Plumbing problems can be very commonly found in houses, especially the old ones. having problems such as leaky faucets or a clogged drain, or it might be changing a pipe or installing a sink or working with a toilet repair. All of these problems are common, and they require hiring a plumber.
When hiring a plumber, most people forget to pay attention to what kind of plumber they are hiring for their problems. Plumbing problems might seem small but can turn to an even bigger and costly one if it is not dealt with properly and professionally with the help of an expert plumber.
What Do You Need To Consider When Hiring a Plumber?
1) The Experience
Most homeowners just make sure that the plumber has a license and does not check the plumber’s experience. Although the license is also necessary, experience, on the other hand, determines the skills and ability of a plumber. Is he good at the task you are assigning? Has he worked before on a similar or the same task? This way, you can prevent yourself from having your small plumbing problem into a bigger and more complicated one.
2) Number Of Years in Business
It is essential also to look for a plumber that has a longer number of years in the plumbing industry. Their years of experience will tell us the depth of knowledge and plumbing skills. This will also shows us that they have proven to be successful in this field and they have been trusted by many. So, when looking for a plumber, is very important to at least ask a few of them about their experience and the time they have to spend in the business working, especially asking the plumber being assigned to you.
3) Estimated Price and Total Cost
It is important to ask the plumber to come over and look at the plumbing problems you are facing in order to give a proper estimated price. Make sure you also ask about the estimated price thoroughly because most of the estimated prices given by the plumber are just the cost of materials required in order to fix the problem, which means that this is not the total cost. Ask for the total cost, including the labor, parts, and contingency, along with the cost of the material.
4) Hourly or Flat rate
After you ask for the estimated price from the plumber, it is very important to ask about the hourly or Flat rate or their rates. Hourly rate means that if the work takes a lot of time till completion, you maybe billed more, and it can turn out to be costly, while a Flat rate would be a fixed rate given at the start of the plumbing maintenance and will not change till the completion of work.
5) Who will do the work?
You may have a plumber or team of plumbers coming to check out the plumbing problems you face. When the plumber comes over, make sure to ask if he is the one in charge of doing this job. If he says no, make sure to ask him about the people who will be working on the plumbing problem you have consulted for, asking about their experience and license. If you don’t feel comfortable with the plumber’s answer, you are free to choose some other company you would want to consult.
6) Payment
Some plumbers use a pay-as-you-go system where the percentage of the amount payable is due upon some completion of parts of the job, while some of them use milestones where the plumber expects to receive a part of the payment every few weeks. As the homeowner, you are required to choose an appropriate payment method for your plumber. If you find the task not to take a lot of time, consider paying at the end of the completion of the job and if you find the tasks to be taking a long time, consider giving a payment at the end of each task to keep the plumber motivated for his job.
7) Reviews
This is an era where you can easily access a lot of content online regarding the plumbers in your area. Consider reading both negative and positive points about the plumbing companies and reviews the customers leave on the internet in order to have an idea about which company will be suitable for you.
8) Guarantee
When considering a plumber, make sure what kind of guarantee they are offering you. What will happen if the work goes wrong? Is there any time completion? Ensure that the plumber answers these questions in a written document claiming the guarantee and warranty for the job you are considering the plumber for.
9) Communication
It is important to have an easy conversation with the plumber about the task he has to do, the possible problems and errors, about his work, his experience, etc. If the plumber is comfortable talking, it is a good sign that he is not avoiding any questions, is helpful, and is willing to speak about parts that can be avoided due to being costly.
10) Availability
Make sure the plumber you are considering can work with your schedule. Some of the plumbers offer 24 hours emergency service as well. It is important to know the availability of a plumber that matched your schedule so that the work could be done accordingly.
Conclusion
All these factors above should be kept in mind when considering plumbing services. Finding an experienced, and reliable plumber is necessary to have your task perfectly organised and beautifully done to avoid any further damage to your plumbing problem.
