[blincoln]

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to discount the skill and knowledge of professional plumbers. It's an incredibly complex field (especially since they need to be familiar with decades of different pipe technology), and usually involves working in filthy parts of the house no one else wants to go into. They deserve every penny.

[MomoXenosaga]

Normally the market is supposed to correct these things but sadly we've created a culture that looks down on physical labour. Now there is a small group that can charge whatever they want.

[toast0]

They can't charge that much or people will do their own plumbing. It's fussy, but most routine things aren't too hard to do one step at a time. Sometimes you get a new faucet with an internal leak though, experience might have helped diagnose that without taking everything apart 20 times. Sometimes there's a big job like replacing a lateral, which is yeah, time to hire a pro.

[jimnotgym]

In the UK gas work is regulated so only a registered plumber can do it.

[dsfyu404ed]

You're not supposed to exceed the speed limit either...

[jimnotgym]

I should say I spent 10 years in the building trade and I saw all kinds of things, but I never saw an unregistered plumber fiddle with gas.

Unlike the speed limit, this rule is pretty well respected.

[sacrosancty]

In New Zealand, water work is regulated so only a licensed plumber can do it. The prime minister was once investigated by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board for installing her own toilet. Her punishment was having to apologize :P

[bathtub365]

Is the market not supposed to reflect culture?

[ElevenLathe]

This is an outdated ideology. Now the market is meant to define correctness. Deviation from the perfect wisdom of the market is the only form of sin.