Plump for a plumber
E YOU R AG
as they need to update their knowledge continually, thankfully. You used to train and that was it but as gas became more popular in households, people started dying because of carbon monoxide poisoning due to badly fitted boilers. So gas training and accreditation became compulsory in the mid 1990s and it still is today. If you employ a plumber to work on any gas appliance make sure they are Gas Safe accredited and ask to see their card when they arrive at your house. This means they are up to date with rules and regulations, know what they are doing and are insured. If a plumber is not Gas Safe accredited they can end up in prison charged with manslaughter because of negligence. Adrian has to renew his Gas Safe certificate every five years which costs him about 1,200 (as well as loss of income due to not being able
LI F E
A
PLUMBER TRADITIONALLY used to work with lead as all drainpipes and internal pipes were made of it and they also worked on lead roofs as well. But today pipes are either copper or plastic so leadwork is not as common, but still done. Plumbers plumb bathrooms, put in kitchen sinks, fit and service boilers, come out in emergencies when you have water leaking everywhere, or even worse, gas and much more, including, blocked toilet anyone? Adrian Walker has been a plumber since he left school in 1980. ‘I really wanted to farm but took the easy option and joined my father in his business becoming an apprentice, training over three years on day release doing my City and Guilds. I learnt a lot from the other men who worked for my father as they were really experienced and old-school.’ Training for a plumber is always ongoing
MAN
We will all need a plumber at some point. Mary talks to Adrian Walker and finds out how to run our boilers efficiently and why we should all have a friendly plumber on call
to work). As well as gas certificates plumbers also need to be ualified in L G, unvented appliances and more, again every five years, so Adrian is regularly doing courses. And if you work on oil boilers you need a di erent sort of accreditation. This is very reassuring for the public as we know that we are employing tradesmen who know what they are doing and are safe. Adrian and his brother and cousin joined his father and uncle in partnership in the business in 1 2, which employed eight people, until 201 when he struck out on his own. Plumbers tend to specialise in di erent things. Some will fit bathrooms, others boilers, others still do lead work and Adrian specialises in servicing boilers, landlord checks and emergency call outs and repairs. To get the best out of your boiler it should
36 April 2022 / theactivemag.com
36-37_LifeokKM.indd 36
22/03/2022 23:26
