Gary Jackson, of Action Plumbing, offers either copper or plastic to his clients, and finds many choose copper.

“They perceive it to be good quality and that it has been around for a long time”, he says.

Today he is running a gas service about 80 metres up the side of a hill and has chosen copper for its reliability. “For an outdoor application, especially when the tubing is exposed to sunlight, plastic can’t compete with copper.”

Most of his work is bathroom renovations in homes, where he used copper for the hot and cold water supply. “In this application I’ll use either copper or plastic, but with plastic I am very particular about what I use – I won’t work with gray plastic because I’m not confident of its quality.”

Gary learnt how to use copper 20 years ago when he worked as an apprentice in commercial maintenance and did many jobs with 6 inch copper tube. Now he is teaching his apprentice the same skills so that he too can learn to enjoy working with the red metal.

“Some plumbers are hesitant about working with copper because of the soldering involved, but it comes down to being taught correctly and getting enough practice. It’s a skill all plumbers should have.”

“Sure there are plenty of jobs where it is cheaper, quicker and easier to use plastic over copper, but when a client wants a reliable solid material, it’s good to be able to offer the option of copper.”

Contact Gary Jackson, Action Plumbing, on mobile 0420 685 957 or website www.actionplumbing.com.au.  (Sydney-wide service)