Plumber - Understanding The Trade
A home or business premises cannot function smoothly and efficiently without the services of a plumber. This is because at one point or another, there will be a plumbing problem that will come up - be it a blocked toilet, a heater that has broken down or a blocked drain. There will always be need for plumber services for any premises.
A plumber is able to carry out a wide variety of tasks to ensure that your premises are healthy and functioning properly.
What Does A Plumber Do?
It is not possible to exhaustively list all the things that a plumber does. Plumbers lay out drainage systems and install hot and cold water supply to kitchens and bathrooms. They also install gas supply systems and heating systems in buildings. They ensure that the buildings are kept dry by fixing gutters and materials that keep off wetness on the roof and chimneys. The buildings where plumbers work include homes, schools, restaurants, hotels and factories. They also work in ships, boats, caravans, aeroplanes and trains. Plumbers work in projects together with electricians, bricklayers and joiners.
Repair And Maintenance
Plumbers not only install water, heating and gas systems, but also test them to ensure they are working properly. A plumber is required to repair appliances which are connected to water supply and drainage systems. They may need to repair cracked pipes or a heater that has débouchage
down. Appliances which burn fuel and boilers are quite complex and therefore require regular servicing, normally once a year. This servicing is done by plumbers to ensure that the equipment is safe and that any problems are corrected.
Specialties
A plumber can decide to specialize in one or more areas including pipefitting, pipe laying, gasfitting or steamfitting. Pipefitting involves the installation and servicing of cooling and heating piping systems, together with electricity generation systems. Pipefitting is normally done in large industrial premises.
Steamfitting involves the installation and servicing of systems that use high pressure to move liquids and gases including compressed air, water or steam. Pipe laying involves the installation of piping systems in a premises that are used for supply of water and disposal of waste including storm drains. Gasfitting is the installation and maintenance of systems which use gas.
Expertise Required
A plumber is required to have a variety of skills in order to satisfactorily carry out plumbing jobs. A plumber may have to carry out some basic carpentry for instance when accessing pipes that are hidden behind walls. He may also have to do some welding, soldering and cementing when undertaking various tasks.
Appliances like sinks, showers, toilets and water sprinklers have to be installed once a piping system is in place. When working on a construction project, the plumber may even be required to design the piping system.
Work Environment
The jobs that a plumber has to do are varied and they are done in different environments. A plumber can be outside laying pipes in a residential building whereas the next job will be to repair the heating system in a large commercial building. A plumber therefore has to be flexible and have a variety of skills to carry out small scale and large scale tasks.