Plumbing is necessary for every household and establishment. The plumbing industry is a basic and essential part of every developed community due to the need for clean water and proper collection and transport of wastes.

Plumbing refers to a system of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of potable water and the removal of waterborne wastes. It is derived from the Latin word plumbum or lead in English. Thus, it is the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing, and plumbing fixtures for drinking water systems and the drainage of waste.

From this definition and explanation of the essence of plumbing, one could say that plumbing is both a skill and a process. It is a skill because not everyone knows it, while it is a process because it involves procedures.

A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping systems, plumbing fixtures, and equipment such as water heaters. The word plumber started from the Roman Empire. In Roman times, some roofs were made of lead, which were waterproof, and the workers on such roofs were what are now called "plumbers". Roman baths, a complex site of historical interest in the English city of Bath that is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing, later used lead for piping and for the main baths. Thus, a person with expertise in working with lead was known as a Plumbarius, which is eventually shortened to plumber.

Some needed skills, interests, and values in plumbing include the following:

?Reading blueprints, drawings, and specifications to measure layout of water supply, waste, and venting systems;

?Installing, repairing, and maintaining domestic, commercial, and industrial plumbing fixtures and systems;

?Locating and marking positions for pipe connections, passage holes, and fixtures in walls and floors;

?Measuring, cutting, bending, and threading pipes using hand and power tools or machines;

?Testing pipes for leaks using air and water pressure gauges;

?Awareness of legal regulations and safety issues; and

?Ensuring safety standards and build regulations are met.

Plumbers in the United Kingdom undertake the installation of domestic internal hot and cold water pipe work, sanitary fittings, and related soil and waste pipe work systems. On the other hand, a West Covina plumber follows no federal law establishing licenses for plumbers, but follows California's own licensing and taxing schemes for plumbers.