When you need a gift for your plumber’s birthday, work anniversary, or holiday, the challenge lies in finding something they will use and love. Five main categories cover the majority of gifts plumbers enjoy and appreciate:

  • Work-related
  • Humorous
  • Promotional
  • Years of Service/Employee Appreciation
  • Retirement Related

Work-related

Work-related gifts range from less expensive magnetic spirit levels and pipe wrenches to moderately-priced tool vests and equipment bags to high-dollar objects such as electric drain snake auger kits or professional-grade pipe thawing devices.

Giving higher-end items to your 24 hour plumber demonstrates that you support your family member’s plumbing business 100 percent. Additionally, every time they use your gift, they will remember how much you appreciate their dedication to their profession.

Hand tools sometimes get left behind, even for diligent plumbers, so items such as a T-spanner make excellent gifts. Plumbers use these to turn the outside water main on and off and frequently leave them beside the main while working inside, expecting to pick them up before leaving for the next job. Smaller items such as a set of pipe cutters, a hacksaw, or a package of hacksaw blades will all see constant use.

Safety and ergonomics ideas include wrap-around eye protection, extra-large kneeling pads, knee pads, and plumbers’ safety gloves. Although fishing waders might seem like an odd gift choice for a plumber, clearing the outdoor portion of a drain system sometimes requires getting into a ditch.

Humorous

Plumbing humor sometimes backfires, so use discretion. Make sure your gift recipient appreciates bathroom gags before you wrap that gold-plated poo trophy or the skeleton-on-a-toilet T-shirt from the outlet mall. If your plumber wears that gag t-shirt to a worksite, it might offend a customer and result in a bad review.

Worse yet, any potential referrals go down the toilet if plumbers project a thoughtless image. Consequently, save the Plumbers Don’t Take Crap bottle opener and I Believe in Plungers keychain for home use only. At best, the sterling silver toilet keychain makes a more socially acceptable choice.

One thing never grows old, however: parody songs and joke books. The ultimate plumbing parody song, Song of the Sewer from the album Music for Men Working, might be older than sludge, but it will have your plumber rolling with laughter.

The Best Ever Book of Plumber Jokes by Mark Geoffrey Young and Plumbers Jokes by Chester Croker represent the finest groaners in plumbing humor. If your plumber enjoys dad jokes, these books fit the bill.

Promotional

Give the plumber in your life something to help drum up more business. For plumbers serving commercial customers, promotional items such as a hot water tank keychain imprinted with the company name, phone number, and plumber’s license number will outperform a traditional business card every time. Adding your plumber’s company slogan on the reverse side makes the keychain even more memorable.

In addition, pay for a year of web hosting, or, if they paid website fees ahead, invest in a professional SEO specialist to fine-tune your plumber’s online presence and raise their search engine results. And don’t forget the importance of persuasive sales copy, so pay for a professional copywriter to jazz up your plumber’s blog posts.

Years of Service/Employee Appreciation

Years of service and employee appreciation gifts help with retention, a vital factor in business success. If you own a plumbing business with multiple employees, this category seals your reputation as an employer of choice. While these gifts cannot substitute for a better-than-living wage, giving a five-year employee a dual-lens inspection camera or presenting a 12-volt copper tubing cutter to 10-year veteran employees rewards loyalty.

Retirement

Finally, a plumbing-themed cake makes an excellent show of appreciation for any retiring plumber. Couple it with a Not My Problem Anymore t-shirt and a plumber’s tools belt buckle. For the splashiest impression on your outgoing waterworks specialist, add cruise tickets to an island retreat.