• Work trousers for plumbers need to offer freedom of movement, have knee pad pockets and well-designed tool bags – for easier work in crawl spaces, shafts and when working overhead.
• Bib & brace or work trousers? This is based on personal preference and where you’ll be wearing them – zipped ventilation makes all the difference in summer.
• Safety shoes for plumbers: S1P or S3/S7 with a fuel-resistant sole and toe protection for frequent kneeling
• Strauss: a one-stop supplier for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning businesses: Workwear, shoes, gloves, tools and the STRAUSSbox – including scale prices and a logo service

Laying water pipes, fitting washbasins, installing a ventilation system: Plumbers frequently switch between a wide variety of postures – kneeling, lying down, crouching, stretching – sometimes all within the space of an hour. Added to this are changing environments: a damp cellar in the morning, a building shell at midday, a client’s flat in the afternoon.

Workwear in the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning sector must specifically meet the following requirements:

• Plenty of freedom to move: Working overhead on the air-conditioning system, carrying out maintenance work in the crawl space, carrying out installation work in narrow service shafts – your clothing mustn’t restrict your movements.
• Protection against both moisture and heat: Soldering work on heating pipes in damp cellars is a daily occurrence – materials that are both water-repellent and breathable are essential.
• Tools to hand: pliers, spanners, screwdrivers, knives, pencils – everything must be organised so that it can be carried on your person without having to open the toolbox.
• Professional appearance: Dealing with customers is part of everyday life. Workwear for plumbers also serves as a calling card for the company.

The term ‘Blaumann’ (used to describe blue overalls) is no coincidence: As far back as the Middle Ages, tradesmen and labourers often wore blue clothing. In Europe, indigo and native woad were among the colours used. The blue colour was relatively hard-wearing and was therefore well suited to workwear.

This tradition has endured to this day in the plumbing and heating trade, even though the ‘royal blue’ of the 1970s has long since given way to a wider range of colours. Royal blue, cobalt, navy blue, dark blue – often combined with fresh accents such as atoll or Pacific. What remains: In the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning sector, blue serves as an instantly recognisable feature – on the building site, at the customer’s door and in the company’s corporate identity.

Work trousers are an essential item of clothing in everyday life in the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning sector. It must allow the freedom to move in narrow shafts, provide protection for the knees on screed and, at the same time, provide sufficient storage space for the necessary tools.

Anyone who switches between different working positions every day will be familiar with the problem: trousers slip down, the waistband feels tight, and the fabric pulls and chafes. Well-thought-out comfort solutions, such as an elasticated Flexbelt® waistband or stretch fibres in the fabric, solve this problem – they adapt to your movements rather than restricting them. This is precisely where the e.s.motion and e.s.motion 2020 collections come in: sturdy, durable and featuring convenient flange solutions – and tried and tested for years in the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning trade.

The trousers in the e.s.dynashield collection are made from exceptionally abrasion-resistant 4-way stretch bXeric® double weave, which has been shown in independent tests to withstand up to 300,000 abrasion cycles – three times longer than cotton fabric. It is water-repellent, fast-drying and breathable, whilst remaining extremely elastic and lightweight. Fitters who spend their days kneeling on screed or squeezing through narrow shafts can feel the difference in the material straight away.

Ruler pocket, hammer holder, knee pad pockets, spacious pockets for small items: The pocket layout on a pair of work trousers for plumbers simply has to make sense in day-to-day work. If you find yourself needing a screwdriver whilst fitting pipes in a shaft, you’ll want it right where you can reach it – without having to stand up.

Whether trousers or bib & braces are better suited to working as a plumber is, above all, a matter of personal preference. Both styles of trousers have their advantages. The bib & brace is, however, particularly common in the plumbing and heating trade – and for good reason: It provides protection for your back when you bend down, offers additional storage space on the bib and stays securely in place whilst you’re on the move. The bib & brace e.s.motion 2020 features a clever zip-ventilation system, making them comfortable to wear even in summer.

Both approaches have their merits. Integrated knee pad pockets, conforming to EN 14404, allow knee pads to be worn directly inside the trousers – which is practical as there is no need to put them on separately.

For plumbers who prefer to wear shorts in the summer, external knee protection is the better choice to select: The e.s. Knee pad pocket Pro-Comfort is available in two versions – ‘soft’ for smooth surfaces such as screed or tiles, and ‘rough’ for rough surfaces such as concrete or gravel. The matching knee pad, the e.s. Knee Pad Pro-Comfort, is ordered separately and fits into both pockets. The robust, breathable fabric of the e.s. Knee pad pocket Pro-Comfort prevents heat build-up and ensures adequate ventilation – even during long periods of kneeling on screed or tiles.

Tip: The e.s. Elbow pad Flex-Comfort provides protection during overhead and crawling work.

Plumbers work both indoors and outdoors – on flat roofs in the height of summer and in unheated building shells in winter. Outerwear needs to adapt to these changes – without having to put together a new outfit every day.

The key trade-off with work jackets for plumbers: water-repellent versus breathability. If you’re out in the rain on a building site and then go on to work in a boiler room, you need a jacket that can cope with both. Softshell jackets offer the best compromise here: they are water-repellent, windproof and breathable – whilst still allowing enough freedom of movement for working overhead. For extremely high levels of moisture (outdoor installations, building shells in winter), a rain jacket or winter jacket is the right choice.

Bodywarmers are particularly practical in everyday plumbing, heating and air-conditioning work: they leave your arms free – which is important when carrying out precision work on fittings and valves – whilst still providing sufficient warmth and pocket space for small parts.

What sort of shoes do plumbers need? Plumbers and heating engineers should bear the following points in mind:

• Protection class: For work on building shells and on construction sites, safety shoes that conform to EN ISO 20345, Class S3, are mandatory – featuring a toe cap, puncture protection against nails and screws, a profiled sole and water-repellent properties. For activities carried out exclusively indoors where there is no risk of puncture, Class S1P may be sufficient.
• Fuel-resistant sole: heating oil, diesel and solvents cause conventional rubber soles to deteriorate over time. In the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning sector, a fuel-resistant sole is therefore often standard.
• Tip protection: if you spend a lot of time on your knees, the upper part of your shoes will rub against the floor. Reinforced toe protection significantly extends the life of the shoe – the S3 safety shoes e.s. Kastra II low offer exactly that: S3 protection class, fuel-resistant sole, toe cap and waterproof upper.
• Confined spaces: In service shafts and crawl spaces, the shape of your shoes matters too. A slim, low-cut style offers greater freedom of movement here than a clunky boot. For many plumbers working indoors, low-cut shoes are the better option – whereas boots are better for outdoor work, offering greater ankle protection.

Personal protective equipment is regulated by law in the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning trade: Under Section 3 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG), the employer is obliged to provide suitable PPE free of charge. The selection is based on the risk assessment for the relevant area of operation.

Depending on the task at hand, plumbers need different types of work gloves – those required for soldering and welding are different from those needed for pipe fitting and precision work. The hybrid gloves e.s.motion 24/7 are excellent all-rounders for everyday installation work – whether laying pipes, fitting radiators, tightening screws or carrying out precision work: Thanks to their double, textured nitrile coating, they are liquid- and oil-repellent and maintain a secure grip even on wet surfaces. The fine-knit polyester fabric fits snugly and allows for maximum freedom of movement. Furthermore, they achieve a very good abrasion resistance rating of 4/5 conforming to EN 388.

Plumbers spend a considerable proportion of their working hours on their knees – on screed, tiles and concrete floors. Chronic knee injuries are among the most common occupational illnesses in the trade. Certified knee protection that conforms to EN 14404 significantly reduces this risk: It distributes pressure evenly, provides protection for the joint and allows you to work for longer without pain.

Workwear and PPE for plumbers are just one part of their everyday kit. Strauss also offers complete tool sets for plumbers – tailored to the typical tasks carried out in the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning sector.

The STRAUSSbox system is designed to keep things from the service van organised: Toolboxes in various sizes can be stacked, clicked together and transported as a compact tower – no more fiddly searching, no more fiddly repacking. An adapter plate also allows boxes from other manufacturers to be integrated, meaning that existing systems do not need to be replaced but can simply be expanded. Each business configures the system to suit its own workflows – whether it’s plumbing, heating or air-conditioning, the internal layout adapts to the tools actually carried on site. This creates a standardised structure, particularly for companies with several fitters: Everyone knows where everything is – even in someone else’s car.

And the company’s corporate identity is not neglected either: With the STRAUSSbox colour CI boxes, the corporate design is not only displayed on the jacket, but also on the toolbox. From the warehouse to the customer’s doorstep – a seamless experience that leaves a lasting impression on the customer.

A plumbing and heating firm that presents a consistent image comes across as professional – on the building site, in the stairwell and at the customer’s door. Workwear is more than just providing staff with good features: It conveys the company’s identity, creates brand recognition and strengthens team spirit. Whether you’re a sole trader or a business owner with 15 plumbers – Strauss can fit out both.

Strauss: a reliable partner for plumbing, heating and air conditioning companies:

• Stock availability: 98 % of items are permanently in stock – no delivery breaks, no long waiting times for new stock.
• Size range: From XS to 8XL, men's and ladies’ styles, long and special sizes – widely accepted by the team
• Scale prices: Volume discounts available even for small quantities – also attractive for smaller plumbing and heating firms
• Logo service & MYDESIGN Configurator: Company name and logo on workwear, corporate colours right down to the STRAUSSbox – a consistent brand image on site and with customers
• Continuity of the collection: Classic products for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning companies, such as e.s.motion and e.s.motion 2020, have been available for years – replacement parts are always compatible with existing features