Setting Up a Plumbing Business

With the plumbing industry worth £17.3 billion in 2022 and expected to grow over the next few years, if you are looking to become a tradesperson plumbing could be your field. You can start your career as a plumber at any point in life so if this is something that you may be looking into, here are a few things to consider. 

Qualifications

You don’t need any academic qualifications to become a plumber so as long as you enjoy hands-on work and variety in a job role, plumbing could be the career for you. 

Plumbing is a highly skilled profession so although you don’t need specific GCSEs or a degree, you will need specific plumbing skills and knowledge. You can acquire this through apprenticeships or you may look to enrol in a level 2 or 3 NVQ in plumbing which will give you all the skills required to do the job to a high standard.

Tools

As a plumber, your clients will not be providing the tools for you to do the job so this is something that you will need to invest in. However, because you will not have to rent any warehouse or storage space, you should find that you have some more disposable income to invest in high-quality tools.

Some of the tools that you will need are wrenches in multiple sizes, soldering tools, faucet keys, a hack saw as well as a range of other tools. One key item to have in your arsenal is a packout box which will allow you to safely transport your collection of tools from job to job, quickly and easily. 

Transport

If you are starting your own plumbing business, you will need your own transport to take your tools to and from each job. As such, a van is likely to be your best bet as it will be able to fit all of your equipment and transport it safely. 

Financing

In the UK, the government offer a Start Up Loan scheme which could be of great help if you are considering setting up your own plumbing business. The loan can offer up to £25,000 to start or help grow your new business which is to be repaid over a period of 1 to 5 years after receiving it. This may be worth looking into if you will be starting your business from scratch as not many people will have the funds to begin a functioning business alone.

Insurance

If you do choose to set up your business, you must be sure to have the right insurance. Not only will insurance protect you and your assets from issues or damages but it will also prove your reputation as a trustworthy and reliable tradesperson.

You should consider public and employers’ liability insurance, personal accident insurance and tools/business equipment insurance. This will ensure that, should anything go wrong, you and your business will be protected.