plumb it!

Plumbing (from the Latin plumbum for lead as pipes were once made from lead) is the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures for drinking water systems and the drainage of waste.

A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping systems, plumbing fixtures and equipment such as water heaters.

The plumbing industry is a basic and substantial part of every developed economy due to the need for clean water, and proper collection and transport of wastes.

Plumbing also refers to a system of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of potable water and the removal of waterborne wastes. Plumbing is usually distinguished from water and sewage systems, in that a plumbing system serves one building, while water and sewage systems serve a group of buildings or a city.

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Servicing

Repairs as well as new builds.

Fixtures and fittings - such as

  • valves,
  • elbows,
  • tees, and unions.

Fixtures are designed for the end-users.

Some examples of fixtures include

  • toilets,
  • urinals,
  • bidets,
  • showers,
  • bathtubs, utility and kitchen sinks,
  • drinking fountains,
  • humidifiers,
  • air washers,
  • fountains, and eye wash stations.

Regulation

Much of the plumbing work in populated areas is regulated by government or quasi-government agencies due to the direct impact on the public's health, safety, and welfare.

Plumbing installation and repair work on residences and other buildings generally must be done according to plumbing and building codes to protect the inhabitants of the buildings and to ensure safe, quality construction to future buyers.

If permits are required for work, plumbing contractors typically secure them from the authorities on behalf of home or building owners.

In the United Kingdom the professional body is the newly Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (educational charity status) and it is true that the trade still remains virtually ungoverned; there are no systems in place to monitor or control the activities of unqualified plumbers or those home owners who choose to undertake installation and maintenance works themselves, despite the health and safety issues which arise from such works when they are undertaken incorrectly

See Health Aspects of Plumbing (HAP) published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Plumbing Council (WPC) WPC has subsequently appointed a representative to the World Health Organization to take forward various projects related to Health Aspects of Plumbing