22 BUSINESS AND TRAINING
Plumbing vs water and wastewater reticulation services
By
George Maritz , GK Water Solutions
Plumbing as a trade is well-known , with plumbers operating in different areas within the industry . Some plumbers focus on new construction projects and new installations , some focus on maintenance and others may focus on municipal work . These are all different from each other and require a specific mindset and expertise , mainly gained through experience in that specific area of plumbing .
I am writing this specifically from a personal perspective and others may view this differently , which I would expect to be the case . Plumbers working in the municipal environment also have two main different paths to choose from , as there are two distinctly different types of plumbing required .
Plumbers can work on municipal buildings and properties or work on the water and wastewater supply or reticulation systems . These are in a sense the same but can also be very different and require different skill sets and knowledge . For this reason , people interested in working on municipal water supply systems typically undergo a learnership in water and wastewater reticulation systems from NQF Level 2 to 4 . This training is focused on municipal water and wastewater reticulation systems .
These two have some distinct differences , which I will outline , as well as some concerns I have in this regard . Plumbing is both part of building construction and civil construction , where water and wastewater reticulation is part of energy and civil construction / engineering . Licensed plumbers will test pipelines and issue a certificate of compliance ( CoC ) if the installation complies with the national standards .
G Maritz
George Maritz , GK Water Solutions .
“ I am writing this specifically from a personal perspective and others may view this differently , which I would expect to be the case .”
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline June 2021 Volume 27 I Number 4