BUSINESS AND TRAINING
37
a number of options in terms of design, user comfort and
selection of material weighed against initial cost of installation
and sustainability in terms of future maintenance costs,
convenience, quality of installation and long term satisfaction.
By being sure of yourself based on technical knowhow and
skills you will earn the confidence of your customer.
If you were an architect or a customer, which service
provider would you tend towards?
Plumber A: “I don’t really know why, but my gut feel tells
me an 80mm service pipe is needed to serve this building
and then we’ll probably need to install a 2 000ℓ hot water
cylinder just to make sure we don’t run out.”
Or…
Plumber B: “Because there are eight Junior Toilet
Flushmasters specified with six showers to be fitted with low
flow shower roses and eight wash hand basins with metering
taps, based on this the maximum flow-rate by calculation
expected into the building is 200ℓ per minute. This makes
allowance for all the showers to be used simultaneously
during the peak period you mention.
“I have measured the pressure available in the municipal
main supply at different times and found it to be adequate at
the lower reading of 4.0 bar. I’ve also checked this info with
Jo’burg Water and the information concurs.
“Based on this and with reference to the selected material,
a 50mm service pipe to the building will meet all of the
performance requirements, I can show you these charts
and calculations. You say the showers and wash hand
basins must cater for 40 people per shift with a four-hour
recovery time on the hot water storage, a five-minute
shower for each person and usage of wash hand basins
calls for 30ℓ of hot water storage per person at 60°C.
In my calculations I’ve also included 200ℓ of hot water
storage for the kitchen as you mentioned. That means we
will have to install a 1 400ℓ water heater. How does that
sound to you?”
Well-prepared presentation or not – it’s your choice
It is not true to always say that the best price will win the
tender or get the job. Frequently clients will pay more if they
know that the installation they are getting will be of good
quality and will meet their user comfort requirements. It is a
known fact that customers are prepared to pay a bit extra for
a high level of professionalism or brands of a good quality.
But on the other hand, they are often unsuspecting and
not even aware that materials quoted on are inferior in
quality or undersized and that there are National Standards
requiring materials and workmanship to at least meet
certain standards.
It should therefore be of great interest to you to point out
all the pitfalls that can arise due to a poorly designed,
specified and installed system. After all you are a salesman
selling your services, wishing to command the best prices
and profitability whilst offering the client the best solutions
and options.
If you were a client, which service provider would you tend
towards?
October 2019 Volume 25 I Number 8
Plumber A: “I’ve done hundreds of jobs like this. I can’t really
say exactly where the pipes will run or how big they’ll be, but
we’ll sort that out on site later.”
Or…
Plumber B: “I have prepared this list of material specs for
you and as you can see all the materials are SANS compliant
and therefore compliant with the; National Regulations.
“In order to ensure that the system will perform to spec, I’ve
also done the following pipe size calculations. From these
you will see that although the service pipe supplying the
building may appear to be larger than needed, it is sized
correctly to provide an adequate feed to this type of system.
I’ve also prepared this diagram for you so that it is clear in
your mind what will be done on site and for what reason.”
In conclusion then, our destiny and success are firmly placed
in our own hands! Sure, untoward things do happen in life,
but how we manage these is also our choice.
Choices, choices, choices! It’s what we choose that makes a
big difference in how our lives will pan out! PA
www.plumbingafrica.co.za