Bay of Plenty man fined $1000 for illegal plumbing

Bay of Plenty man fined $1000 for illegal plumbing

A Rotorua man has been convicted and fined $1000 plus court costs and solicitor’s fees today for illegally carrying out sanitary plumbing.

Geoffrey Innes replaced existing copper pipes at a Rotorua property with Buteline pipes in a manner that wasn’t compliant with the building code.

The hot water cylinder that Mr Innes completed work on was attached to a wetback without a pressure limiting valve, allowing the cylind–––er to reach temperatures as high as 92 degrees. The new pipes had a recommended temperature of 80 degrees.

The non-compliant work was defective and caused leaks in the pipes that resulted in repairs for the home owner. The bathroom floor tiles, shower and toilet were damaged.

Plumbing, gasfitting, and drainlaying are regulated trades in New Zealand, and it is illegal for anyone to do this work unless they are authorised. Mr Innes was not authorised at the time the work was done at the property.

The role of the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board is to help keep consumers safe by ensuring that this type of work conducted across New Zealand is of a high quality.

Max Pedersen, Chief Executive of the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board, said: “There are serious health and safety risks associated with sanitary plumbing carried out by an unauthorised person. Any defective plumbing work has the potential to cause disease and serious damage to the home”.

He added, “Anyone involved in plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying is required to carry an authorisation card—and consumers should ask for it. This provides them with assurance that the work is carried out legally by a competent tradesperson, who is authorised by the Board”.

If a homeowner believes that work has been done by someone who is not authorised, or has concerns about the competency of tradespeople, they can make a complaint to the Board.

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