Which trade for which job
| Who does it | Why | |
|---|---|---|
| Dripping tap or worn washer | You, or a plumber | Repairing or replacing taps and tap washers isn't sanitary plumbing under the Act |
| New toilet, basin or shower | Plumber | Fixing sanitary fixtures and the pipes connected to them is sanitary plumbing |
| Electric hot water cylinder | Plumber, with an electrician for the wiring | The cylinder and its pipes are plumbing work |
| Gas califont or gas cylinder | Gasfitter, and a plumber for the water pipes | A gasfitter the Board accepts as competent may also fit the heater's water pipes |
| Gas hob, gas fire or a gas smell | Gasfitter | All gasfitting is restricted work |
| Bottle barbecue or patio heater | You, though a gasfitter is recommended | A portable appliance with its own gas bottle isn't gasfitting under the Act |
| Slow sink or shower | You first, then a plumber | Clearing a blockage is allowed when no pipe is taken apart |
| Blocked drain outside | Plumber or drainlayer | Either can clear it, but opening up or repairing the drain is drainlaying |
| Moving a gully trap, or a new drain | Drainlayer | Fixing or unfixing a gully trap is drainlaying |
| Septic tank connection | Drainlayer | Connecting a drain to a sewage tank is drainlaying |
| Underground stormwater drain | Drainlayer | A pipe carrying stormwater is a drain; the roof downpipe itself isn't |
| Dishwasher or washing machine | You, unless pipes need changing | Fitting one isn't sanitary plumbing when no waste or supply pipes are fixed or unfixed |
What a plumber does
In law, a plumber's restricted work is sanitary plumbing. That means fixing or unfixing sanitary fixtures and appliances, with the traps, waste, soil, vent and overflow pipes connected to them, and the water supply pipes that feed them inside your property boundary. It also takes in generally all plumbing work tied to those fixtures.
If the job involves a pipe inside the house, it's very likely a plumber's. That covers taps, toilets, showers and hot water cylinders.
What a gasfitter does
Gasfitting covers fixing or unfixing gas pipes (including flue and ventilation pipes) and gas installations, making sure there's enough ventilation, and commissioning an installation and making sure it runs safely. All of it is restricted, so only an authorised gasfitter may do it.
Every gas job ends with a Gas Safety Certificate once the work is connected, and general or high-risk work also needs a certificate of compliance. A licensed gasfitter whom the Board accepts as competent can also fix or unfix a gas water heater and the water pipes to and from it, so a califont swap doesn't always need two tradies. See gasfitting.
What a drainlayer does
Drainlaying is laying a drain, or altering, extending, repairing, opening up or renewing one. It also covers connecting or disconnecting a drain to a septic tank, and fixing or unfixing a gully trap or other trap on a drain. PGDB describes drains as the underground pipes that take wastewater or stormwater to a septic tank or a council sewer.
A pipe owned or maintained by the council or the Crown isn't a drain in this sense, and nor is a roof downpipe or a perforated drain collecting groundwater. See drainlayers, septic tanks and stormwater drains.
Where the trades overlap
Roughly speaking, the gully trap is where plumbing meets drainlaying: the waste pipes from inside are plumbing, while the gully trap and the drain beneath it are drainlaying. A blocked drain sits across both, which is why Watercare tells Aucklanders to call a plumber or drainlayer for a problem in their private drains.
A new hot water cylinder can involve a plumber, an electrician and, for a gas unit, a gasfitter. Ask whoever quotes which licences the job needs and who will hold each one.
Jobs that aren't restricted
A handful of jobs fall outside the restricted trades. Repairing or replacing taps, ball valves, tap washers or plugs isn't sanitary plumbing. Nor is fitting a dishwasher or washing machine when no pipes are fixed or unfixed, or a shower over a bath that's fed through the bath taps.
On the gas side, work on a portable appliance with its own bottle isn't gasfitting, though PGDB strongly recommends a gasfitter, and nor is adjusting controls designed for you to adjust. Our guide to what you can do yourself has PGDB's full lists.
Check the licence matches the job
Each trade is licensed separately, in one of three classes: Certifying; the Plumber, Gasfitter or Drainlayer class; and Restricted. When you look someone up on the PGDB register, check their licence covers the work you need, not just that they hold one. Still unsure? Work through our which tradie guide, which matches common jobs to the trade and licence behind them.
What we would do
Describe the problem, not the trade. Tell whoever you ring what's happening and where, whether it's water pooling by the gully trap or a cylinder dripping in the cupboard, and let them confirm their licence covers it. If the fix involves digging up a drain, it's a drainlayer; if it involves gas, it's a gasfitter, every time. For most other jobs a plumber is the first call, and we can match you with whichever authorised specialist your job turns out to need.