Being a plumber in London is an interesting job. I get to meet new people every day, and am faced with different situations all the time. There is one thing I can say about this job, it’s never boring!

Working for My London Builders, I get to see properties of all kinds and of all shapes and sizes. Everything from a bedsit to a Georgian mansion and everything in-between. With this variation comes different challenges. Safety is a prime concern to us, but one that inevitably gets a groan from the audience. We’re generally sick and tired of hearing about health and safety, because the subject has run out of control.

Equipment

The tools of our trade are both generic and specialist. We wouldn’t get anywhere without a motley collection of spanners, wrenches, volt meters and cutters. Investing in decent tools is a no-brainer for plumbers in London. Time wasted trying to do a job with poor, or the wrong tools, is time neither we, nor our customers can afford.

Keeping the gear in good condition is also essential. Anything that uses batteries, or needs lubricating to work properly should be checked regularly. There’s nothing worse than not being able to check pressure or voltage because the battery in the meter has gone.

Environment

As plumbers in London, we see it all. As I mentioned, we get to see all kinds of properties, in all states of repair. Our work often has us working in wet, cramped conditions for which we need to be prepared. Ensuring there is adequate air-flow in these spaces is vital, as is checking the hydrogen sulphide levels.

This is easy to offset, by opening a nearby window, or just by being careful about how long we spend there. Working in the wet is also a hazard, not only a slip-hazard, but also from polluted water or even the cold. More than a few plumbers in London I know have caught pneumonia from a job when they were working in the damp and didn’t have a change of clothes.

Gas and Electricity

You don’t have to be a qualified plumber to know gas and electricity can be dangerous. Electricity and water aren’t a good combination and they have to be kept separate at all times. The plumbers in London I know are all pretty good, but we do hear horror stories of cowboys who don’t seal a unit off properly, or let a feed pipe drip onto a live wire.

You have to be trained to handle these conditions and not just for the clients sake. Our own safety is paramount when working with gas or electricity. I take good care of my own safety and those around me. The longer term safety of my clients comes a little later in the job.

Health and safety isn’t a popular term, mainly due to its silliness and overuse. Yet it is a legitimate concern for all plumbers in London, myself included. Any trade who doesn’t have their own, and their clients safety in mind shouldn’t be on the job.

My London Builders only use qualified, experience plumbers who appreciate health and safety but who don’t let it taker over the world. Use us every time you need a plumber. We’re here to help.

Under normal circumstances, you would thoroughly check out your prospective tradesman to ensure they are up to scratch and will do a good job. When it comes to emergency plumbing in London, you don’t always have the luxury of time to do that.

It takes time to check, vet and follow up references on a tradesman to ensure they are good at their word and are worth the trust and expense. In an emergency situation, with water pouring out of the house, or heating that won’t come on in the freezing cold, you simply don’t have time to spare. You need a plumber right now!

My London Builders have qualified, experienced plumbers on staff who provide emergency plumbing in London. We want all our neighbours to enjoy a good standard of work for an honest price, which is why we’re putting together this guide to spotting a reliable plumber.

Certified

The very minimum criteria for any plumbing is certification. This is especially important if it’s a heating problem, as there will be gas or electricity involved. Anyone providing emergency plumbing in London should have a Gas Safe certification, ACS and Part L certificates.

These are all minimum qualifications for working in residential buildings. Gas Safe replaced CORGI, which is a safety certification to work with gas appliances. ACS is the Accredited Certification Scheme which is certification of basic competency and is allied to City and Guilds. Part L is part of relatively new building regulations requiring competency certifications for tradesmen.

Reliable

Emergency plumbing in London is a lucrative business and one that attracts less than honest characters, as well as quality tradesmen. Even in a crisis situation, it’s worth checking with friends and neighbours to see if they know a plumber you can trust.

Personal recommendation is a powerful tool, and one that keeps tradesmen honest. They know that word soon spreads about bad workmanship, so work hard to prevent it. Spending a few valuable minutes asking around it still the very best way to ensure you’re paying the right people to help you out.

Trusted Tradesmen

Many councils maintain a list of trusted tradesmen in their area. If the council doesn’t, sometimes Trading Standards will. These lists are created through feedback from previous clients and are a good indicator as to the reliability of the plumber.

If asking friends and family doesn’t give you a name, this list might. Anyone offering emergency plumbing in London will want to be on this list if there is one, so is a good first stop if you need a good plumber.

Of course My London Builders should be your first port of call if you need emergency plumbing in London. However, we don’t expect you to take our word for it any more than we expect you to take the word of anyone else. Do your homework, check us out, ask around. Then, when you have the evidence you need, give us a call. We won’t let you down.

Central heating installers in London are making a definite move towards recommending combi boilers when quoting for any central heating work in the capital. Combi boilers now account for more than half of domestic boilers installed or replaced in the last couple of years.

This is good news as many homeowners rely on the advice of a qualified plumbing and heating engineer to suggest ways of improving the efficiency and warmth of their home. Those of us that have embraced the combi boiler are offering sound advice to our customers.

A combi, or combination boiler is currently the most efficient fossil-fuelled boiler we have. As many of our central heating installers in London will tell you, a good quality combination boiler will pay for itself in a few years, while giving many more years of efficient service. The plumbers at My London Builders will all suggest using one for most situations.

How a Combi Boiler Works

A combination boiler heats water as it passes through it and delivers hot water to the tap or shower on-demand. That means there is no longer any need for a separate hot water tank or header tank in the loft. Both of these take up valuable space, and in the case of the hot water tank, costs money to run.

It still uses fossil fuel to heat the water, but this way, it only uses enough energy to heat what you want. The old way of doing things was to heat a whole tank of hot water and keep it warm all day. In homes where water usage is high, this was quite efficient. However, now with many couples of single people living alone, the demand for hot water isn’t so high. Also, it took quite a lot of energy to keep that water up to temperature, which was wasted if it wasn’t used.

The other advantage of using a combi boiler is that water runs throughout the house at mains pressure. This is more of an advantage on the first floor of a home where water pressure from the header tank in the loft can be quite low.

You gain space too. As you no longer need a hot water tank or header, you can have them removed and use the space for something else. Regain your airing cupboard and increase your loft space while also saving money in the home.

If your home needs a new boiler, or work done to your heating, our central heating installers in London will suggest getting a combi boiler at the same time. It lowers the overall cost of the project and can be done instead of remedial work to existing boilers and hot water tanks.

As always, there is a downside. The initial cost of having a combi boiler installed can be quite high. Although the cost of the boilers themselves are coming down, there could be a lot of work involved in having it fitted. For the exact costs and local central heating installers in London, contact My London Builders. We will be able to give you a more exact quote.

With the cost of almost everything increasing daily, the impetus to save money wherever possible gets stronger. Economising and becoming more environmentally aware can save money, even if it costs a bit in the beginning. We’re going to discuss how hiring our plumbers in London can actually save money in the longer term.

Becoming more efficient isn’t a bad thing, it’s something we would have had to have done anyway, it would just have been nice to do it at our own speed. We aren’t usually happy with having our hands forced into something, but here we are. The more efficient you can make your home, the less you will have to pay out in utility bills.

The idea that paying for a professional to visit your home will in the end save money is a little at odds with logic to begin with, but bear with us. You would think the hourly rate of the average plumbers in London would pay for a month’s worth of energy, but over the longer term it does actually save money.

Maintenance

First off is maintenance. Fixing leaking taps, faulty joints, servicing your boiler, ensuring all pipes are insulated and that waste pipes flow cleanly are just some of the minor maintenance tasks that our plumber can do that will save money.

Stopping leaks and ensuring your boiler runs efficiently are the two jobs that will pay for themselves over time. That’s especially true if you’re on a water meter, as the more you use, the more you pay. An efficient water heater not only saves money on water, but on gas or electricity too. With the recent news that energy prices are rising yet again, this job is a no-brainer.

Green Fixtures

Another way plumbers in London can save you money is by fitting so-called “green” plumbing fixtures. These come in a variety of forms, from the inflatable bag that sits inside your cistern, to water-saving taps that use less water but provide the same pressure.

There are also composting toilets for those with the land to handle the waste, dual-flush toilets or even waterless urinals. There are also efficient shower heads that can maintain a comfortable pressure while using less water. This will still give a great shower but will use almost half the water.

Future-proofing

It’s difficult to proof yourself for the future because time and technology moves so quickly. However, using solar water heating technology is cutting-edge, and something that is likely to be with us for a long time. It’s also something many plumbers in London are qualified to provide.

Using the power of the sun to heat water is a low-maintenance way of providing the water your family needs at a fraction of the price. The downside is the initial cost of the installation.

These are just some of the ways hiring a plumber from My London Builders can actually save you money. We hope that now you understand the logic behind our thinking and consider some or all of these services for your home.

Plumbers are responsible to the installation of complex pipelines and systems that carries water into homes, factories and offices across the capital. They also maintain and repair pipes in all kinds of situations. There are some core skills needed in modern plumbers, London colleges can teach much, but nothing beats hands-on experience as an apprentice.

My London Builders are always looking for skilled tradesmen to work with us. If you’re a qualified, experienced plumber give us a call. If you’re a customer who needs plumbing services, you can call us too!

Plumbing systems are designed to carry water and waste to and from a building. They also form part of a traditional central heating system. A plumber will also need to know about gas and electricity as a central heating boiler will need to be connected to the supply of one or the other.

From a plumbers London base, they might be required to travel across the city, or country, depending on where the work is. The ability to be flexible is key, especially in a competitive market. The work might not necessarily be on your doorstep so the acceptance of travel might be necessary.

What Does a Plumber Do?

Job skills typical of the average plumber can be:

Participating in the design process. In new builds, plumbers work with architects and contractors to make a blueprint of the plumbing system to meet the needs of the project.

• Read and follow blueprints. Plumbers who install piping in a new build, or extension follow architectural blueprints to put the pipes in the right place.
• Know current legislation and building regulations. This is the most basic of skills, but also the most useful.
• Install plumbing systems. Installation requires bending and cutting pipe as well as affixing components through fittings, soldering or adhesive. Sometimes work can be in tight, cramped spaces so flexibility is key.
• Use testing equipment. Plumbers use pressure gauges to ensure proper functioning of the system and volt meters to check electrical feeds.

Plumbing courses incorporate education in core technical subjects such as mathematics, physics and chemistry. In addition, practical training in plumbing components, tools and materials.

Ask many experienced plumbers, London or elsewhere, and chances are they love their job. It’s practical, rewarding job that has it’s bad days as well as the good. The freedom and variety of the work is part of what makes a career in plumbing so rewarding.

Qualified, experienced plumbers are never without work, as My London Builders always have jobs that need your skills.

Many colleges run plumbing courses, which should offer either City and Guilds or NVQ qualifications. Don’t rely on just school though, as practical experience is what really counts in the trades. My London Builders want you to have school to learn the basics, and experience to know how it’s really done.

The difference between classroom methodologies and real-world methods can vary greatly. What you will know are the tools, the nomenclature, the health and safety and the other myriad of skills upon which to base a career.

Once qualified, many plumbers quickly find work as an apprentice or trainee with a dedicated plumbing firm with My London Builders. From there, it’s a simple matter of gaining as much exposure and practice as possible. Then it’s a matter of learning the trade, and either working for us or setting up yourself.

If you have the knack for pipes, the intelligence and aptitude to a detailed trade, the world really is your oyster. Give us a call or email us through the site. We’ll be happy to hear from you.