TECHNICAL
As professional advisors it is our responsibility to guide
our customers in the decisions that are made.
In many cases the design of a project is referred to a
rational design committee where they are confronted
with obstacles that are being faced on site. When
decisions are being made in cases like this, the
National Building Regulations (NBR) supersedes any
personal opinions and the safety of ‘No’ design may
be compromised.
Some people may feel that these regulations are too
restrictive, however if we are to have any modicum
of control over the quality of design and work done,
these basic minimum standards have to be adhered
to. We often see examples of the type of installations
that are done by so-called professional persons that
leave us shaking our heads. It is time that we move
with the times and stop hanging on to the things that
we believe worked in the past.
"As professional
advisors it is our
responsibility to guide
our customers in the
decisions that are
made."
try that the laws are not going to change just because
we believe them to be restrictive.
IOPSA and the PIRB are making great progress in
bringing a level of professionalism back into the
industry. However, they can only do it with our support.
When we speak to the professional plumbers of
the past, they will tell you that the system was very
restrictive in that each municipality had its own rule
and you had to re-apply to each region if you wanted
to work there. Forearmed is forewarned: Make sure that you have
your own copy of the relevant SANS regulations and
that you know what they say. Do your part in uplifting
the plumbing industry by making sure that you and
your teams do the right things and that you advocate
good plumbing.
These days with the NBR in place and a central point
of registration (PIRB) it has made the life for the
plumbing industry much more comfortable. If you are not sure what the right thing to do is, ask!
The IOPSA technical committee will be very happy to
lead you in gaining accurate knowledge. And above all
remember if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing
right. PA
Some plumbers also believe that having to get
Continued Professional Development (CPD) points
is a waste of time; “After all, I have been a plumber
for 20 years”. This type of thinking is what stifles
the growth in the industry. Twenty years ago,
we did not have access to the technology
that is available (and being used) today. We
have moved away from old cast iron pipes
that had lead joints and today we use
lightweight PVC pipes with different types
of jointing methods. Imagine if we refused
to embrace the new technology. But just
because the piping materials changed,
we did not also disregard the basic
design criteria and expected the water
to flow uphill. We still put inspection
eyes on direction changes so that we
can rod the system afterwards.
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Patrick Gordon, general
manager at CalAfrica
since June 2019, started
in the plumbing retail
business in 1985 with
the Boumat Group.
In 2000 he moved
from the retail to the
manufacturing sector
when he joined Cobra
Watertech. He remained
with the company
for 19 years, rising
rapidly in various roles
from product support
manager / product
development manager,
a role which was
expanded in 2005 to
national product support
manager with, latterly,
more than half his life
spent on technical
training. He has also
qualified as a facilitator
and assessor.
We must stay abreast of what is
happening in the international as
well as the local plumbing industry.
With all these changes in the
industry we may feel that
the laws are antiquated. But
remember that they are still
the law and we must abide by
them; we can’t ignore them
because we do not agree.
If we believe that the laws
need to change, we must go
via the correct channels to
apply for these changes.
But remember before you
April 2020 Volume 26 I Number 02
www.plumbingafrica.co.za