For homeowners
Can I do my own plumbing?
Many small jobs, yes, once you have learned them. Four kinds of work are never DIY.
Never DIY
Gas work
Never work on a gas pipe, meter, appliance or flue. In Great Britain gas work must be done by a competent person, and businesses that do it must be on the Gas Safe Register. Northern Ireland has its own gas regulations.
Unvented hot water over 15 litres
A mains-pressure hot-water cylinder needs specific competence to install and commission, including its safety devices and discharge pipe. In England, installing one with a storage vessel over 15 litres is notifiable building work: a competent installer registered with a competent-person scheme self-certifies it, or building control is told before work starts. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building rules.
The immersion heater's electrical connection
Wiring an immersion heater, a pump, an electric shower or heating controls is electrical work. It belongs with an electrician.
Notice-list work without the supplier's consent
Some water fittings work needs notice to, and consent from, your water supplier before it starts. Starting it before the supplier consents breaks the rules, whoever does the work.
If you smell gas, open doors and windows, do not use switches or flames, turn the gas off at the meter if you can do so safely, and leave. Then call the gas emergency line: 0800 111 999 in Great Britain, or 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland.
Jobs a homeowner can learn
Our plumbing path teaches how water moves through a home and how the common jobs are done. Each lesson takes a few minutes on your phone.
- Everyday repairs →
A dripping tap, a WC that keeps running, a slow drain or a small leak.
- Isolating and draining down →
Turning the water off at the right valve, and emptying the pipes before you open them.
- Pipe joints and fixings →
How joints are made and supported, for replacing a basin, sink, bath, shower or WC like for like.
- Your incoming supply →
Where the cold water comes in, and which part is yours to look after.
- Backflow →
How dirty water can be drawn back into drinking water, and how fittings stop it.
The rules that come with the jobs
These rules come with every job above. They differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check which apply where you live.
- Find your stop tap and check it works before the day you need it.
- Isolate and drain down before you open any pipe.
- Before fitting something new, check your water supplier's notice list. In England and Wales it includes a bath that holds more than 230 litres, a pump or booster on the incoming supply, a water softener or treatment unit that uses water to clean itself, a garden watering system other than a hand-held hose, and some underground pipe outside the building. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own lists.
- Never leave a hose end in a pond, drain or bucket of dirty water. Water can be drawn back into the supply.
- Never connect rainwater, greywater or a private supply to the mains pipework.
- Never touch the water supplier's meter, and do not close a shared stop tap without the agreement of everyone it serves.
- Stop and get help if you find suspected asbestos, a refrigerant circuit such as a heat pump's, or an open vent or cold feed on a vented cylinder.
Before you start: some plumbing work is regulated or notifiable
Some water fittings work needs notice to, and consent from, the water supplier before it starts. Check the rules where you live.
Gas work is for competent workers covered by a Gas Safe registered business in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has separate gas regulations. Do not work on gas pipes or appliances yourself.
In England, installing an unvented hot-water system over 15 litres is notifiable building work: use a competent installer registered with a competent-person scheme, or tell building control before work starts. Leave this work to a suitably skilled person.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own water and building rules; check which apply before work starts. Electrical connections belong with an electrician.
This guide does not qualify you or make you competent, approved or registered for plumbing, gas or unvented work.
The notice list for England and Wales is in regulation 5 of the Water Fittings Regulations 1999, checked on 25 October 2026.
Questions homeowners ask
Can I do my own plumbing in my house?
Many small jobs, yes, once you have learned them. Fixing a dripping tap or a running WC, or replacing a basin like for like, is common homeowner work. Gas work and unvented hot water are not, and some jobs need your water supplier's consent before they start.
Do I need to tell my water supplier before I start?
For some jobs, yes. Each nation's water fittings rules list work the supplier must be told about, and must agree to, before it starts. In England and Wales that includes a very large bath, a pump on the incoming supply and a garden watering system. Ask your supplier if you are unsure.
Can I connect my own immersion heater?
Not the electrical side. Wiring an immersion heater is electrical work, and it belongs with an electrician. You can learn how the plumbing around it works.
Will your lessons make me a plumber?
No. Our plumbing path teaches the basics. It does not make anyone competent, qualified, registered or approved, and it gives nobody Gas Safe or approved-contractor status.
Learn it properly first
Start with isolating and draining down. It is free, and every other job depends on it. For the never-DIY work, use a registered professional.
TradeTraining does not award qualifications, and we never certify, notify, approve or register anyone or any work.
Decide whether the system is suitable for a beginner task
Updated
Start with the supply and the consequences of a mistake
Identify the system and the isolation points, and consider where escaping water would go. A valve does not necessarily remove stored water, heat or pressure. If the arrangement is uncertain, stop and obtain competent help before opening a connection.
Keep drinking water protected
A hose or connection can create a route for contaminated water to return towards a wholesome supply. Backflow protection must match the risk and the installation conditions. Ask the water supplier about planned changes and use the relevant system manufacturer's instructions.
Sources
- Water Regs UK: backflow protection — Contamination risks and the selection of appropriate backflow protection.
- Skills England: plumbing and domestic heating technician — The range of plumbing systems and skills in the England occupational standard.