In a residential building, such as a block of flats, underfloor jobs that involve plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems are common. They may need to take place in a narrow space that is often only about 35 centimetres deep. In addition, the floors are typically covered with a wood product, engineered to resemble solid wood, that has very strict criteria as far as drilling and cutting are concerned. The plumber cannot just go in and cut holes and lay pipes. He must first think about what he is doing, read and understand the cutting chart that accompanies each of his tools and visualise how his work will impact on other tradespeople, before proceeding.

Commercial plumbers working on office buildings, hotels, restaurants, etc. have the same issues and co-ordination problems as residential plumbers, but often have to install equipment that is more sophisticated. This is because it forms part of integrated systems where mechanical work and plumbing work are combined. The equipment will have specific installation instructions, so it is critical that the plumber has the cognitive ability to understand these. In addition, often the structures are complex, and the floors and walls must be X-rayed prior to drilling in order to avoid hitting key elements such as reinforcing steel.

Service plumbers go in where others have been and often face situations where they must troubleshoot various possible causes of a plumbing problem. In order to do this effectively, they must have complete knowledge of, say, a customer's shower unit they are servicing, even if they did not install it! They must have the ability to translate the symptoms they can see, such as leaks and blockages, into the actual problem and then take the appropriate action to rectify the issue in a fast and cost-effective way. Often service plumbers encounter residential or commercial customers who are either facing great inconvenience or have had their operations severely disrupted because of a plumbing issue. Successful service plumbers not only need good mechanical skills, but they typically need very good people skills to provide the necessary support.