Australia is a country that revels in its do-it-yourself culture. Whether it is school kids building a tree house with things they find around the garden shed during the holidays, or simply the fact that Bunnings and Masters are busier than cinemas on weekends, there are plenty of examples to show that DIY is in our DNA!
The simple logic of DIY goes further than that too. Do it yourself repairs and improvements seem less costly than hiring a professional to do the job. After all, to get a qualified and licensed plumber out to your home on a weekday, you or your partner might need to take time off work to let them in. And anyway, maybe you’d prefer to do the work yourself, when you feel like it – at night and on the weekends.
But hospital emergency staff and the lessons learned by dozens of injured DIYers speak to the fact that no amount of money or time saved is worth an injury.
Common Misconceptions
It is a common mistake made by many Australians that paying for a professional will cost them an arm and a leg. While it’s true that some emergency plumbers in Sydney will take advantage of customers and charge ridiculous rates, JEDI Plumbing is built on a different philosophy.
We believe in repeat business and long term customer relationships. Plumbing is a service that you will need many times in your life, so if we can provide you fantastic work at a reasonable price, we would love it if you gave us a call next time you had a plumbing problem.
Thrills and Spills
There are some recent statistics published by one of the researchers from the University of Sydney that caught our eye. The findings show that men are ten times more likely than women to suffer serious or even fatal injuries when doing unpaid work around the house.
Breaking the Law?
We bet that you didn’t think that your weekend plumbing repairs could actually be breaking the law. But in fact, very often that is exactly the case in New South Wales. To ensure the safety of all homeowners, both present and future, the Department of Fair Trading requires that all but very minor plumbing works (see below) must be done by a licensed tradesperson.
That applies across the board, from commercial kitchens to residential bathrooms. Any unauthorised plumbing work that falls under the umbrella of water plumbing, roof plumbing, or sewerage works will land you a heavy fine (certainly more than the cost of having us come out!) for your trouble.
Any plumbing that takes place in the roof, affects a sprinkler system, or that might have consequences for urban irrigation, is also off limits. This kind of work means that almost any plumbing jobs that take place in an apartment block or multi-storey townhouse should be left to professionals.
Good to Go
However, for the more practical aspects of plumbing around the house, you are 100% permitted to fix those problems. These things include fixing leaky taps by replacing washers or saving money by switching to a water efficient shower head or tap.
If you have no idea where to start, local hardware shops can offer great advice, and some of the larger ones even run regular classes so that homeowners can learn how to do the basics without damaging anything.
But for anything more complicated, we encourage you to give us a call here at JEDI Plumbing. We have served Sydneysiders on the North Shore and Northern Beaches for many years, helping with emergency plumbing across Sydney, as well as major renovations – and everything in between.
We’re ready to fix your plumbing problems, and welcome your call today to get that job done and dusted.