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PLUMBING CONNECTION Summer 2017

BEHIND THE WALL - REDUCE YOUR

RISK AND PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTH

A

simple plumbing leak can be a

major headache for a customer

particularly if it means ripping

down those expensive Italian tiles in

the bathroom to find the source. As a

plumber you have the responsibility to

use the most reliable products you can,

as well as your experience and skill, to

create a great installation so that the

chances of problems occurring are

minimised.

Sure, there’ll are always be those

jobs that come back to bite you and

when the failure is in a product that lies

behind the wall, the risk and cost to your

business and reputation can increase

significantly.

However, you can minimise the risk

of them occurring by discussing the

options available with your customer,

providing your expert advice to assist

with your customers decision, using

those products that you know have

a proven track record, and, most

importantly, not taking short cuts just

to save a few dollars.

The business of a plumber has many

competing responsibilities that have

to be considered and evaluated. The

graphic below shows some of these

responsibilities. Ultimately, how well

you manage these responsibilities can

determine the ongoing success of your

business.

Plumbing errors or failures can be costly to both you and your customer, but there’s ways to make sure

they rarely happen says

John Fennell.

Behind the wall does not mean it should be out of sight and out of mind.

PRICELESS COPPER -

JOHN FENNELL

A simple way to ensure this success

is to minimise your risk and captialise

on your competitive advantage by

using quality products, employing best

practice installation methods and

leaving very little to chance.

Employing the best installation

methods and understanding and

complying with the relevant installation

standards is the starting point. The

Australian plumbing Standard AS/NZS

3500 has many installation methods

that must be followed and have been

designed to assist plumbers and

prevent or alleviate any problems that

can occur during installation. These

include such things as fixing distances,

allowance for expansion of heated

water lines, concealment of pipes in or

under concrete are all dealt with in the

Standard and help ensure a trouble free

installation.

KNOW YOUR PRODUCT

The products you use are just as

crucial. Not only must they be agreeable

to the customer, but they must meet

regulations such as WaterMark.

It is the plumber’s responsibility

to install only WaterMark approved

products. Even though you might see

non WaterMarked products marketed

cheaply for sale at a store or online, the

responsibility lies with the plumber not to

use them. If you are in doubt of a product

it is also possible to check the validity

of the item on the WaterMark database

at

http://www.abcb.gov.au/Product-

Certification/WaterMark-Certification-

Scheme/WMPD-Search.

Quality

differentiation

Reputation

Ongoing viability of

the business

Customers

Expectation

Customers

satisfaction

Cost

$$$

PLUMBER