Five top tips for plumbing and heating installers in 2021

As heat pumps are gaining momentum within the build sector, installers can expect to see an upsurge in underfloor heating projects. This is because heat pump technologies work best at lower temperatures, and are ideally suited to UFH which works at 35-40°C.

To learn more about installing UFH and preparing for these projects, visit our blog ‘Top tips for successful UFH installation’

As the saying goes, ‘new year, new you’ and following the Lifetime Skills Guarantee announcement in Autumn 2020, 2021 is the perfect time to learn new skills and expand your career.

For young plumbers and heating engineers who are working towards qualifications, or experienced tradesmen who are looking to upskill, there are various Level 3 courses which are now funded by the National Skills Fund. These include:

• EAL Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Plumbing
• City & Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Diploma in Plumbing (450)
• BPEC Level 3 Diploma In Plumbing Foundation
• City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Gas Utilisation Installation and Maintenance: Water Heating and Wet Central Heating

To learn more about the Lifetime Skills Guarantee and the government-funded courses available, see here.

With COVID-19 having pegged back many new build domestic, commercial and healthcare projects for a large part of last year, we know that deadlines are much tighter, and plumbing and heating have to be completed faster than ever before.

This is where plastic or brass push-fit fittings and valves can really make a big difference. Unlike compression, soldered or press-fit fittings, no specialist tools are needed – simply push the pipe into the fitting or valve, and the connection is made.

For tight spaces like under baths or behind basins, push-fit components make the job much simpler. As an example, the Reliance Valves’ 312 compact Pressure Reducing Valve now has JG Speedfit push-fit connections to make the installation much easier and faster.

Meanwhile, in commercial projects there could be hundreds, even thousands of pipes, valves and fittings to surface mount and connect. Here, SharkBite’s brass push-fit fittings enable a much quicker installation, while also allowing for easy demounting for maintenance and servicing in future. Read more about SharkBite push-fit fittings in our blog here.

This tip is not to do with plumbing or heating, but actually ensuring that you protect yourselves, your customers and your co-workers.

While recent news about vaccine rollout is plenty to cheer about, we still need to be extremely careful given the sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. So, we strongly advise you to stay safe by following the government’s guidelines of hands, face, space. Check out the government’s coronavirus resource page as well for posters, materials, email signatures and more to help spread the message.

A final tip is to stay on top of our industry pulse by following our blog and social media channels!

We are always sharing best practice advice, tips, ‘how to’ guides and more on our blog, as well as keeping you up to date with the latest trends in plumbing and heating. To stay in the know, simply head to our blog homepage and you can sign up to our bi-monthly roundups using the form.