When you have a plumbing emergency in your home, you need to quickly find a qualified professional plumber to fix the problem. Here are several ways to find a plumber:
- Check with your family or friends for a reference.
- Ask a local real estate agent for a good plumber they have used.
- If you have used another contractor on your home, ask for a reference.
- Check with your local plumbing supply store for a recommendation of a reputable plumbing company.
- Go online and check reviews of plumbers in your area. If you search for a plumber in your city on one of the popular search engines, such as Google or Yahoo, you will find the search engines “Local List” of plumbers geographically near you, links to their website, and customer reviews of their work. .
After finding a plumber in your area, what do you look for before hiring them? Here’s a checklist of items you need to ask a plumber… PRIOR TO you hire them
Are you licensed by the state to do plumbing?
Always verify that you are working with a licensed plumber, ask to see their state license! Licensed plumbers have work experience, training, and are familiar with current state and local plumbing codes. In addition to passing an exam to receive their license, they must complete annual continuing education to stay abreast of code changes, new products, and plumbing innovations.
In Georgia, there are many skills you need to be successful as a plumber. As a result, there are many steps an apprentice plumber must take to become a plumber. Official Prayed master plumber. These steps and the rules for earning the Master Plumber designation are set by the state. Must have 3-5 years of primary plumbing experience, references, and pass an exam to obtain a Journeyman or Master Plumbing license. To obtain a Master Plumbers license, part of your experience must include commercial or industrial plumbing. Additionally, they must have additional certifications to test and certify backflow devices or work on septic systems.
How many years have you been in business?
A good rule of thumb is to look for plumbers who have been in business for 8-10 years. This gives you an idea of how viable and stable the business is and whether they will be available to guarantee the work they do on your home.
Are service technicians background checked?
Would you feel comfortable if your service technicians worked in your home? A plumber must perform a complete background check and random drug tests on all employees. Also, professional service technicians working on your home should be in uniform and have name tags. These Service Technicians must be employees of the company and not subcontractors.
What are your plumbing skills and experience?
Plumbing requires specific technical skills and knowledge. Plumbing companies use specific tools that are not available to a homeowner or local plumber. The benefit of dealing with a qualified and experienced plumbing company is… they are equipped with all the training, skills, plumbing tools and experience necessary to handle all types of plumbing emergencies in your home.
Does your plumbing company have insurance?
A plumbing company servicing your home must have General liability insurance and a stream worker’s compensation insurance certificate. Upon request, the plumber should be able to provide you with a copy of your insurance.
General liability insurance covers damage to your home caused directly by the plumber. If the plumber does not have their own general liability policy, any damage will be covered by your homeowners insurance. Typically, the plumber must have a minimum of $500,000.00 in general liability insurance, but it is not uncommon for plumbers who do commercial plumbing to have $3,000,000.00 coverage.
Workers’ compensation insurance covers a plumber’s injury while working on your home. So, as a customer, you don’t need to worry about being responsible for a plumber getting into an accident while working on your home.
Do you offer emergency service after hours?
A plumbing company that advertises that it has “24/7” plumbing service should have a customer service person ready to take your call after hours. Also, the plumber should have plumbers on call or after hours available to fix your plumbing emergency.
Does the plumber use Quality Materials?
Does the plumber install quality, recognizable brand name fixtures and fittings that offer manufacturer-to-consumer warranties? What brands do you stock and transport on your service trucks? Manufacturers of plumbing parts, fixtures, and appliances often offer a limited replacement warranty on their products.
Will my job require a permit from the city or county where I live?
You generally must be a licensed master plumber to obtain a plumbing permit. The city or county will inspect the plumbing at various times during installation to ensure that the project is performed in accordance with state and local plumbing codes. An unlicensed plumber cannot obtain the necessary permits when the work is being done, and will likely No adequately trained in current plumbing code requirements.
What are your plumbing rates?
Service plumbers get paid for their work in two ways, Time and material prices Prayed Flat rate prices. Let me explain the difference, this is very important.
With the method of Time and Materials; The plumber charges a small “service fee” to commute to work, an hourly rate while on the job, and the materials used to repair the plumbing. There is usually a minimum labor charge of one hour and then you are charged by the quarter of an hour. With this method, he only pays for the actual time he spends and materials used on the job…no more, no less.
A plumber using flat rate pricing will charge a “diagnostic fee” to determine your plumbing problem and then give you a flat rate quote to fix the problem. You know in advance how much your repair will cost. If you do not wish to proceed with the repair, you are only required to pay the diagnostic fee.
With Flat Rate prices it is difficult to know how much the plumber is charging you per hour. I can tell you that the flat rate price they give you is based on a worst case scenario for the plumbing company… what is the maximum time it would take for a slow plumber to fix the problem? But, after the customer has left work, waits for the plumber to show up, and is already committed to the diagnostic fee, they are faced with a huge cost to fix a small plumbing problem.
While the flat-rate pricing method sounds appealing, in most cases, an experienced licensed plumber can fix your plumbing emergency on a time and materials basis for less money. Also, with flat rate pricing, most service technicians receive a commission on the price of the ticket. Technicians have typically been trained by professionals to sell and close an expensive sale. This can lead to abuse, as your home technician becomes more of a salesperson than a plumber.
Do you guarantee or endorse your work?
A professional plumbing company cares about the safety and quality of their work. They must offer the owner a guarantee of workmanship and a guarantee of safety in their work.
Can you provide me with references of clients you have worked for?
A reputable plumbing company will have no problem giving references from their clients, commercial banker or plumbing supply house. Also, ask if they are a member of any state or national plumbing associations, local chamber of commerce, or if they have received any awards or recognition in the community.