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June 7, 2012
There are many benefits to being part of a large organisation as opposed to being a freelance plumber but as was discovered by roughly 1,400 plumbers in Australia, that sweet fruit comes with a poisonous seed sometimes. Recently a large engineering company known as the Hastie Group which represented thousands of technical and engineering services, including plumbers on call, found itself in a deep financial hole after an administrative employee was discovered to have falsified records. As a result many plumbers within the association were unemployed, at least for a little while. This may turn plumbers Durban and the world over off unions and organisations but there is a silver lining in this cautionary tale.
Although all of the work that was offered by the Hastie Group dissolved when the company did, 90% of the union members have had work found for them again. This is a great rebound to an otherwise sad tale and great day for the plumbers union in Australia. The news was said to have brought cheers from the plumbers who needn’t find jobs abroad which is what was suspected would have to happen. Plumbers Cape Town and the rest of the world can breathe a sigh of relief as almost 1400 plumbers won’t be moving in on their territory. The Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU), represented by secretary Earl Setches, said that all plumbers will in due course receive benefits and entitlements despite the Hastie Group’s $500 million collapse including double pay for days missed. Often when a company dissolves in such a fantastic way, there is only bad news but this time there is indeed a thick silver lining for the plumbers’ forum of Australia.
The work of administrator PPB and federal Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten to save unions has been cited as a major boon to the situation. Mr.Setches went on to encourage plumbers to tell their kids tonight that everything will be alright; sounds like a fairytale ending to a rather unfortunate nightmare to me.
February 24, 2012
A man is nothing without his tools; the same can be said about a plumber and his plumbing tools. Those guys you call when you’ve got a leaky sink wouldn’t be able to do anything without their plumbing tools and equipment. Let’s go over some of these tools without which the craft of the plumber would be impossible.
The sink auger is a useful little tool that looks similar to a cable wrench except you would take the cable and guide it down a drain. The metal cable will press up against blockage before you would turn a handle on the top barrel sections; the cable will turn with the handle allowing the blockage to loosen up and drain easily. Such a simple plumbing tool gets the job done without any fuss; plumbers are quite well equipped. A toilet auger is used much the same way, but its cable is longer and stronger to adjust for the length of a toilet drain. The next plumbing tool is one we’re all likely familiar with, the flange plunger. Using the force of the vacuum and water, the plunger effectively clears clogs that should occur in the toilet. For smaller sinks and tubs, the cup plunger is the little brother of the flange plunger and many plumbers Durban or Cape Town swear by its reliability.
There is a saying, if it’s still broken then you’re not using enough duct tape; the next on our list of plumbing tools is the Teflon tape. Used to close leaks found at the joints of metal pipes among other things, many would argue this is the most useful tool in a plumber’s arsenal. The most iconic item often seen in plumbing tool pictures is the adjustable pipe wrench. So iconic in fact, if you were to spot a man wearing overalls and wielding one of these, you would immediately recognise him as a plumber. It’s fairly straight forward what these are used for; tightening metal links, bolts and joints.
This is where we get to the most complex of plumbing tools and supplies. First up is the faucet valve reseating tool. This tool is used in reseating compression faucets and is pretty simple to use regardless of how it looks; the key is to not apply too much pressure for too long of the soft metal of the faucet will bend and need to be wholly replaced. These are the essential plumbing tools and they do take skill to use. Just because I’ve listed them, does not mean we should immediately go out and buy them hoping to do our home plumbing ourselves. Adequate use of plumbing tools require years of experience and unprofessional plumbing work is what most plumbers are called out to fix in the first place.
February 1, 2012
Every now and again we have a little accident with our pipes and we’re tempted to solve the problem ourselves; plumbing jobs aren’t as easy as they look. It takes a professional to fulfil a profession and most plumbers are only fully trained after a year at least; how can we imagine we could do the same job instantaneously. There are a few instances in which one should never even consider doing ourselves, leaving it within the description of apprentice or trainee plumbing jobs at least. Let’s take a look at some of these examples.
Gas plumbing jobs are among the most dangerous that can be attempted; one spark and you could set yourself and your house on fire. That’ll take a lot more than a plumber to fix up. Gas line plumbing is anything that relates to replacing a geyser or water heater and stove fitments. An incorrect gasket fitting can result in a gas leak and it goes without saying this leads to extreme danger in the home. Among other hazardous construction and plumbing jobs, sophisticated installations that may involve electrical lines can put your life in danger and should therefore be left to the professionals. Not necessarily immediately dangerous, work on your septic tank that is botched can result in leaks and odours that seem to just stick around infinitely; experts of plumbing Pretoria, Melbourne or even London will not be able to help you at that point. Your septic tank could also leak after botched plumbing jobs which will lead to unsanitary conditions that can cause disease and infection in the home.
After all is said and done, leave the plumbing and heating jobs to professionals since it could save you lots of money in the long run. Most plumbing jobs in London are a result of damages incurred from botched plumbing attempts on things that were relatively simple to begin with. Always remember though, if you’re adamant about doing plumbing jobs around the house yourself; never ever forget adequate protection.
July 29, 2011
In our day and time we try to be liberal and not differentiate between male and female jobs. Men and woman have equal rights and both can, if they try hard enough, most likely succeed in almost every trade. One such beautiful example is Ashlea Reed from Australia which disregarded hair styling to become to pursue a career in plumbing. Although we can’t imagine a rugby player becoming a nail technician, a lady which chooses a job in plumbing is doable and deserves respect. And that’s just what she got!
Plumbing professional Ashlea Reed has become the first female to be recognised by the Master Plumbers’ and Mechanical Services Association of Australia. The 24-year-old won the Rose Curtis award at the association’s gold medal and plumbing training awards. Reed didn’t always have all the support she desired and many people encouraged her to try a different career. However, Reed stayed determined to be successful and maybe even join plumbing contractors in Johannesburg, since she knew what the plumbing job expected from her; her father and brother are both in the construction trade. For other women considering a job in the trade, she advises a determined attitude and to ignore anyone who asks them to reconsider.
Her current plumbing contractors describe her as a hard worker, determined and always brighten up any room. Definitely a much needed change to the plumbing industry. Reed’s award recognises the new skills and technologies of the plumbing industry and helps apprentices further their studies in specialised areas of plumbing through a $750 prize.
April 6, 2011
As water becomes increasingly scarcer in the Mother City of Cape Town, the Western Cape has been forced to pass a new bylaw which instructs all property transfers to be subjected to plumbing services before completion. All properties which are sold must be issued with a certificate of compliance by a registered plumber. This will of course raise the price of a property sale and cause no end to the amount of delays in regards to property transference. Water scarcity is a major issue; therefore this bylaw will doubtlessly be passed onto other provinces in the near future.
On this certificate of compliance will be a mark which assures the new owner that all the plumbing is in working order. The city of Cape Town has released statistics which clocks the water wastage to seventy-nine billion litres per year. Cape Town is looking into contracting various plumbing services in the effort to carry out random inspections on homes which are not above the level. Before the transfer is registered, the inspection will have to take place. Experts have however stated that there will be no delay if Johannesburg is to incorporate the same policies.
On the often discussed question regarding corruption of the system, IOPSA (The Institute of Plumbers of South Africa) stated that their system is strictly regulated and any plumber who transgresses will have to face the harshest of penalties as doled out by their committee.
The estimated price for this evaluation is said to be in the region of R500, but there is not a set figure as yet. One of the leaders of IOPSA said that the public are welcome to obtain quotes from two more plumbers if they are not satisfied with the pricing of the plumbing service. The municipality is unable to cast aside the bylaw, therefore homeowners can look forward to further price increase in the month of May.