Average cost of a plumber

Summary: How much does a plumber cost, average cost per hour for a plumber.

When faced with any building job that needs carrying out around the house, many people often weigh up the pros and cons of employing a professional to do the job or endeavouring to do it themselves. This thought process is, in the main, a consideration brought about by the contemplation of frighteningly high labour costs. Although some plumbing jobs are fairly easy to attempt, many more do require a professional tradesman to carry out the work. In plumbing even a simple task can be quite tricky to pick up for the uninitiated with limited experience and tools. Many people do attempt to tackle the job and are sometimes blessed with success. However, bearing in mind that if it doesn’t go quite as planned there can be (at least) a very expensive puddle to clean up, it is sometimes wiser to invest in a professional tradesman.

Average Cost

Factors to consider

There are important factors to take into consideration when choosing the right plumber for the job. It is essential to always check that they hold a license and that they are registered. It is also of paramount importance to only employ a qualified plumber that has been recommended by friends or family based on the excellence of their work and who is a CORGI registered or Gas Safe Registered.

Costs to consider

Plumbers can deal with many jobs within the domestic or industrial field. The tasks associated with plumbers consist of installing complete plumbing systems to a property or a business property, repairing heating systems, servicing boilers, radiators or gas systems. They install washing machines, dishwashers, showers, baths or toilet systems. The cost of calling out a plumber varies depending on the nature of the callout and the task at hand.

In an emergency the cost of any repairs or remedies will usually be added to a call-out charge of £10 – £80. Examples where emergency callouts are usually required are burst pipes, leaking water storage tanks in the loft or where drains have become blocked. It is generally the case that a local and trusted plumber will be far more economical than one of the emergency plumbing companies listed in the ‘Yellow Pages’ for example. A local plumber will base any estimates on an hourly rate of £20 to £35 per hour. The emergency callout companies work on hourly rates of at least £55 per hour rising to £160 per hour in some cases. In specialist jobs like drain jetting the rates can go up to £80 per quarter of an hour.

Plumbers will price a job according to the labour cost and the materials or parts that are required. If the job is a simple and straightforward repair then major parts may not be required if the original parts can be restored; but with most plumbing jobs this is not ordinarily the case. Common materials required are pipes which can include cast iron pipes, galvanized iron, steel pipes, or plastic pipes. The cast iron pipes are generally used as drainage soil pipes, water pipes and vent pipes. Hangers are used for any pipes that need to be held in place; these are used to support the pipes whether it is against a wall or a ceiling. Copper is another material that a plumber might use. It is commonly used as a water or a central heating pipe, especially where soft water runs through the pipe as copper does not corrode. An alternative to copper which is fast becoming popular is plastic flexible piping known as Polypipe. Normally laid in concealed spaces such as under floorboards, it is much cheaper than copper and is quicker to lay as there is no soldering required.

The plumber will provide a quotation based on his calculation of the cost of materials required and how many days labour the job will take. An average daily rate for a plumber on a domestic job is approximately £160. There are a multitude of tasks that a plumber would undertake and these vary in price accordingly. Installing a boiler could cost around £400 – £500 labour costs with the cost of the boiler itself ranging between £500 to £1,300 for a standard boiler for a three bed semi- depending on type, make, model and quality. Installing a bathroom system can cost around £400 for labour and the fitting of a washing machine or dishwasher can cost around £150. Installing a kitchen sink can cost around £120 whereas the supply and fitting of an entire central heating system including boiler, pipe work and radiators would be around £4,000 – £5,000.