Have a commercial job coming up, no water access around the building. Property manager said carpet cleaners usually get water from the bathroom for there carpet cleaning truckmounts. Can I tap into this toilet valve?
Do you have advice?
There’s almost always an exterior valve somewhere on commercial. Not saying there isn’t sometimes, but I’d try again.
You’d have to use a buffer tank when using this thing if you could even Frankenstein the fitting and then take lots of breaks while it fills.
I’d honestly start looking for a different way. If you’re dead set on doing it this way, get the name of the carpet cleaners and ask where they got the connecting fitting.
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Or even a mop closet. Many of those have a spigot in the mop sink you can hook a hose to.
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I do have a buffer tank… Great advice!
If the carpet cleaners are using the bathroom then they are probably hooking up to the sink with a faucet adapter kit and running a portable carpet cleaner. I had to hook up to a sink once on an apartment building we did because the landlord had the outside spigots removed to keep tenants from washing their cars. The buffer tank filling process was painfully slow.
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I was trying to talk you out of it if I’m being honest. Like @Steve said you’ll be there a month of Sundays waiting on it to fill. Plan on 3x the job length or see the post about hooking up to a nearby hydrant. Contractor hose is cheap.
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Yeah, I wouldn’t do it again. I only did it because I was too dumb to look for spigots when I bid the job. Would not do it again. If there is a business next door @Chesebro would be better to offer a payment to use their water instead of hooking to a toilet. I had a 150gl buffer and I had to stop about every hour and wait nearly an hour to start again.
Like Steve said, they probably hook up to the sink with an adapter but their gpm is probably lower than what you need, since you have a buffer tank you’re probably better bringing your own water (paainn) or like Brodi said, striking a deal with a neighbor (profitable).
I’m really surprised there’s no outside water connection, sure it’s not hidden behind a small metal cover? Might need a four way key
The toilet line is 3/8" at best.
I bid a commercial job for a lumber yard. Reason I got the job was because the buildings they wanted washed were about 1000’ from a water source. I thought I’ve got a 200 gal buffer tank and the spigot is right off the show room building, (no problem, right?)
Problem was, (Although they are a lumber yard/hardware store) they plumbed the spigot with 3/8".
It took an hour to fill my tank (2 times,each).
A 2 hour job has now turned into a 4 hour job because of my stupidity.
Paraphrasing Brodie, " I’ve never lost money on a job, I just consider it tuition"
P.S.- Sinks are even worse, most supply lines for sinks are 1/4"
