Guttering and gas work

[850Rick]

Do any of you do guttering work.Ive heard some plumbers try and stay clear of it the same as blocked toilets lol.The other thing is do any of you just do the plumbing and not do gas.

 

[Ermintrude]

I'm the Complete opposite, just do heating, ufh and boilers, taps wastes and bogs all get given to apprentices. If you do too much your van looks like a second hand shop. Toilet bits tiles, silicone..... Arrrrr I hate tiles. But others love a change and lap up tiling and bathrooms.

However I'm currently tiling a kitchen floor.

Toddler smashed tiles with cast iron pan mrs let him play with. Doh!!!

 

[850Rick]

I'm the Complete opposite, just do heating, ufh and boilers, taps wastes and bogs all get given to apprentices. If you do too much your van looks like a second hand shop. Toilet bits tiles, silicone..... Arrrrr I hate tiles. But others love a change and lap up tiling and bathrooms.

However I'm currently tiling a kitchen floor.

Toddler smashed tiles with cast iron pan mrs let him play with. Doh!!!

A tiler as well aye lol.Did you screed it as well.Gas I think is something im not gonna bother with.Its expensive to do and everyone is at it.Think im just gonna do the general plumbing stuff lol,bathrooms, rads,guttering leadwork,valves water tanks and so on.But I was told by a few people that plumbers don't generaly bother with guttering I thought it was part of a plumbers job?and lead work I did this at college and apparently roofers now do this instead lol

 

[Best]

^^^ that's so true, - you could be doing heating pipework & then suddenly have to go to a boiler or a bit of flooring needed etc, & your van will need too much stuff!
I don't do Gas, but could do most other things if I want or if I am stupid enough to do! Once you service boilers you will end up on breakdowns.

Guttering was always done by plumbers in the old times, I believe as I guess it is pipework of sorts or actually lead lined guttering.

 

[850Rick]

I can do tiling as well lol.Just wont do gas work.Its licence for this and licence for that its a lot of money and you might not get the work

 

[Best]

I can do tiling as well lol.Just wont do gas work.Its licence for this and licence for that its a lot of money and you might not get the work

About £3000 for the basics I am told & you need the cost of gas gear, but a few boiler installs & then you are in profit in theory, but it's hard to know as very competitive. Just seems like you are not a plumber if you don't do everything including gas, sadly. Not nice when someone says to you " I'll get Mr Smith because he IS an engineer." :smile:

 

[850Rick]

I think there is a lot of plumbers out there with out gas,does that not make them plumbers if they don't have gas?I think everyone specialises in different areas

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

When I started back in the 80's we did it all; heating & plumbing. That included lead work and flashing, general plumbing, and drains. Now it seems as though it's all broken up into 'Specialist' factors. In some ways it's not a bad idea especially as there's a lot of equipment needed if you're going to do it all, and as Ermintrude says - your van darts to look mile a bring and buy sale.
If a guttering job comes my way though, I'll do it. The same goes for leadwork. I've seen soooo many shoddy jobs that have been completed by so called 'Specialist' and my customers are happy with me when they find out that I'm even cheaper than the original guys.
I've still got all my lead bossing tools from the 80's in the garage

 

[Best]

I think there is a lot of plumbers out there with out gas,does that not make them plumbers if they don't have gas?I think everyone specialises in different areas

Yes, in a lot of people's eyes if they are not Gas qualified they are a mere 'plumber'
but if you have the badge, then you are an 'engineer' & sometimes even worth more pay.
I worked on bits & pieces of gas work with an engineer until it became necessary to be qualified.
Yet nowadays I notice some of the qualified guys are not even from a plumbing background, so it seems silly not to go with gas.

 

[Koogatubac]

Ive got my natural gas, thought that was boring so got trained with LPG which is different so that keeps me on my toes.

I like guttering, alot of plumbers dont. Depends when u get the job, you could mention you dont mind doing the guttering, however majority of builders/roofers do this now as its been passed to them.

Leadwork now has their own trade title which is known as a specialist trade since alot of the training methods have died out. I enjoyed lead aswell, i was in the regional competition when i was a apprentice, nationals got beat by ALOT of roofers, they do it day in day out you see

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

I'm a Plumbing & Heating Engineer, but I haven't got ACS (Yet). I do have my OFTEC though and I'll work on any heating or plumbing system that I'm allowed to by law (Just for the Gas Safe boys ).
If you only work with the water supply and wage side of things then you're a Plumber, or Plumbing Engineer (If you have the quals to back it up). If you've got the rest then you can call yourself what you like I suppose, as long as it doesn't offend anyone that is.

 

[850Rick]

Yes, in a lot of people's eyes if they are not Gas qualified they are a mere 'plumber'
but if you have the badge, then you are an 'engineer' & sometimes even worth more pay.
I worked on bits & pieces of gas work with an engineer until it became necessary to be qualified.
Yet nowadays I notice some of the qualified guys are not even from a plumbing background, so it seems silly not to go with gas.

I thought you had to have some sort of plumbing back ground to do gas?its like a different trade really gas to plumbing

 

[850Rick]

I'm a Plumbing & Heating Engineer, but I haven't got ACS (Yet). I do have my OFTEC though and I'll work on any heating or plumbing system that I'm allowed to by law (Just for the Gas Safe boys ).
If you only work with the water supply and wage side of things then you're a Plumber, or Plumbing Engineer (If you have the quals to back it up). If you've got the rest then you can call yourself what you like I suppose, as long as it doesn't offend anyone that is.

Im just a plumbing engineer then lol

 

[850Rick]

Ive got my natural gas, thought that was boring so got trained with LPG which is different so that keeps me on my toes.

I like guttering, alot of plumbers dont. Depends when u get the job, you could mention you dont mind doing the guttering, however majority of builders/roofers do this now as its been passed to them.

Leadwork now has their own trade title which is known as a specialist trade since alot of the training methods have died out. I enjoyed lead aswell, i was in the regional competition when i was a apprentice, nationals got beat by ALOT of roofers, they do it day in day out you see

It took me forever to get the hang of doing lead lol.Is it still classed as part of a plumbers job though

 

[kirkgas]

I thought you had to have some sort of plumbing back ground to do gas?its like a different trade really gas to plumbing

If you do a foundation course you don't need any trade background of any sort, it's 6 months full time spilt between class and on site,

 

[Best]

I thought you had to have some sort of plumbing back ground to do gas?its like a different trade really gas to plumbing

A gas training place will want your money!
I know a few people who were not in any way linked to plumbing & they are now gas qualified. They probably couldnt bend a pipe but they got there somehow.

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Just off to the pub but before I go ........
I have been 'Training' for the ACS with about 15 other guys (At different times) and I've come across 5 that actually work in the industry at the moment. One of the guys is currently a taxi driver and has no plumbing knowledge at all. He said he might do a plumbing course after he's got his ACS !

 

[Koogatubac]

It took me forever to get the hang of doing lead lol.Is it still classed as part of a plumbers job though

Even though plumber means 'worker of lead'

No.1 i know does lead work, however roofers ive asked and they say that a different specialist company does lead work, and thats ALL they do, paid a fortune since its such a art! Bossed corners, lead welds etc you can make anything out of lead and it'll last a loonnggg time

 

[850Rick]

Just off to the pub but before I go ........
I have been 'Training' for the ACS with about 15 other guys (At different times) and I've come across 5 that actually work in the industry at the moment. One of the guys is currently a taxi driver and has no plumbing knowledge at all. He said he might do a plumbing course after he's got his ACS !

A taxi driver doing acs lol im glad he lives down there by you lol

 

[850Rick]

Even though plumber means 'worker of lead'

No.1 i know does lead work, however roofers ive asked and they say that a different specialist company does lead work, and thats ALL they do, paid a fortune since its such a art! Bossed corners, lead welds etc you can make anything out of lead and it'll last a loonnggg time

I know its defo an art we had to make like a few things in college and it was a pain.at first I thought I wasn't gonna get it but I hung in there.have any of you ever been called out to repair or change the brackets on the drain pipe because its snapped off or broken?

 

[northstar]

rick are you doing your L3 plumbing ?

 

[Best]

I have had to tell a few people what was wrong with their gas boilers because their gas engineers hadn't a clue! - and I don't work on gas!
(I should add - I don't touch the boilers & let them get a gas safe engineer to sort it!)
Often the pipework these guys do, gives away their lack of plumbing knowledge, although some just bring in others to help with installs.

 

[850Rick]

rick are you doing your L3 plumbing ?

hi mate its been a while lol.No I started to do it and the college started messing things about on the course I got as far as lip tests looking for gas leaks lol and sorting them out.They wanted to add things to the course and remove things from the course which annoyed me.I still did my 2yrs at college doing my level 2 and not some 6 or 7 week course where you come out knowing nothing

 

[850Rick]

I have had to tell a few people what was wrong with their gas boilers because their gas engineers hadn't a clue! - and I don't work on gas!
(I should add - I don't touch the boilers & let them get a gas safe engineer to sort it!)
Often the pipework these guys do, gives away their lack of plumbing knowledge, although some just bring in others to help with installs.

That's kind of worrying lol

 

[northstar]

hi mate its been a while lol.No I started to do it and the college started messing things about on the course I got as far as lip tests looking for gas leaks lol and sorting them out.They wanted to add things to the course and remove things from the course which annoyed me.I still did my 2yrs at college doing my level 2 and not some 6 or 7 week course where you come out knowing nothing

what did they remove ?