Practical Advice To Help You Profit From Rental Property
Tips On Working With Your Plumber
The plumber is responsible for all the indoor plumbing supply and waste disposal pipework. He will also be responsible for external gutters and pipe work and for fitting lead flashings where necessary. Plumbers also often install central heating systems also although there is a separate trade of heating engineer. In Britain anyone can carry out alterations and repairs to domestic plumbing systems. However there are many rules and regulations to comply with in plumbing work including the water bye-laws which cover everything from pipes and fittings, taps and valves to water storage and bathroom equipment and how fittings should be connected to the house's plumbing .
How to find a plumber. Anyone can set up in business as a plumber and there are 'cowboys' as well as competent operators. Personal recommendation is generally the best way of finding a good plumber as with any other craftsman.
Alternatively you can contact one of the trades' professional organising bodies:
Institute of Plumbers (Tel. 01708 472 791) The IOP has a roll of registered plumbers working throughout the U.K. It does not guarantee members' work, but will investigate complaints about any substandard work they carry out.
Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (Tel. 02476 470 626) The APHC has a code of practice and an arbitration scheme.
Beware of unscrupulous plumbers who claim membership in their newspaper advertisements or letterheads when they don't actually have it. Choose from a list supplied by the IOP or from a Yellow Pages advertisement by a APHC member.
Work on the gas supply and appliances are also often carried out by plumbers. Only use a plumber who is C.O.R.G.I. registered if you are having work done on your gas system or appliances.
Beware. Any plumber can claim to be a member of CORGI in his advertising or on his headed notepaper. This does not guarantee that he is one. Also his membership may have lapsed. To be sure you must telephone CORGI and check if he (or the firm that employs him) is on the list of CORGI members. There can be legal consequences if you have not checked and the plumber you have used has carried out faulty work on the gas system or appliances leading to an accident. Council Of Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) (Tel. 01256 372 200)
Plan the plumbing job. Installing central heating will probably be your biggest job and this will involve several choices. The type of boiler: condensing, standard, combination; the number and position of radiators; where the pipes are going to run. The plumber should be able to work out the appropriate radiator size for each room but find out what he intends to install. Consider carefully the route for the pipe work: the tendency for the plumber can be to run the pipes along the easiest route, not the tidiest and most discreet.
Other plumbing tasks include installing a new bathroom suite and plumbing work in the kitchen. These are relatively straight-forward tasks but make sure each item is installed in exactly the position you want it to be.
Arrange for three selected plumbers to quote a fixed price for the job Once you have finalised the details of the work, subject to your choice of major pieces of bathroom and kitchen equipment. If the plumber is registered for VAT then an extra 17.5% will be added to the total.
Discuss with each plumber how long they will take to do the work. Try to find out what they are currently working on and when they will have time in their schedule to do your work. Get a definite date for starting the job and stress the importance of getting the job done quickly - for you, time is money. If the job is not started on time get right on to it and find out why. Do not be fobbed off again and again - get someone else if necessary.
A good plumber will fix appliances securely and level, make good any damaged plaster work, refix floorboards and clear away rubbish. He will test and commission the work and leave it in full working order.