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When it comes to installing and repairing household functional systems, plumbers excel at it. This article talks about what kind of work they do, the tools they use and what are the courses or training to be undertaken to become one. It also gives information on their income and working hours for reference.
Long story short, plumbers make things work. They are specialized in two streams. One is the installation of a new system. This can be a heating device, or a water system to the bathroom or a dishwasher in the kitchen. This work comes into play when building a new home. The other stream is repairing the already existing functional systems. This could be emergency repairs for sanitation systems or repairing the pipeline for water flow or repairing the air conditioning units.
Tools they use
The tools of a plumber look different and serve a totally different purpose when compared to the other fields. Here is a list of tools that they use.
Wrenches
A heavy tool with serrated teeth, the wrench is used for gripping and fitting pipes for a water unit.
Hacksaw
It is used to remove the blade, wrap with a cloth and put it in for places that are difficult to reach in a particular functional unit. This is the only scenario where this tool is used in a different manner other than cutting stuff.
Drill and Hole boring bits
They are primarily used in sanitation system to clear out blocked drains. They are also used in kitchen pipeline units.
Pipe cutters
As the name suggests, they can cut through pipes with ease. They produce a cleaner cut and also do it more quickly.
Spanner
It is used to turn nuts, bolts and fastenings. They are easy to access with just a flick of the finger. The jaw is strong enough to hold tight the metal parts.
Slip joint pliers
The jaws of the pliers have a fulcrum and are easily adjustable. This makes them handy in gripping items
Blowlamp and gas
They are used for soldering and fixing copper pipes. They are essential is creating water-tight seals and joints.
Pipe bender
With two long arms, a roller and pipestray, the bender is the most effective way to bend pipes.
Plunger
The most common tool for a plumber used in clearing out waste from drains, sinks or baths.
Basin spanner
It allows you to tighten or loosen under-sink tap fittings.
Drill
They perform three functions: normal drilling, hammer drilling and chiselling. When a surface is tough to drill, they make the work easier.
Pressure tester
They are used to check the pressure in the pipes. This is a precautionary measure to make sure the pipe fitting is ideal to carry the pressure of the incoming flow.
Generally for plumbing, industry recognized qualifications are demanded by the clients. The levels of these qualifications depend on the amount of experience you have on the field.
These levels are
Level 2 (NVQ) Diploma in Installing and Maintaining Domestic Heating Systems.
Level 2/3 (NVQ) Diploma in Domestic Plumbing and Heating
Or we can also go for course at a college and gain a certification to prove our knowledge on the field.
These courses are as follows
Level 1 Certificate Introduction to Plumbing
Level 1/2 Diploma in Plumbing Foundation
Level 2 Diploma in Access to Building Services Engineering
Level 2 Diploma in Plumbing Studies
After the level 2 certifications, people can also go for training and development programmes that provide on-field experiences. This program falls under the level 3 category of an experienced professional.
The Level 3 (NVQ) Diploma in Domestic Plumbing and Heating in the Entry section has several options, including: Hot and cold water systems, oil and gas fired appliances, biomass appliances, central and solar heating and water recycling systems.
The type of plumbing depends on the end purpose and specialized skill.
Water plumber
This involves fitting, installation and repairing of water pipes in the building. The area can be anywhere, like sinks, baths.
Sanitary plumber
Removal, repair and maintenance of sewage systems, especially on their ventilation and blockage.
Mechanical services
They work on heating, cooling and ventilation systems of a building and also in the maintenance of pipes, valves, regulators, tanks and air conditioning systems.
Roofing
Repair and maintenance of roof water systems such as gutters, rainwater piping and down water pipes are carried out by these professionals.
Plumbers are needed for the following scenarios.
Water leakage
The most common case is when there is a crack or hole in a pipeline and the water leaks all over the place. Then it is insisted that plumbers are called for to solve the problem.
Blockage
Blocks occur in the sink holes or in the bathroom exits or in an underground pipeline. This becomes a big problem as no other work can be done in that area. Then it is time to call the plumbers for removing the block.
Knowing the stuff is hard, unlike the other fields. Unless we know how to handle the tools and how to use them, the plumbers are required to be called out.
Mechanism
Mostly the mechanism behind the repair, block or leak can not be comprehended easily. Only if this is known, the solution can be framed and carried out. It is for this reason the plumbers are required.
Solutions
Knowledge on the field is the only way to find a solution for mechanism related problems. Only the plumberl know this and is advisable to hire them to finish the job.
homify is the company which provide plumbers in the construction and architectural field. Or the other option is to enquire about them at the city’s office. They hold records of all artisans and can provide you with their contact and experience details as required.
The mandate aspect of an interview for skillful professions like these is experience.
Discussing the requirements
The primary job in working with the plumbers, is by discussing the requirements after the evaluation is done. This is done after the hiring is complete and they are good to go to work.
Laying out the budget and deadline
Now in this field, the solutions to a problem is one and the same, regardless of experience. Therefore it is only a matter of how fast your mind and hand work to finish the job. An example can be pipe fitting. There are only a couple of ways to do it and any professional with a knowledge on that can accomplish it. The deadlines and cost incurred for this job is quite low.
Client follow-up
This is a lengthy part as this process continues from the start of the work till it finishes. The clients needs to follow-up with the work of the craftsmen and evaluate their work if they are using the resources in a smart manner and also if they are progressing with their work as they meet the deadlines. This follow-up can happen once in two days or one a day, depending upon the client.
Closure
Once all the follow-up and the work is done provided the client feels satisfied with the job, then the client pay the workers the discussed money and close the hiring contract.
Working hours are normally 40 hours of work. Some of them might even work overtime and in the evenings too. Sometimes there is a 24 hour service too as these jobs don’t take that much time and can be done in a maximum of 2 days.
Income
The income varies between 23000 USD and 27000 USD per year for beginners. With experience this can be increased to 27000 USD to 40000 USD per year. Self employed workers charge their own rate and this is in the hourly basis.
Other professionals who are closely related to this profession are roofers and kitchen planners
Working closely with plumbers, they can install, repair and maintain downpipe systems, tanks, and gutters. The roofers layout the plan for these units and the latter can do the installation accordingly.
They become useful during the installation of under-sink pipes and the drain systems. Their plan outline can give an idea where to plant the pipes and direct the drains.
Plumbers are experts in making functional units that solve a specific purpose. Without them, no building can be accounted for. They are extremely knowledgeable on the fluid mechanics making it easier for them to come up with quick solutions.
