Here is a list of questions you should be asking before you hire a commercial plumber and why

  1. Does your plumber have a commercial plumbing license for the required work you require?
  2. What class of license do they have and for what scope?
  3. Do they have Insurance coverage?
  4. Experience – do they have commercial experience?
  5. For new builds – do they have a white card?
  6. Where there are children or elderly – Do they have a blue card/ working for children check?
  7. Have they got great reviews & recommendations?
  8. What are their hours of service?

1. Does your plumber have a commercial plumbing license?

This should be the very first question you ask. As a company who service commercial properties nationwide. We are very familiar with the code and compliance required for plumbers in each state, the biggest being licenses. Each state has their own regulators and industry bodies. A qualified licensed plumber has a higher standard of knowledge and experience than a plumber who isn’t registered or is in training. Licensed plumbers are able to issue consumers with a compliance certificate, which certifies that their work complies with the relevant plumbing standards, codes and regulations. And they hold insurance that protects consumers if their plumbing work isn’t to standard.

2. What license class does your plumber require?

Each state is different; however, the majority are broken down by the following class licences which are either main, restricted or specialised

Main

  • drainage
  • gasfitting
  • mechanical services
  • roofing (stormwater)
  • sanitary
  • water supply
  • irrigation (non-agricultural)
  • fire protection.

Restricted plumbing classes:

  • gasfitting: Type A appliances
  • roofing (stormwater): Class 10a buildings
  • water supply: Domestic hot water services
  • fire protection: Hydrants or hose reels, residential/commercial/ industrial or domestic fire sprinklers, fire system pump sets
  • mechanical services: Refrigerated air-conditioning, solid fuel heaters, duct fixing, split systems.

Specialised plumbing classes:

  • backflow prevention
  • Type A gas appliance conversion
  • Type A gas appliance servicing
  • Type B gasfitting advanced
  • refrigerated air-conditioning.

Generally, you will find a plumber may have a combination of the main so just double check before you choose.

3. Does your plumber have Insurance coverage for commercial purposes?

Plumbers must be insured for adequate public liability protection for a minimum of up to $10 million. Mathiou Services is insured for $20 million in public liability – covering us for all damage to property or persons.

4. Experience – What is their plumbing commercial experience?

There is a large gap between commercial and residential plumbing experience. Not only are the regulations for buildings different but each plumber has experience in a type of work and less in the other, make sure your plumber has worked on the type of work scope you need.

5. Why is it important for my commercial plumber to have a White Card on a new site?

It’s not just plumbers, anyone who enters a construction site on a regular basis needs to receive general construction safety training, known as The White Card, in order to fulfil a federal mandate. It’s all about the construction site and the insurance policy of the main company on the site. You need to have had completed this training and received this card as part of work, health & safety(WHS) of the construction site you want to go onto. The standard employment requirement for all Mathiou Services plumbing technicians is to have their white card.

6. Where there are children, elderly, or vulnerable people – Do they have a working for children check or blue card?

The purpose of the working for children check/blue card is to ensure that anyone who is onsite around children/elderly have a cleared background. This ensures the safety of those vulnerable when a third party goes onto a site. It is a standard employment requirement for all Mathiou Services plumbing technicians to have their working with children check/ blue card.

6. Do they have great reviews & recommendations?

They say the best plumbers come well recommended. Check out your plumber’s reviews online or ask them for reference. You never know what you find. This means if it’s a big project you need your plumber on, it will give you peace of mind that you are covered.

Need help unblocking a drain?

Mathiou Services have fully licensed plumbers, we are fully insured and all our technicians have a white card and working for children’s checks. Phone us on 1300 363 423.