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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