Buying your own tap looks like the obvious saving. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it produces a beautiful tap sitting in a box for three weeks because it needs a pressure the house does not have, or connections the existing pipework cannot reach.
Tami Plumbing fits taps and fixtures across Nottingham on either basis: supply and fit, or fit-only. Here is how to decide which suits you, and how to avoid the specific mistakes that make a customer-supplied fitting go wrong.
What each route actually gives you
Supplying your own fitting gives you the widest choice and often a lower headline price, particularly if you are buying in a sale. What it also gives you is responsibility for whether the item suits the property, and for what happens if it turns out to be faulty.
Supply and fit means the fitting is chosen against the actual plumbing, and if something is wrong with it that becomes a problem to be solved rather than a conversation about who bought it. The choice is narrower and the price usually reflects the guarantee sitting behind it.
Neither route is wrong. The important thing is to make the choice deliberately and to check compatibility before buying rather than after, because a fitting that does not suit the property is not a small problem: it is a second trip, a return, and a delay.
If you have already bought something, say so at the enquiry. It changes what the visit needs to allow for, and it is much better raised early than discovered on the day.
- Supplying your own: widest choice, lower headline cost, your risk on suitability.
- Supply and fit: narrower choice, compatibility checked, one point of responsibility.
- Either way, check suitability before buying rather than after.
- Always mention at the enquiry if the item is already bought.
Why not every fitting suits every pipe layout
This is the sentence that saves the most disappointment: not every fitting suits every pipe layout. It sounds obvious and it is the single most common cause of a fitting that cannot go in.
Water pressure is the usual culprit. Many taps and particularly shower valves specify a minimum pressure, and a property with a traditional cylinder fed from a loft tank may not provide it. A tap designed for mains pressure will trickle disappointingly on a low-pressure system, and no amount of fitting skill changes that.
Then there are physical constraints. Tail lengths and connection types vary, and a fitting with short rigid tails may not reach existing pipework without alterations. Basin and sink thicknesses differ, and some fittings will not clamp to a thick stone or composite surface without a specific kit.
Monobloc mixers on separate hot and cold supplies of very different pressures produce their own problems, which is why checking what system you have matters before choosing what to put on it.
The photographs that make a quote accurate
Most of the uncertainty in a small plumbing job can be removed with three photographs, and they take a minute to take.
Photograph the fixture itself, so the type is clear. Photograph the pipework underneath, which shows how the existing fitting connects and what space there is. Photograph the isolation valves, or the space where they should be, because whether the fixture can be isolated locally is what decides whether the job is fifteen minutes or a whole-house shutdown.
Photos of the fixture, the pipework underneath and the isolation valves usually make the first conversation far more accurate. They also mean the right parts are carried, which is often the difference between finishing on the day and returning.
It matters whether you have already bought the tap, toilet, basin or shower valve, so include that in the message. If you have the box, a photo of the specification on it answers most compatibility questions immediately.
- A photo of the fixture itself.
- A photo of the pipework underneath.
- A photo of the isolation valves, or the space where they should be.
- The specification from the box, if the item is already bought.
The small jobs worth grouping
Taps and fixtures work covers the small plumbing jobs that still need neat work: dripping taps, leaking wastes, toilets that keep running, shower faults, basin swaps, bath taps, kitchen sinks and replacement valves.
Most of these are short jobs sitting behind the fixed overhead of a visit, which means grouping them is usually better value than calling separately each time something annoys you. Keep a list, and add to it as things occur.
It is also the right moment to fit isolation valves where there are none. It is a small addition during a job that is already happening, and it makes every future repair on that fixture quicker and less disruptive.
Where a fixture problem turns out to be larger, the honest routes are clear: a leaking shower may need leak detection, a new suite may be better handled through bathroom fitting, and appliance valves or wastes may sit under appliance installation.
Related pages
Questions customers ask
Can I buy my own tap and have you fit it?
Yes, fit-only is a normal arrangement. The thing to do is check compatibility before buying rather than after, particularly water pressure requirements and connection types, because a fitting that does not suit the property cannot be made to suit it on the day.
Why does my new tap have poor flow?
Most often the tap is designed for mains pressure and the property runs on a lower-pressure gravity system. That is a compatibility issue rather than a fitting fault, which is why the pressure question is worth asking before the tap is chosen.
What should I send when asking for a price?
Photos of the fixture, the pipework underneath and the isolation valves, plus whether you have already bought the item. Those few images answer most of the questions that would otherwise need a visit before a price can be given.
Decide the supply route deliberately, check pressure and connections before buying anything, send three photographs, and group the small jobs into one visit.
Tami Plumbing fits taps and fixtures across Nottingham on a supply-and-fit or fit-only basis. The contact page is the place to send the photos.
