Last updated: September 2026
1. Introduction
Welcome to PlumbGrade. PlumbGrade (“we”, “us”, or “our”) operates the digital media website located at plumbgrade.com. We provide practical plumbing advice, honest gear recommendations, and step by step guides for homeowners, DIYers and trade professionals.
We take your privacy seriously and are committed to protecting your personal data in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and applicable global privacy regulations. This Privacy Policy outlines what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the legal rights you hold regarding your personal data.
By accessing or using PlumbGrade, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at adam@plumbgrade.com.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information in several ways depending on how you interact with our website and publications:
- Email Address & Subscriber Details: When you subscribe to our newsletter, sign up for free guide downloads, or request digital resources, we collect your email address and any voluntary name or subscriber preferences you provide.
- Name and Contact Details: When you submit an enquiry through our general contact form, partner application form, or editorial pitch form, we collect your full name, business or organisation name (if applicable), email address, telephone number, and the message content.
- Order and Billing Details: If you purchase digital products, checklists, or premium guides through our website, transaction payments and checkout are securely hosted and processed by our third party commerce platform, Kit (ConvertKit Commerce / Kit.com) and its integrated payment gateways (such as Stripe). We receive confirmation of your order, purchaser name, email address, and transaction identifier to deliver your files, but we never collect, see, or store your credit card, debit card, or banking details on our servers. Kit processes all payment data in compliance with strict PCI DSS security standards.
- Website Usage & Analytics Data: We automatically collect standard technical and device information when you visit our website, including your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, device identifier, operating system, referral source, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to recognise repeat visitors, measure audience engagement, and maintain site performance.
3. How We Use Your Information
We process your personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Specifically, we use your data to:
- Deliver Editorial Newsletters: Send our regular email newsletters featuring practical plumbing advice, newly published tool reviews, DIY guides, and special updates to subscribers who have actively opted in.
- Respond to Enquiries: Answer communications, partnership enquiries, feedback, and customer support queries submitted through our contact forms or direct email.
- Deliver Purchased Digital Products: Fulfil digital product orders, generate download links, and issue relevant transaction receipts and product update notices.
- Improve Website Performance: Monitor technical stability, optimise layout, audit user navigation, and troubleshoot technical errors to ensure a seamless reader experience.
- Analyse Content Traffic: Evaluate which articles, guides, and reviews resonate most with our audience so we can produce more relevant, high value editorial content.
- Prevent Fraud & Ensure Security: Protect our systems, users, and digital assets from unauthorized access, malicious attacks, spam submissions, or fraudulent activities.
4. Affiliate Links & Third Parties
PlumbGrade is a participant in various affiliate marketing programmes. Throughout our product reviews, tool roundups, and buying guides, you will encounter outbound links to merchant partners, including Amazon Associates and specialised plumbing and tool retailers.
When you click on an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, the merchant partner may set a tracking cookie on your browser to record that the referral came from PlumbGrade. This tracking allows the merchant to pay us an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
Please note that third party websites have independent privacy policies and data handling practices. Once you leave plumbgrade.com via an external link, our Privacy Policy no longer applies. We encourage you to review the privacy notices of any external site you visit. For complete details regarding our commercial relationships, please read our dedicated Affiliate Disclosure.
5. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your web browser when you visit a website. We use cookies to enable core website functionality, remember user preferences, and collect anonymous aggregate analytics data.
- Essential Cookies: Required for the fundamental operation of the website, including security, session handling, and core navigation.
- Analytical & Performance Cookies: Help us count visits, track traffic sources, and identify the most popular content across the site using privacy focused analytics tools.
- Third Party & Affiliate Cookies: Placed by third party affiliate networks and advertising partners to track referral conversions when you follow outbound links to purchase products.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies through your web browser settings. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually adjust your settings to reject cookies or notify you before a cookie is stored. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the usability and layout of certain features on our site.
6. Email Communications & Opt Out
We respect your inbox. We only send marketing or newsletter emails to individuals who have given their clear, affirmative consent to receive them. Every email sent through our newsletter platform contains a direct, one click “Unsubscribe” link located in the footer.
You can unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time by clicking that link, or by sending a direct request to adam@plumbgrade.com with the subject line “Unsubscribe”. Once requested, your email address will be promptly removed from our active distribution lists.
7. Data Security and Retention
We implement appropriate technical, administrative, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorized access, misuse, alteration, or unlawful disclosure. All data transmissions on plumbgrade.com are secured using SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS).
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, including complying with legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements. For instance, newsletter subscriber records are retained until you unsubscribe, after which we keep a suppression record to ensure we do not email you again without fresh consent.
8. Your Rights Under UK & EU Privacy Laws
Under UK GDPR and EU data protection regulations, you have key rights regarding how your personal information is collected and processed. These include:
- The Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- The Right to Rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete information.
- The Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): You can request that we delete your personal information where there is no lawful justification for us to continue processing it.
- The Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask us to suspend processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
- The Right to Data Portability: You can request a machine readable copy of the personal data you provided to us.
- The Right to Object: You can object at any time to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing or based on legitimate interests.
- The Right to Withdraw Consent: Where our processing relies on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our team at adam@plumbgrade.com. We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you believe our data practices violate privacy laws.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect evolving regulatory requirements, updates to our content publishing practices, or changes to third party partnerships. When revisions are made, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we safeguard your personal data. Your continued use of PlumbGrade following any updates signifies your acceptance of the revised policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to update your personal information or exercise your data protection rights, please reach out to us:
- Brand: PlumbGrade (plumbgrade.com)
- General & Privacy Enquiries: adam@plumbgrade.com
- Contact Page: plumbgrade.com/contact