5 Lessons For Every Plumber
Five things we saw plumbers get pulled up on this year, with the straight answer on each. No theory, just what comes back on us when it is not right.
Lesson #1 - Pick the load class, never 'light/medium/heavy'
AS 3996:2019 sorts grates by class, A through D, and that is the language to put on the drawing. Class A is pedestrian, footpaths and walkways. Class B is light vehicles, so residential driveways and car parks. Class C is light commercial and industrial traffic, D is heavy rigid trucks and plant. 'Light duty', 'medium duty' and 'heavy duty' mean nothing on a spec, a grate sold as 'medium' usually has not been load tested at all, which is why we will not put a class on it. Caught between two classes, go up, never down. A Class B grate is fine in a Class A spot. The other way round is how a grate ends up folded into a driveway.
Lesson #2 - DN80 minimum outlet size for slab-on-ground wet areas
On slab-on-ground with no sub-floor to get under, the floor waste outlet wants to be DN80 as a minimum, that is the AS 3500 call for a wet area you cannot reach from below. A 50mm outlet is fine where the pipework is accessible for clearing, or as secondary drainage, but as the main outlet on a sealed slab it is the thing inspectors pull you up on more than anything else. Linear drains comply, that was never the question, it is the outlet underneath that catches people. Sort it at rough-in, because once the slab is poured the outlet is set and you are chasing concrete to change it.
Lesson #3 - Aluminium, Plastic, Galvanised, Stainless Steel: Know when to use each material
The grate does the same job everywhere, the material is what changes with the spot it goes in. Anodised aluminium is the budget pick for balconies, patios and walkways, light and clean, but keep it away from pool water. Galvanised steel is the workhorse for driveways and yards, traffic rated in Classes A to D and good value, just never acid-wash it, the acid strips the coating off with the muck. 304 stainless is the internal choice, showers, kitchens and laundries. 316 stainless is the one that earns its price outside, near the surf or anywhere pool water itself drains, with the corrosion resistance 304 does not have. Spec for where the water and the weather are, not just the look.
Lesson #4 - Heelguard, Maxi-Heelguard, Builders Guard: know the difference
All three are heel-safe, gaps under 10mm, square bars, Class B tested, so any of them keeps a heel out of the grate. The difference is the build. Maxi-Heelguard runs bigger square bars with a touch more gap for higher flow, 2.5mm steel, two bolt-downs a length, good where you are shifting real water. Builders Guard is the value version, a slotted sheet welded onto a traditional grate, 2mm steel, one bolt-down, fine for a standard residential slab. Budaguard sits on top, fully galvanised wedge wire, 2.5mm, two bolt-downs. Same heel-safe promise, three different jobs and price points. Match it to the flow and the traffic, not the catalogue photo.
Lesson #5 - Stormwater products in stock for same day delivery, pits, grates and RHS ready when the job is
Stormwater is always the part that seems to need something today. Plastic pits and risers, grates to suit, galvanised RHS in 2, 4 and 6 metre lengths, standard orifice plates, it is stocked and ready, not made to order while your crew waits. Order before 12 and across Sydney metro it is same day. RHS we run to Sydney metro and select regional NSW, and we will cut it to length so it lands ready to connect. The point is your connection or your pour is not held up waiting on a pit or a length of pipe. When the job is ready, the gear is too.
| A note on getting it right: this guide reflects VBC's product positions and the Australian Standards we build to, but it is general guidance, not engineering. Structural elements (lintels, load-bearing drainage, anything carrying a load) must be specified by a certified structural engineer. When in doubt, call us on 02 9740 1500, we have been making this gear since 1957. |
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