6 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Plumber

It’s a drag when you’re having plumbing issues. Significantly, when they’ve escalated to such an extent that the inevitable could happen at any moment, you can’t continue to turn your face away and ignore the fact that you need to shell out some money for major plumbing repairs to your home.

Usually, the most common response to that kind of problem is to call the first local plumber you find in the Yellow Pages. However, that is not the best way to handle this problem. When putting our home maintenance in the hands of a plumber, there are some aspects we need to consider before hiring one. Here are six questions you can ask before hiring a plumber.

1. What Makes A Good Plumber?

A good plumber must meet a couple of criteria to be considered, such as:

License: Make sure you talk to a licensed plumber who is qualified and has a clean complaint record.

Insurance: Plumbing is a high-risk job that can put both the plumber’s and client’s security at risk. It is essential that a plumber hold an insurance policy that can indemnify them regarding the work they do.

Warranty: It is best to work with a plumber who can guarantee his work for a year.

Referrals: It is relatively easy to find online reviews of a plumber from past customers. If that’s not available, you can ask for references directly from the plumber and contact the clients yourself. In this way, you can ensure the level of satisfaction they got for the job done.

2. Which Places Are Great for Looking?

As mentioned before, it is possible to search both online and from personal referrals. However, nothing can compare with a personal referral, as having an acquaintance telling you about someone who has had plumbing work done recently and was satisfied with the results will give you a better level of reliability about the plumber’s professionalism than anything else.

3. What Kind of Plumber Do I Need?

Plumbers are labeled into two main types.

• Plumbing contractors are the ones who specialize in installing all the plumbing, whether it is for a home-building or remodeling project.
• Plumbers who focus on repairing existing plumbing systems.

The hierarchy of a plumber is designated by one of three credentials:

• Apprentice: Trains with a union or nonunion contractor organization.
• Journeyman: Have met the requirements of apprenticeship and obtained a state journeyman license.
• Master plumber: Worked several years as a journeyman, has an associate degree from a vocational school, and has passed written and hands-on exams.

4. What Is the Cost?

Generally speaking, it is way better to prevent your plumbing problems when they are in the early stages. However, if the problem has already escalated, be extra careful of plumbers trying to charge you extra quotes on the phone without seeing and analyzing the problem beforehand.

Be alert, especially of the cost involved in the parts being replaced. Do your due diligence, as the price of a replaced part can sometimes escalate if you do not check.

5. What Is the Rate Being Used?

A plumber usually charges by the hour or by the fixed project. If the plumber has an hourly rate, make sure he or she gives you an estimate of how long it should take to get the job done. Remember that the more experienced a plumber is, the more accurate his time estimation will be.

6. Are There Any Referrals?

You need to take precautions on this, as a lack of referrals can indicate a red flag of being at risk of the possibility of being cheated by someone who is not what they claim to be. That’s why online referral sites are the best option you can turn to, as they use crowd-sourced reviews as well as in-house vetting to qualify their listed professionals.

You can also look at the Yellow Pages and your local newspaper if none of the options above are available to you.