general contractors and can be more time-consuming and expensive than many commercial building owners understand. This leads to two problems: owners using handymen who do inferior, but less expensive, work and insufficient time for the work. While professionals may be more expensive, they are the only people with the experience and knowledge to ensure your building is up to code. Since fines for violations can be extremely expensive, it pays to ensure the job is done right and on time.
The City of Toronto has started to monitor commercial dumping more closely and, to that end, they are mandating new manhole regulations for commercial buildings. If you own a commercial building, you may have as little as 60 days to ensure it is compliant with the new regulations. Since manholes are complex devices, you’ll need certified, trained, and experienced plumbing experts to install the new manholes. Only by using the right workers can you ensure your building is compliant, it’s a good idea to trust a commercial plumber that knows what they’re doing.
