Plumbing is the one system that your home absolutely can’t be without. It keeps your home clean, hygienic and safe, allows you to cook properly, and helps you regulate the temperature. Without plumbing, you’d have no hot water, no gas to cook with, no flushing toilets, no swimming pools and no air conditioners.
Most people don’t give a second thought to their plumbing until a problem arises, so when one does it pays to make sure that you have a qualified and expert plumber to ensure all those things are back up and running as soon as possible and without further hassle and expense.
Jump to:
What Does A Plumber Do?
Plumbing Services
Why Is It Important To Use A Qualified Plumber?
How Does A Plumber Become Qualified?
How Much Does A Plumber Cost?
Hewitt Professional Plumbing
What Does A Plumber Do?
A plumber plans, installs, maintains and repairs all the systems in your house which allow water and gas to flow in and out. This involves all the ‘behind the scenes’ piping, valves and fittings that allow these systems to work. These have been carefully selected, arranged and installed inside your wall cavities by plumbers and gasfitters, to allow your plumbing to operate effectively, quietly, and in a way that keeps you and your family safe.
All we often see in our own homes is the end fixture, for example, the toilet, the air conditioner unit and the kitchen sink. However, all throughout your house your plumbing has been laid and is working to run gas and water to your:
- Bathrooms
- Toilets
- Kitchens
- Laundries
- Swimming pools
- Barbecues
- Air conditioners
Plumbing Services
Plumbers offer a variety of plumbing services from gas fitting, blocked sewer drainage to hot water fixes.
Services a plumber might perform include:
- General plumbing services, repairs, and maintenance
- Tap washers’ installation and repairs
- Installation of tanks
- Toilet fixing, repair, and installation
- Installation of sinks and bidets
- Cistern leaks and repairs
- Installation of tanks, new fittings, and appliances
- Leaking pipes detection, repairs, and installation
- Sewer drainage solutions
- Gas hot water installations, repairs, and maintenance
- Gas connections
- Pipe inspection
- Drainage repair and cleaning
- Unblocking clogged sewers and drainage systems
- Hot water system installation, repair, and maintenance
- Gutter and roof repair and installation
Why Is It Important To Use A Qualified Plumber?
Firstly, in most states in Australia, it’s a criminal offence for anyone that’s not licensed as a plumber to be caught doing plumbing jobs. The reason behind this ban is due to the fact that plumbers have to go through training that certifies them to deal with a variety of plumbing issues.
Even licensed plumbers may require further training to work in different classes. The main classes of plumbing works include:
- Drainage
- Fire Protection
- Gasfitting (plumber and gasfitter)
- Irrigation (Non-agricultural)
- Mechanical Service
- Roofing (Stormwater)
- Sanitary
- Water Supply
There are also six specialised classes, including:
- Type A Appliance Servicing work
- Type A Appliance Conversion work
- Type B Gasfitting work
- Type B Gasfitting Advanced work
- Refrigerated Air Conditioning work
- Backflow Prevention work
As you can see from this there’s a lot more to plumbing than meets the eye, and the way that plumbing works is very carefully regulated in Australia in order to keep it safe. Some obvious reasons for this include:
Sewage and waste – These areas have to be managed carefully in order to avoid the dangers of exposure to harmful bacteria and poisonous gases.
Natural and LPG gas – Gas is highly combustible, and requires special care and procedures to avoid ignition or explosions.
Hot water – Regulations exist to ensure that the water in your hot water tank is of a sufficient temperature to prevent the growth of dangerous legionella bacteria. At the same time, your plumbing also needs to incorporate valves that limit the temperature of the water coming out from your shower so that it won’t burn the skin from your back.
All of these conditions and precautions are just a sample of why any and all plumbing must be done by a licensed plumber in Australia. Taking matters into your own hands, even for a job that looks simple on the surface, could very easily lead to disastrous damage to your property, or even injury or death. It’s also likely to spoil any chance of an insurance claim if things do go wrong.
How Does A Plumber Become Qualified?
A plumber becomes qualified by completing a 4-year apprenticeship, during which time they have to be employed in an apprenticeship arrangement. As part of this, they complete the Certificate III in Plumbing, which is a nationally accredited qualification.
How Much Does A Plumber Cost?
Plumbers have large overheads in vehicles, equipment, training and stock, and their hourly rate is necessary to cover these costs. Because the job of a plumber is so diverse, prices can fluctuate and change depending on the work you need done.
On average, plumbers will charge anywhere between $80 to $140 per hour + GST, depending on a variety of factors such as location, expertise, materials and job complexity.
At Hewitt Trade Services, we can provide you with a quote before we start the job so that you know all your upfront costs before we get started. If you have any concerns, give our team a call, and we will help you understand the whole quote before we embark on any project.
Hewitt Professional Plumbing
At Hewitt Trade Services, our team of qualified plumbers are equipped, licensed and trained to ensure they can service our local Brisbane community with excellent plumbing solutions. We provide a range of plumbing services that include:
- Hot Water Systems
- Blocked drains
- Water Leaks/Burst Pipes
- Gas fitting
- Taps and toilets
- Emergency Plumbing
- Stormwater, Downpipes & Rainwater Tanks
- Renovations
For more information on our plumbing services or to make a booking with one of our professional, licensed plumbers call us on 03 3634 0200 or contact us online.