Yes, there is a mobile app for everything, and running a plumbing business is no exception. There’s an app for everything, from managing your team to creating invoices to measuring pipes. Having the right app for the job can make your life easier and your work more efficient. The four types of plumbing applications are as follows:
- Business apps for plumbers: These help plumbing companies manage their day-to-day operations.
- Calculator apps for plumbers: Apps that use essential formulas to quickly and accurately calculate the measurements, conversions, and estimates required for plumbing jobs
- Reference plumbing apps: Apps that help technicians quickly look up important information (instead of thumbing through huge reference books)
- Utility apps for plumbers: Apps that assist plumbing businesses and technicians in completing routine tasks that are time-consuming when done manually
Plumbers have one of the most technical and complex jobs in the field service management industry. On the job, their daily routine includes complex calculations, adherence to the uniform plumbing code, plumbing system design tables, and creating the most comprehensive plumbing system possible. As a result, a practical application designed to help smoothen the overall plumbing experience is required. Not to worry, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the five best plumber apps.
1. Plumbing Formulator
A plumber’s job is technical and complicated, requiring complex equations about the gauging water pressure and the pipe sizes. Plumbing Formulator is popular amongst plumbing engineers because it pays homage to the international plumbing code by providing more than 120 standard formulas that are useful when you open the plumbing app. The formulas serve as a guide, but the app is capable of much more. Users can:
- Email and print specific formulas
- View the significant plumbing codes, which are depicted graphically in charts.
- Frequently used formulas can be easily accessed and viewed.
Meanwhile, the formulas are as follows:
- Total fall
- Water flow at its best
- Water velocity BTU input
- Cast iron, steel, and copper pipe weights
- pipe pressure Water horsepower
- the chase width and depth
- and a lot more
Download Link (iPhone & iPad): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/plumbing-formulator/id303497783
2. Pipe Trades Pro Calculator
This app is a low-cost but powerful substitute for Pipe Trades Pro’s physical calculator. This powerful calculator solves pipe layout and design issues, such as weight/volume conversions, flow rates, pressures, and other calculations. The app also includes many references and allows users to save files and set preferences. It has the following features:
- Fitting Angles, Bends, Slopes, Percent Grades, and Drops
- Take-outs, Odd-Degree Fittings, and Cut Lengths
- Volumes, Flow Rates, Velocity, Force
- Pressure loss in any pipe size, type, or length
- Pipe data is pre-programmed for materials such as steel, stainless steel, brass, aluminium, cast iron, plastic, and copper.
Download Link (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.calculated.josephine&hl=en_AU&gl=US
3. Pipe and Fitting
This app is a low-cost but powerful substitute for Pipe Trades Pro’s physical calculator. This powerful calculator solves pipe layout and design issues, such as weight/volume conversions, flow rates, pressures, and other calculations. The app also includes many references and allows users to save files and set preferences. It has the following features:
- Fitting Angles, Bends, Slopes, Percent Grades, and Drops
- Take-outs, Odd-Degree Fittings, and Cut Lengths
- Pipe data is pre-programmed for materials such as steel, stainless steel, brass, aluminium, cast iron, plastic, and copper.
- Volumes, Flow Rates, Velocity, Force
- Pressure loss in any pipe size, type, or length
Download Link (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.technocom50.pipeandfittings&hl=en_AU&gl=US
4. Plumbing Systems Design Tables
The American Society of Plumbing Engineers developed the Plumbing Systems Design Tables app (ASPE). Its content spans over 2,000 pages and is one of the most comprehensive plumbing system sizing tools available, complete with calculators, pipe material references, and much more. Plumbers can use this app to get information directly from the International Plumbing Code or the Uniform Plumbing Code and reference multiple design tables, systems, calculators, and plumbing materials. Among the features are:
- IP and SI pressure conversion calculators
- Data for various plumbing systems, such as domestic hot and cold-water distribution systems, venting systems, and storm drainage systems
- Manning’s equation, Boyle’s law, and the Colebrook formula are examples of procedures.
- Options for piping materials include ABS, PEX, Stainless steel, Copper, and PVC.
On Android, a free limited version of the Plumbing Systems Design Tables app is available. Meanwhile, the full version is only accessible to ASPE members.
5. EasyMeasure
Dimensions and calculating the total areas in a confined space can take a plumber a long time to figure out. The technician will not only spend time, but there is no guarantee that their calculations will be correct. The app also lets you take a photo of the space and instantly get the dimensions, angles, area, and distance required by using the app.
EasyMeasure is a helpful plumbing app because it calculates an object’s height and width and uses a camera lens. Taking pictures on the job site with your phone is usually frowned upon, but with EasyMeasure, picture-taking takes on new meaning. You can save photos and analyze results in real time or later. Here are some notable features of the app:
- You can use a tape ruler to measure distance.
- It can be updated to measure the height and width of any three-dimensional object.
- You can share your results via email, Facebook, or Twitter.
- It allows you to calibrate your device for the most accurate results. This app also displays the measurement’s accuracy.
Download Link (iPhone & iPad): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easymeasure-camera-ruler/id349530105
6. InvoiceOwl
Keeping track of funds is critical in any business to avoid late payments. InvoiceOwl has dramatically altered the situation. It is plumbing-specific web-based invoicing, estimate, and billing software. It can assist you in organizing your plumbing company’s finances and sending automated bills to your customers to boost profitability. But this plumbing software is much more than that.
It manages the entire billing process, including estimating, recording sales tax, generating reports, and everything in between. It allows you to generate estimates, quotations, purchase orders, credit memos, and unlimited invoices. You will also receive real-time notifications when a client receives and opens invoices and when they pay them. Important Features
- Easily customizable invoices
- Invoice management has been simplified.
- Financial tracking in real time
- Let’s prepare reports at your leisure.
- Client management
Link: https://www.invoiceowl.com/
7. Connecteam
Connecteam is one of the leading plumbing management tools, saving time, generating more money, and streamlining day-to-day operations. Just look at the list of powerful features below to see how this is possible: Your team may clock in and out using their mobile phones, omitting breaks from paid time, and track each technician’s whereabouts using GPS stamps to eliminate buddy punching and time abuse. Furthermore, live geo-tracking features combined with Breadcrumbs location updates can follow your employees’ locations throughout the day with minimal impact on their mobile phones.
With ease, you can plan and distribute your schedule and dispatching needs. Assign jobs with a single click, drag, and drop, repeating templates, or open shifts for grabs. Include shift information such as time, location, tasks, supplementary remarks, and more to improve technician uniformity.
It has efficient timesheet and payroll functionalities. It records attendance to ensure accurate timesheets, which are then exported to payroll; it also integrates with Quickbooks and Gusto Payroll! Make all checklists, paperwork, and reports digital so they can be completed on the job. Then, on the go, get feedback from summary reports, daily logs, incident reports, equipment checks, and more to make better business decisions. Installation instructions, equipment manuals, safety policies, and other helpful information will be available on your employees’ phones. Training and onboarding materials, procedures, protocols, films, and so on are examples of data. This ensures that your experts may improve their professional abilities and provide excellent customer care.
The Task Management function is ideal for the job. With it, you may eliminate back-and-forth phone calls by using a proper task management tool to delegate jobs and receive real-time updates on their progress. Please include all information, such as task descriptions, group tasks, subtasks, attach photographs and files, set due dates, and so on, so that your technicians have everything they need to complete the job. Link: https://connecteam.com/
8. Planado
Planado is one of the great plumbing applications for a business that gives plumbers simple access to the quality of their job. This plumbing software can tell your manager the present location of your company’s plumbers. It also maintains track of all chores they have finished and the time they have spent on them. A checklist will make it easy for plumbers to follow all the necessary processes, and photo reports will ensure that the work is completed on time and to the finest quality possible.
Using online reports saves time, avoids redundant effort, and retains the same efficacy as traditional reports. Some of the main features include:
- Users will get SMS alerts
- You can keep track of work
Link: https://www.planadoapp.com/
9. Service Fusion
With Service Fusion, staying ahead of the competition is simple. It is a cloud-based program that offers a comprehensive field service management solution. This plumbing software is intended to meet the demands of plumbing enterprises of all sizes. This tool has a voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP), GPS fleet tracking, and the ability to produce estimations. There are also good scheduling and dispatching tools available, allowing business owners to track who is on the job site at any time.
Putting it all together, Service Fusion is the most excellent plumbing app for making your job easier and faster. Main Features:
- Plumbing invoicing and billing is now at your fingertips.
- Work orders are easy to create.
- GPS tracking functionality is included.
Link: https://www.servicefusion.com/
10. QuickBooks Online
Another excellent plumbing app is QuickBooks Online, which may help you manage your company’s money in the future. Plumbing contractors have various QuickBooks reporting requirements as they embark on new construction projects, including work-in-process, job deposits, change orders, progress billing, payment applications, retention monitoring, and purchase applications. Main Features:
- Users can monitor their income and expenses.
- In addition, you’ll get to Increase your tax deductions.
Link: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/
11. Zoom
The app is available on the web, as well as on iOS and Android. Video conferencing is becoming more popular in the plumbing profession. Zoom is a professional and straightforward platform for daily communication with customers and staff. Main Features
- Meet with plumbers in the field one-on-one.
- Schedule customer meetings or virtual consultations
- FaceTime (for iOS) and Skype (for iOS or Android) are two more options for virtually meeting new customers and assessing tasks.
Link: https://zoom.us/
Conclusion
With these tools, you can concentrate on streamlining your plumbing business. For example, rather than scribbling down manual calculations, you can complete them with a few taps on your phone. Instead of wasting time jotting down services and materials on invoices and calculating totals, you’ll be able to quickly complete invoices by pulling from everyday line items on apps like Plumbing Formulator.
These simple changes will add hours to your week that you can use to grow your plumbing business or take some well-deserved time off. There you go; I hope you enjoy these plumbing applications.
Need help growing your plumbing business? Book a call with us today.