Plumbing and heating

The plumber or plumbing technician is among the group of housing technology experts. Plumbing technicians are responsible for the sanitary installations in the building, i.e. for all pipes and installations for drinking water and sewage. For example, plumbers lay pipes, install bathroom and kitchen taps and connect sanitary appliances such as toilets, washing machines and tumble dryers.

What does a plumbing company do?

A plumbing company takes care of the planning and fitting of sanitary installations. It lays water and natural gas pipes in the shell construction and connects water supplies – also during renovations, such as when repositioning the shower. Plumbing technicians furthermore replace and repair appliances and taps and provide plumbing maintenance, such as water heater descaling. Plumbers are also the right point of contact for all general plumbing work such as pipe sealing.

Plumbing and heating are generally combined

Many plumbing companies are housing technology companies that not only offer sanitary installations, but also work in the related areas of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and, depending on their focus, other areas of housing technology. We therefore generally talk about “plumbing and heating”, while the term “plumbing company” is too concise.

Services of plumbing and heating companies

Plumbing technicians work hand-in-hand with electricians, heating engineers and other housing technology experts. Generally speaking, heating and plumbing companies offer services including the following:

• Heating installation incl. heat pump

• Installation of air conditioning

• Installation of natural gas pipes

• Installation and repair of appliances (e.g. tumble dryers and washing machines)

• Bathtub and shower installation

• Washbasin, siphon, tap and bathroom ventilator installation

• Installation of water heaters

• Installation of water softeners

• Installation of water pipes and supply connections

• Pipe sealing

• Cleaning of plumbing

• Plumbing maintenance (repair, maintenance and service)

• Many plumbing/heating companies also take on the construction management for conversion projects such as bathroom refurbishment.

When should plumbing be left to the professionals?

With a few DIY skills, a blocked siphon or mixer tap can be replaced without the assistance of a plumber. And if your toilet is blocked, you can try to remove the obstruction using a plunger. Caution should always be exercised with plumbing whenever electricity is also involved or if the problem concerns pipes and drinking water. For one thing, drinking water needs to remain completely flawless from a hygienic perspective, and secondly, water damage entails high costs. In case of doubt, repairs should always be entrusted to a housing technology company. And plumbing installation, such as of pipes and water supplies, is also something only a plumber should carry out.

Finding a local plumber

Finding a local plumber is normally child’s play. A plumbing business – in most cases plumbing and heating combined – can be found in practically every locality. Local plumbing companies have the advantage of short journeys. A detailed offer provides information about the expected costs of sanitary and other domestic installations. While the replacement of a simple washbasin starts at around CHF 300, the installation of a heat pump costs tens of thousands of francs. It pays off especially for larger housing technology and plumbing projects to obtain offers from multiple companies.