By Danny Santoro
Hi I’m Danny Santoro, of PFA plumbing. I take great pride in my high quality workmanship which is vitally key both to business success and my personal career satisfaction. In my blog I explain how quality materials, as well as craftsmanship, are essential if you're going to deliver the highest quality service to clients.
Introduction
I’ve been plumbing for several years now and it’s not just something I do to pay the bills; it’s my passion, a form of art in my eyes. Creating new ways of approaching and solving problems motivates me and is very satisfying. Particularly when you see the delight in a customer’s face upon the completion of work at their property…to me that’s priceless. In order to be a successful plumber there are two essentials for me. Number one – take pride in your work and treat every house like it’s your own. Number two – stick with copper and what you know works well.
Pride in workmanship
I cannot stress enough how much pride I take in my plumbing work. From shining the copper pipes on a boiler to double-checking every single nut and joint that I’ve installed. For me it was about taking the skills I had learnt at college and applying them to a real context with the guidance of my employer Frank, who taught me that quality shouldn’t come as a compromise. Frank invested a significant amount of time in me and showed me the correct way to approach the trade and after every step of the process he checked the quality of my work. Over time I progressed to working for myself but the foundations of quality and pride he instilled in me are still reflected in how I work as a plumber by myself today.
It’s all about the copper
For me once a length of copper pipe has been shaped, cut and soldered, it becomes art. No different to making a pot from clay or a light bulb from glass.
That said, making sure it’s perfect is always a challenge as it pushes you to think methodically and about the next step ahead. Unfortunately, plastic pipe seems to be increasingly popular with plumbers today as it offers easy click and lock mechanisms. Although more simple to install it means that your standard handyman could fit it, which often leads to quality problems further down the line as they’re not expert plumbers. I like to stick to what I call the ‘old school’ plumbing with the use of copper pipe and the bending and soldering of it to fit each house individually. I find that although it’s slightly more expensive, it has more longevity than plastic and causes fewer leaks. This traditional style of plumbing and the pride from plumbers in their workmanship is slowly fading out but I’m going to make it my mission to ensure it survives for the good of the trade but the customers too.
With thanks to: Frank Rosetti, FR Heating and Plumbing
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