by Gary Mays | Apr 27, 2014 | City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Insurance, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Maintenance, Whywait Plumbing
One of the more common questions clients ask us over the phone at Whywait Plumbing is “what’s your hourly rate for plumbers?”
Hourly rates are utterly subjective to the point of being meaningless. Unfortunately, the majority of Gold Coast plumbers focus on hourly rates for pricing rather than the cost of the job in its entirety because they are frequently not competent enough to calculate out the value of the job in advance.
Hourly rates were abandoned as a method of pricing by most industries over 20 years ago. Ultimately all a client cares about is the total price of having a plumbing job undertaken not the component prices of which labour is only a proportion of the cost of undertaking the job.
Using hourly rates for plumbers as a comparison tool is meaningless as clients do not want the price to vary. It’s an unfortunate fact that too many Gold Coast plumbers use ridiculously low hourly rates for plumbers as a means of getting you to invite them into your home to do the job. Invariably this leads to bill shock as it’s akin to turning on a taxi meter except you had no idea when it was turned on and when it will be turned off.
There is nothing worse than the stress and aggravation of getting a more massive than expected bill once a job is completed. That is why, in reality, there is no such thing as a free plumbing quote.
At Whywait Plumbing, we have guaranteed upfront pricing. This means every job is priced in advance and approved by you before we commence work after an on-site diagnostic evaluation of the work required.
Imagine the confusion and shock if every business had to charge for their service by the hour that their clients pay for every day without a second thought. Imagine if you to pay hourly rates for a cup of coffee or a haircut.
Using a coffee purchased from Zarraffa’s as an example lets calculate their hourly rate for you to buy a Masai size (20oz) Americano coffee:
| Time in seconds to make an Americano |
60 |
| How much does an Americano coffee cost |
$5.45 |
| Size of an Americano |
20oz |
| cost of coffee beans, water and cup for Americano |
$0.93 |
| Hourly Rate for making a Zarraffa’s Americano Coffee |
$322.35 |
Now let us calculate the value of a haircut at Toni&Guy where you would have a cut and blow dry at their Broadbeach salon from a stylist:
| Time in minutes for a cut and blow dry |
15 |
| How much does a cut and blow dry by a stylist cost |
$89.00 |
| Total material costs for gel, shampoo, water etc. at retail price levels |
$2.50 |
| Hourly Rate for a Cut and Blow Dry at Toni&Guy |
$346.00 |
As can be seen by the examples of hourly rates above for the cost of labour, they are a meaningless component of the overall price of providing a business service.
As a bonus when you call us at Whywait Plumbing, we come to your home or business with service available 24/7. In contrast, if you have to go to a Zarraffa’s coffee shop to purchase your coffee or to Toni&Guy’s salon in Broadbeach to get a cut and blow dry you can only go at times they choose to be open.
Ultimately the only cost you should ever focus on when getting plumbing services is the total price, not an hourly rate for plumbers.
by Gary Mays | Apr 6, 2014 | burst flexible hoses
An observant client, a crucial part of our maintenance process, recently contacted Whywait Plumbing with a pertinent question: ” What do rust spots mean on the flexible hoses on my tap in the kitchen sink?” Your vigilance is critical to maintaining the health of your plumbing system.
Rust is always a warning sign, and in a kitchen cupboard, rust spots on the exterior of the stainless steel braided flexible hoses indicate that the hose should be replaced before it bursts. Either of the following causes the rust:
- chemical leakage from household chemicals stored in the cupboard
- deterioration of the inner rubber tube liner
Essentially, all stainless steel braided flexible hoses have a stainless steel braided sheath over an inner tube, usually made of highly durable EDPM rubber. Water pressure forces the EDPM rubber inner tubing to expand against the braiding to avoid uneven stress pressure and prevent further expansion.
If the inner tube liner ruptures and starts to leak, the braided stainless steel is also unlikely to rupture simultaneously. Usually, water will leak through the braided stainless steel initially, resulting in either rust spots, water leaking or ultimately, if the warning signs go unseen, a burst hose with the resultant flooding.
Like all plumbing fixtures, a stainless steel flexible hose has a life expectancy and does require periodic checking based on:
- ensuring water pressures are not exceeding 500kPa
- ensuring water temperature is not excessive
- are not being affected by corrosive chemicals
- are installed correctly, and the hose is not kinked or stretched
Preventative maintenance is always the most positive way to prevent plumbing emergencies, which is why Whywait Plumbing Service Partners receives annual testing of stainless steel flexible hose tap connectors. We identify the location and condition of all flexible tap or hose connections in your home used on your sink, vanity, and toilet cisterns to ensure you have no potential bursts lurking in your kitchen or bathroom.
Regular inspections are key to giving you control over your property’s safety and minimising the risk of a flooded house from a burst flexible hose. Our commitment to proactive maintenance is unwavering, and we recommend replacing them every 3-5 years as part of a comprehensive preventative maintenance plan.
by Gary Mays | Mar 29, 2014 | City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Hot Water Heat Pump, Hot Water Solar, Hot Water Temperature, Insurance, Leaking Pipes, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Emergencies, Plumbing Maintenance, Water, Water Leaks
During much of the year on the Gold Coast we frequently hear clients ask why do I need to maintain my hot water system there is nothing wrong with it and I’m still getting plenty of hot water. In summer it is easy to forget just how much we depend on our hot water systems for showering, bathing, cooking, washing dishes and washing laundry.
But by April many people suddenly appreciate just how important their hot water system is when it fails to deliver enough or frequently no hot water. Frequently the signs that there is a problem with the hot water system have been there for months and often would have been diagnosed and rectified as part of an annual service. Because hot water systems appear to be complicated many people adopt a head in the sand approach but in reality like most working fixtures in your home they will always benefit immensely from a bit of routine maintenance
In over 37 years of experience we at Whywait Plumbing are well aware that Murphy’s Law applies usually in a spectacular fashion to the failure of a hot water system with most of them failing and leaking late at night usually when it is very cold. In all honesty basic maintenance of your hot water system is fairly simple but vitally it can double the effective lifespan of your hot water system.
To maintain your hot water system the main things you need to allow for are:
- replacing the sacrificial anode every 5 – 7 years
- flushing out all of the minerals and sediment that over time are deposited in the bottom of the storage tank every 3 – 5 years
- have the tempering valve maintained, tested and certified every year
- flush the temperature and pressure relief valve (TPR valve) every 3 – 6 months
- replace the temperature and pressure relief valve (TPR valve) every 3 – 4 years
- replace the expansion control valve (ECV valve) every 3 – 5 years
Apart from flushing the temperature and pressure relief valve (TPR valve) all the other work is legally required to be undertaken by a licensed plumber.
Most concerning from our perspective is the failure to replace the sacrificial anode which is the biggest single cause of premature hot water service failure. Regularly replacing your sacrificial anode will extend the life of your hot water service by ten years or even more. Whywait strongly recommend that you call us to service your hot water system and replace the sacrificial anode every 5 years as the cost of the service is minor compared to the thousands of dollars replacement costs not mentioning the inconvenience.
The one task we recommend you personally undertake is to activate and flush the temperature and pressure relief (TPR) valve. TPR valves continuously work automatically discharging hot water if the temperature or pressure of the water in the storage tank gets too high. Many people fail to understand if your TPR valve is not functioning properly it can potentially cause the tank to explode.
Flushing a TPR valve is relatively easy and straightforward, plus is something you can do yourself, but if the valve is already continually dripping water in all likelihood it needs replacing. To trigger the relief valve and flush it out all you need to do is lift the lever on the front of the valve all the way open and let water discharge from the drain pipe for 5 – 10 seconds then slowly put back the lever in place.
Very simply maintaining your hot water system is an investment not a cost.
By Gary Mays
by Gary Mays | Mar 3, 2014 | City of Gold Coast, Cold Water, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Kitchens Outdoors, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Maintenance, Plumbing Renovation, Whywait Plumbing
What plumbing is needed in an outdoor kitchen is a question that we are getting asked more frequently at Whywait Plumbing. To be honest an outdoor kitchen is exactly as the name says – a kitchen built in an outdoor living area so plumbing needs replicate those of inside your home.
As restaurants have increasingly focused on alfresco dining this has now flowed through to our homes. Landscaping design is now all about creating an elaborate outdoor entertaining area complete with alfresco dining where meals are served from an outdoor kitchen.
Outdoor kitchens have increasingly become more and more sophisticated to allow gourmet meals to be cooked and served so frequently include the following:
- permanent storage cupboards
- preparation and serving bench spaces
- sink and prep sink
- bar fridge
- wine cooler
- ovens and or stove top
- range-hood
- barbecue with wok burner
- dishwasher
- beer on tap
- designer lighting
- gas heating
- coffee machines
- ice machines
- pizza ovens
From a plumbing perspective many of these appliances and fixtures need to be connected to water reticulation, sewer drains and gas reticulation. Ideally your outdoor kitchen should be located with easy access to your house to enable easy connection to existing water, drainage and gas lines. Building an outdoor kitchen without easy access to these existing connections will mean that you have to install extra services lines which will blow your budget costs upwards.
In an ideal world you should plan for your outdoor kitchen when building a new home so that you can ensure that the water, drainage and gas pipes are installed before the landscaping is undertaken. It is easy to plan ahead for the possibility that you may install an outdoor kitchen in the future even if your original design doesn’t include one by installing live capped off water connections, drainage connections and gas connections outside for potential use in future. When you are building a new home the cost to install live capped off connections is usually under a $1000 compared to upwards of $10000 to install new connections at a later date.
By Gary Mays
by Gary Mays | Feb 7, 2014 | City of Gold Coast, Cold Water, Gold Coast Plumbing, Insurance, Leaking Pipes, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Emergencies, Plumbing Maintenance, Toilets, Water Leaks, Whywait Plumbing
Every business relies on many factors and unexpected disruptions are an everyday occurrence to be managed . From a plumbing perspective the best management technique is preventative maintenance which is critical plumbing advice for business owners. One of the most disruptive plumbing problems faced by business owners is a sudden leak or failure of a plumbing appliance or fixture. (more…)
