Finding a Good Plumber

Plumbers in the UK take on a wide range of tasks for in both domestic and industrial settings. In domestic settings they repair, maintain and install hot and cold water supplies, toilet fittings and waste disposal fittings. A plumber may carry out a wide range of work or may specialise in a particular area such as drain clearance, bathroom installation or gas work. Any plumber who undertakes gas work in the UK must be registered with CORGI. CORGI is the Council for Registered Gas Installers.

Over the past few years, the press has run stories about a shortage of plumbers. In 2003, the British Plumbing Employer?s Council estimated that the plumbing industry would need to recruit 29,000 new entrants over the next 5 years. This led to reports of City workers leaving their jobs in the hope of earning ?70,000 a year as a plumber. More recently, however, there are accounts of workers with plumbing experience from Eastern Europe are filling vacancies on building sites and a surplus of trainees trying to find jobs.

For the householder, this means that finding someone to deal with plumbing jobs around the house is now easier but householders still need to take care to ensure that they have found a plumber who can provide them with a quality service.

Hot Hints on Finding a Plumber

? Ask for recommendations from family and friends.
? Follow up on references if the plumber has not been personally recommended to you.
? Be very clear about the work which you want doing.
? Obtain written quotes from more than at least three firms and, if the job is clearly defined, ask for a fixed quote. If the amount of work involved is genuinely uncertain then check that hourly rates and call out fees are clear and reasonable and ask for an estimate of the time which will be taken.
? Avoid paying plumbers for labour up front before a job has been completed.
? Ask your plumber about his or her experience including experience of the type of work which you need doing. Reputable tradesmen and women will be pleased to talk about their experience.
? Check that you have an address and contact details for the plumber so you get in touch if there is a problem after the job is finished.
? If the job involves gas work, check that your plumber is registered with CORGI. Registration numbers can be checked on CORGI?s website - www.corgi-gas-safety.com. Operatives working for a registered installer will also carry a card which can be checked by a householder.

? Caroline Blatchford 2006

How To Train As A Plumber

There are many sources of plumbing training, not all of which is classroom. Standard residential or commercial plumbers, pipe layers, steam fitters and pipe fitters all vary their training in one or many of a variety of methods. Most residential and commercial / industrial plumbing training is offered in technical schools or community colleges. This classroom plumbing training is almost always supplemented by on-the-job training. Steam fitters, pipe layers, pipe fitters and plumbers that work primarily in commercial settings usually get their training through very formalized apprenticeship programs.

Apprenticeships are generally the best plumbing training in terms of a comprehensive look at what the job constitutes. These apprenticeship training programs for plumbers and other pipe specialists are administered by local labour unions and the companies with which they are affiliated or by organizations that represent non-union contractors. Examples of organizations through which one can get plumbing apprenticeship training include the Mechanical Contractors Association of America, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices – part of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the U.S. and Canada; The National Fire Sprinkler Association; the National Association of Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors; and the Home Builders Institute. The latter is a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders.

Apprenticeship plumbing training lasts four to five years whether its union or not. Primarily on the job training it also includes a minimum of 144 annual hours in the classroom. The subjects for which the apprentice plumbers receive classroom training include blue print reading, drafting basics, applied chemistry and physics, math, local plumbing codes, plumbing and contracting safety, and legislated contracting and plumbing regulations.

The on-the-job part of the plumbing training includes basic plumbing skills such as learning to recognize the various types and grades of pipe, using the essential plumbing tools, and unloading plumbing materials safely. As the apprenticeship continues and the apprentice progresses in her or his experience, she can learn how to work with and install the various pipes, plumbing fixtures and piping systems. Those who want to apply for apprenticeship plumbing training have to be a minimum of 18 years old and must be in good health. An applicant may have to have a GED or high school education. Someone who has military plumbing training is considered a great apprenticeship applicant. In fact, they may be credited for the experience. Other suggested training that can grease the plumbing apprenticeship application wheels is drafting, general math, reading blueprints, computer skills and physics.

While there is no uniform standard plumbing license, most municipal and state governments in the United States require that plumbers acquire a license. Passing an examination that tests how well they absorbed their plumbing training and how well they can carry out their plumbing tasks is common in many areas. With additional training beyond the basic plumbing courses, plumbers can go on to become supervisors of other construction and plumbing employees, can go into business for themselves or find work as a building inspector.

James copper is a writer for http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk where you can find information on plumbing training

Deciding When To Hire A Plumber For Plumbing Help

Life would not be very comfortable or smell very nice if we did not have proper water systems in place within our homes and offices. As with any system that is used on a daily basis, the essential elements that make up your water supply system eventually start to break down, requiring a good deal of maintenance. Kitchen and bathroom taps and faucets start to weaken and corrode.

Toilet seals set against the floor start to develop soft spots and wear, leading to potential leaking and flooding problems. When possible you should really try to learn the basic elements of the plumbing systems in your home in the event that you need to explain your plumbing problem to a contractor or even (gulp) decide to attempt the project yourself.

Not all plumbing help jobs require years of experience or expensive tools to accomplish. The main thing to remember is that you should always evaluate the particular problem you have to do and decide if you are up to do the work. Do not let your pride talk you into attempting a job that is clearly out of your grasp. You will only end up regretting your decision.

Plumbing Readiness

There is no real way to accurately predict when you are going to have a plumbing emergency. One night you lay down to have a good sleep and the next morning you are wondering what to do with the new pool of wastewater in your basement. There are some minor problems that you can try tackling yourself, like fixing a leaky tap. However, there is always going to be those jobs that simply scream out to be handled by a professional. In addition, in this situation, that is not you.

Sometimes trying to do the work yourself can make the mess worse though so be wary of your decision to jump in and work on any plumbing problem yourself. There are some things you can do to try to minimize damage though, while waiting for the plumbing help to arrive. If the problem is a leaky pipe joint, try to seal the leaking area with tape or cloth. If the leak is too bad, find and turn off the main water valve in your home and call for professional plumbing help.

Helpful Tips

Even people, who know a lot about plumbing need help once in awhile, so do not feel shy about asking for help for your renovation project or plumbing emergency. You never know when you are going to need professional assistance so always make sure you find and keep a reputable plumber’s contact information nearby. To find a good plumber, do not be afraid to ask your friends and family or even the people you work with, to recommend a good plumber they have dealt with before. The yellow pages are not the best place to find a plumber because anyone can advertise their services, regardless of how badly they provide them.

When you are up to your waist in a plumbing help emergency, you do not want to be concerned with finding the best plumbing help at the cheapest rate. This is the reason that you should find someone capable and reputable before you need his services.

You can also find more info on Plumbers and Basement Plumbing. i-plumbing.com is a comprehensive resource to known about plumbing.

Is There A Plumber In The House?

 

I don’t know about you but I get really frustrated when I have to deal with anyone in the plumbing, heating, or electrical field. For the most part, the service is horrible, the contractors are unreliable, and the lack of professionalism is rampant.

Case in point, we’ve been working on adding a new bathroom at our house. We had a plumber all lined up to do the work. When we were ready for him, we gave him a call only to be told he didn’t have time to do the work. If he had told us that a month before we might have had a chance to line someone else up to do the work. So instead of a bathroom, we had a real nice porch. Fortunately, we were able to find someone else to help us out and the construction project is moving along.

Hub Plumbing and Mechanical in Boston has initiated a program called “Red Carpet Service”. Get this…the technician shows up at your house or business and literally rolls out the red carpet to protect your floors. They wear boot covers, have badges for security, and they actually arrive ON TIME dressed in clean red uniforms.

When you call their offices for an emergency, their phone is answered by a customer service representative who actually works for the company—not an answering service that just takes a message. The customer service rep can dispatch a technician immediately in case of an emergency.

The company also offers consistent pricing for everyone—no extra charges because you live in a fancy house.

I don’t know who the genius was who wrote this press release but it is masterful. It does exactly what you want a press release to do:

*It is newsworthy—the customer service bar is set very low in the trades so a trade company that actually provides good service is, sadly enough, newsworthy.

*It shows why this company is different from its competitors.

*It tells exactly what problems the company solves—they assist “both residential and commercial customers with code violations, sewer/drain clogs, garbage disposals, water heaters…”

*They even specify where they work—Dorchester and Wellesley.

Print this press release and save it. Use it as a model for all your future press releases. It really is brilliant.

Caroline Jordan, MBA, is a veteran small business owner, accountant, consultant, trainer, and author. She is the owner of The Jordan Result, a company specializing in developing real world, practical resources to help small business owners improve cash flow and business operations. She is the author of “Stop the Cash Flow Roller Coaster, I Want to Get Off!” Jordan is also an accounting and business professor. For more tips and articles to help your business succeed visit http://www.CashFlowRollerCoaster.com and http://www.TheJordanResult.com