Plumbing & Heating

When we think about the term 'plumbing', images of plungers and pipes may spring to mind - however, in recent times, plumbing and heating are commonly grouped together. Many plumbing companies now offer a range of plumbing and heating services. Plumbers and engineers are generally able to cover a wide range of tasks - from the fixing of leaking taps to the installation of brand new central heating systems.

There's no doubt that plumbing and heating are very closely related, after all, a burst water pipe or faulty radiator can severely affect the performance of a central heating boiler system. Plumbers now need to deal with a number of heating-related problems in their daily schedules and may even need to retrain or obtain further qualifications to deal with any such issues.

As an example, a central heating system will generally consist of a number of components, including the use of gas and electricity. A plumber may be fully trained and qualified to fix pipes, taps and some elements inside of a boiler - but they may not have the certification required to replace or fix the electrical components, or any problems associated with the gas supply.

To this end, they may need to obtain a further qualification i.e. CORGI to fully cover themselves for any electrical work they undertake. Failure to do so could cause a number of problems, as neither the plumber nor householder would be covered if the event of anything going wrong. In a very competitive climate, many plumbers are opting to take courses to gain the certification they need to undertake a larger number of tasks.

Whether you need a brand new central heating system, the installation of additional radiators, new bathroom taps or under floor heating, the chances are that a combination of plumbing and heating methods will be required. Many smaller tasks can be completed by anyone with DIY knowledge i.e. the changing of a washer on a leaky tap, or the sealing of a shower unit, however, if electrics or gas are involved at any point, you should have a good amount of knowledge on the subject(s) before you attempt to tackle the task.

Plumbing and heating companies are continually expanding their services to compete in a challenging market. Many of them now offer a number of service packages - and they are able to perform ongoing maintenance work i.e. power flushing to ensure the smooth running of a boiler, radiators and pipe work. All of these services can help a company to gain a competitive edge.