Certified Plumbers and Gasfitters in Lower Hutt and Wellington | Watersmith Plumbing and Gas
Kiwis love DIY, but there are certain jobs that require a licensed tradesperson. Why?
- To protect your family’s health and safety
- To safeguard your property and the environment
- So that you are not breaching your insurance policy
- So that when you sell, compliance matters don’t turn into legal nightmares
What qualifies as sanitary plumbing and do I need a certified plumber to carry out work on my Lower Hutt or Wellington home?
When we turn on the tap to pour ourselves a drink, most of us would not give the water’s quality a second thought or for that matter would we consider where water ends up when we’ve finished using it. Society itself depends on the safe delivery and removal of water.
History has proven time and again that without regulatory control poor sanitary plumbing can result in sickness and even death. For this reason, registered plumbers are considered at the forefront of New Zealand’s primary health protection.
What is sanitary plumbing?
Sanitary plumbing is any work involved in fixing or unfixing any pipe, plumbing fixture or appliance including; any trap, waste or soil pipe, ventilation pipe, or overflow pipe and any pipe that supplies or is intended to supply water.
All sanitary plumbing must comply with the Building Code and, where a building consent is required; the work must be checked by the building inspector from the building control authority in your area (your local council). A code compliance certificate cannot be issued until the work has been signed off by the building inspector.
A certifying plumber is responsible for the testing, verification and the supervision of tradesman plumbers.
Sanitary plumbing does not include the installation of appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines; the replacement or repair of taps, ball valves and plugs.
Please visit the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board for more info on certified plumbers.
Well what DIY can I do then?
In a nutshell, you can only carry out simple DIY plumbing that is not sanitary plumbing and you are limited to working on portable gas appliances (see definitions below).
Consumer NZ has some helpful advice about DIY
PGDB has useful consumer info as well
What qualifies as gasfitting and do I need a certified gas fitter to carry out work on my Lower Hutt or Wellington home?
Gasfitting is any work involved in installing, altering or repairing gas appliances including the fixing or unfixing of any gas pipes, ventilation or flue pipes, commissioning gas appliances and ensuring their safe operation (including the testing, setting, checking and adjusting of safety devices, combustion conditions and controls associated with the gas installation and ensuring there is adequate ventilation).
Gasfitting includes work on appliances fitted to ships, boats, caravans, motorhomes, trains and any other vehicles, and also includes work on gas appliances fixed within buildings that are supplied by gas bottles of any size.
A certifying gasfitter is responsible for the testing, verification and the supervision of tradesman gasfitters.
Work that is not defined as gasfitting includes work on portable gas appliances which have the gas bottle attached such as barbecues, cabinet heaters and patio heaters, although the Plumbers and Gasfitters Board strongly recommends that a gasfitter is used.
Please visit the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board for more info on certified gasfitters.