Are these plumbing tools actually free?

Yes. Every calculator, template, code reference and guide linked on the plumbers hub is free to use and none require an account. Some deeper job-tracking packs in the shop are paid, and those are always labeled.

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You’re the one they call at 2 a.m. Everything else should be easier than that.

Q: Can a template replace a plumbing license or a permit?

No. These documents cover the commercial relationship between you and your customer, including scope, price and payment terms. They have no bearing on whether you are legally permitted to perform the work. Backflow testing, gas fitting, medical gas, septic and fire protection typically require separate credentials from your state board or local authority.

Sizing math you can run in a crawlspace, a code reference that loads on one bar of signal, and the paperwork that gets the water heater job paid on the day you do it. Free, built for plumbing contractors, no account needed.

The work that pays the bills

Three jobs. Most of your revenue.

Emergency calls, water heaters and repipes are where residential plumbing actually makes and loses money. Each of these is the full version — the field decision, the code trap, and the conversation.

Emergency

The 2 a.m. call

A four-minute triage script that tells you whether to roll, an after-hours rate built from what being on call actually costs, and how to get paid before you leave the driveway.

Read the playbook → Bread and butter

The water heater

Size it off peak-hour demand instead of the old sticker, catch the expansion tank and the pan before the inspector does, and run the tankless conversation without the pitch voice.

Read the playbook → Big ticket

The repipe

When patching is honestly the wrong advice, PEX versus copper for this house, and the exclusions — drywall, tile, asbestos — that decide whether the job makes money.

Read the playbook →

Field math

The numbers you need before you commit to a size.

All free, all work on a phone, none of them ask for an email. Bookmark the ones you use.

Water Heater SizingPeak-hour demand worksheet to a target first-hour rating. Run it in front of the customer.Calculator Drain Pipe SlopeFall per foot and total drop over a run, so the DWV grade is right before you hang it.Calculator Water Supply Pipe VelocityFeet per second for a given flow and size — the check that stops erosion and noise complaints.Calculator Pipe Water VolumeHow much the system holds, which is also how long the far bathroom waits for hot water.Calculator Pipe Volume (Gallons in a Pipe)Quick gallons-in-a-run for flushes, fills and chlorination.Calculator Plumbing Code Quick-ReferencePlain-English index of UPC and IPC rules — DWV, venting, traps, water supply. Searchable from a crawlspace.Reference

On the code reference: it points you to the right section in the UPC or the IPC. It does not tell you which one your jurisdiction adopted, which edition year, or what your city amended — and those three things change the answer more often than plumbers expect. Verify with your building department before it matters.

Bill it, scope it, get paid

Paperwork that makes you the professional bid.

An itemized invoice written on site beats one emailed on Thursday. A written scope beats a conversation nobody remembers. All free, all editable.

Plumbing Invoice TemplateBuilt around a real water-heater replacement, with deposit and late-fee lines already in it.Free template→ Plumbing Estimate TemplateLine-item structure so the code work shows up as its own line instead of getting absorbed.Free template→ Scope of Work GeneratorSpell out what is included and what is excluded — before the first wall gets opened.Free tool→ Contractor Contract TemplatePayment terms, change orders and liability language in plain English.Free template→ Contractor Proposal TemplateA priced proposal document that beats a text-message quote every time.Free template→ Work Order TemplateSigned authorization on site — including for a temporary fix with the real repair scheduled.Free template→ Change Order FormFor the rotten subfloor, the fourth bathroom, and everything else nobody mentioned.Free template→ Subcontractor AgreementFor the gas fitter, the drywall crew, or the sprinkler contractor doing the part you do not.Free template→ Lien Waiver TemplateGeneral-purpose starting point — lien rules are state-specific, so confirm yours.Free template→

Run the business

Know your rate, not just your prices.

Most plumbers who feel busy and broke have never actually calculated what an hour has to bill. These are the five numbers that answer it.

True Hourly Rate CalculatorWhat you need to bill per hour once overhead, drive time and downtime are counted.Free tool→ Labor Burden Rate CalculatorThe real cost of an employee once taxes, insurance and benefits are on top of the wage.Free tool→ Overhead Recovery CalculatorConfirm your rate is actually recovering fixed costs and not just paying for labor.Free tool→ Markup vs. Margin CalculatorThey are never the same number, and confusing them is the most common pricing mistake in the trade.Free tool→ Break-Even CalculatorThe minimum revenue this month before you make a dollar of profit.Free tool→ Overtime Pay CalculatorTime-and-a-half math for the payroll side of after-hours work.Free tool→ Pay Stub GeneratorFor the first helper you put on the books.Free tool→ Contractor Tax DeductionsWhat the truck, the tools and the mileage actually do for your return.Guide→ Payroll for a Small ContractorStep by step, for the point where a helper becomes an employee.Guide→

No template on this site is a license.

Backflow testing, gas fitting, medical gas, septic and fire protection all carry their own credential in most jurisdictions — and a signed contract for work you are not licensed to perform is not a defense. Here is a plain map of what sits outside a standard plumbing license, so you know which call to make before you quote.

What needs its own credential →

Community

The Board — ask the crew, price the weird job.

A room for working plumbers. Post a pricing question, decode a rule, or swap what you learned the hard way. Free to read without an account, and nobody is selling your details to a lead company.

The Board — Plumbers CommunityHouse rules, what is on there now, and how to get a real answer to a pricing question.Free forum→ “What are you charging for a 40-gal swap right now?”The number nobody publishes and everybody wants to compare.Open thread→ “PEX vs copper on repipes — what are you running?”Regional water chemistry, local amendments, and what installs faster.Open thread→

In the shop

Plumbing-specific packs, in build.

The free tools above cover the daily work. Deeper plumbing-specific packs are being built now — these slots fill in as they ship. Nothing here is available yet, and we would rather leave the space honest than list something that does not exist.

In build

Service-call pack

Dispatch pricing, on-site authorization and follow-up scheduling for emergency and after-hours work.

In build

Water heater job pack

Sizing worksheet, code-item checklist and a line-item estimate built for tank and tankless replacements.

In build

Repipe job pack

Scope and exclusions, phasing schedule and the customer-facing walkthrough for a whole-house repipe.

Meanwhile: the shop has the cross-trade packs — job-cost tracking, subcontractor payment tracking and the general estimate calculator — which work for plumbing today.

Get the plumber’s kit.

The calculators, the estimate and invoice templates, and one short email a week — a new tool or a pricing and paperwork tip you can use on the next call. You will be first to know when the job packs above ship. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Free. Built by an operator, not a lead broker.

Quick answers

Plumber tools FAQ.

Are these tools actually free?

Yes. Every calculator, template, code reference and guide linked on this page is free to use and none of them require an account. Some deeper job-tracking packs and bundles in the shop are paid, and those are always labeled.

Do the calculators work on a phone in a crawlspace?

They are built to. Single column, large tap targets, and no dependency on a fast connection once the page has loaded. The code quick-reference in particular is designed to be searched one-handed on bad signal.

Which plumbing code do these follow, UPC or IPC?

Both are referenced, and where they differ that is called out. What no tool here can tell you is which code your jurisdiction adopted, which edition year, or what your city amended on top of it — and those three things frequently change the answer. Treat everything here as a pointer to the right section, then verify with your building department.

Can I use a template instead of getting licensed or permitted?

No, and this is worth being blunt about. These documents cover the commercial relationship between you and your customer — scope, price, payment terms. They have nothing to do with whether you are legally permitted to perform the work. Backflow testing, gas fitting, medical gas, septic and fire protection typically require separate credentials. Here is the map of what sits outside a plumbing license.

Do I need Excel or Word to use the templates?

Most templates come in both Word and Excel-friendly layouts, plus a version you can fill in directly on the page. Google Docs and Sheets open all of them.

Do you sell my details to lead companies?

No. The email list is one message a week from the operator of this site. The community board is not a lead-generation funnel and does not share member details. Unsubscribe is one click.