Building maintenance with emphasis in plumbing systems: a systematic review of the literature

ABSTRACT With the increasing demand for buildings, it is necessary that conservation and maintenance practices of building systems be properly specified and fulfilled. This research is a systematic review of the literature about the importance, consequences, and performance of plumbing systems. The search for articles was carried out on the Portal de Periódicos Capes covering the period from 2007 to 2017. 252 articles were found, but, based on the topic, just 26 were selected. The content of the articles was discussed in five research questions, including failures in plumbing systems, building maintenance, and assessment tools for plumbing performance and susceptibility to risks. It was observed that the failures in plumbing systems are common, mainly problems with leaks, which result in financial, time, and emotional costs for users. In addition, many of these pathological manifestations are related to the absence or failure of maintenance. However, maintenance is greatly influenced by factors such as material type, costs, and user expectations, requiring efficient maintenance programs and qualified teams to ensure the performance of the building and its systems. In addition, some tools have been developed in order to assess the building systems performance and susceptibility to risks, helping in the decision-making of maintenance and design phase.