Plumbing work in Bristol, around the jobs you already have

Plumbing work in Bristol, from three kinds of customer

The plumbing jobs you'll be sent come from people at home, from landlords and from small contractors, all posting work close to where you are. It's Fill My Day for plumbers, launching in one city first so that jobs and plumbers are near enough to each other for it to work.

• Homes. Owners and tenants with a job that keeps slipping down the list: a tap that drips, a toilet that won't stop running, a slow waste.
• Landlords and property managers. Small repairs spread across several addresses, each posted with its own location so it reaches plumbers near that property.
• Small contractors. Builders and developers who need a plumber for a few hours when a programme slips, such as connecting a basin before the tiler arrives.

If you're a self-employed plumber who is busy most of the time but loses afternoons to early finishes and cancellations, this is built for you. It isn't meant to replace your main work. It's for the gaps around it.

How a window works

A window is the time you're free today, and it closes on its own when that time is up. You set four things:

• Free from. Now, or when the job you're on will be done.
• Free until. When you actually need to stop, not when the day ends.
• Where you're starting. Where you are, or where you'll be when you're free.
• How far you'll go. Jobs further away than this won't reach you.

"Free until five, starting in Bedminster, 15 miles" is a window. A job only reaches you if its timing overlaps your window, it's inside your distance and it's the kind of work you've said you do. At five o'clock the window expires and the jobs stop. You can close it early if something else comes up, and there's nothing to remember to switch off.

Be honest about distance. Fifteen miles from Kingswood at half past three is not the same as fifteen miles on a quiet morning. Read how it works for plumbers for the detail on windows, matching and messages.

Plumbing jobs to expect

Expect small jobs: the kind you can finish in an hour or two, needed today or some time in the next week or two. For example:

• a dripping or loose tap, or fitting a new one
• a toilet that keeps running or won't flush properly
• a slow sink, bath or shower waste
• a small leak under a sink or behind a washing machine
• a radiator valve that needs replacing
• an outside tap

Customers say when suits them, from "any time this afternoon" to "some time in the next fortnight", and can add photos. A picture of the tap with the make on the base tells you whether the part is in the van before you reply. You price the jobs you want and ignore or decline the rest. Nothing is booked without you.

Gas work, such as boilers and gas hobs, only goes to Gas Safe registered engineers. Fill My Day isn't for emergencies either. It's for jobs that can wait a few hours or more.

Documents to get ready

Before you can reply to any job, a person on the Fill My Day team checks your documents and approves you. Have these to hand:

• your plumbing qualifications, in your name
• a current public liability insurance certificate, showing the cover amount and expiry date
• your Gas Safe ID card, if you do gas work
• a few clear photos of finished jobs you're proud of
• an accurate list of the kinds of work you do, so you're sent the right jobs

See how we check plumbers for what we look for in each document.

What it costs

Nothing at launch. There's no fee to join, no charge per lead or per reply, no monthly subscription and no commission on your jobs. The customer pays you directly, the way you agree with them, and no money goes through the app. If paid features are added later, we'll say so clearly before anything changes. Read what Fill My Day costs plumbers.

Bristol merchants

A merchant close to the job often decides whether a quick fix happens today or turns into a second visit. If the photo shows a fill valve you don't carry, a trade counter on the way means you can still finish this afternoon. We've put together a list of plumbers' merchants in Bristol, with the branches we could confirm on each merchant's own website.

Plumbers wanted in Bristol: when you can join

Not yet. The app is in development, and we'll open sign-up for Bristol plumbers ahead of launch. Fill My Day starts in Bristol with plumbers only, and other areas will follow once Bristol is working well. Other trades may follow too. Read about the Bristol launch.