A Simple Homeowner Checklist for Hiring a Qualified Professional Plumber!
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 in your home, ask the contractor for a referral.
- Check with your local plumbing supply store for a recommendation of a reputable plumbing company.
- Go online and check the 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 Listing” of plumbers geographically close to you, links to their website, and customer reviews about their work. .
After finding a plumber in your area, what do you look for before hiring one? Here’s a checklist of items to ask a plumber … BEFORE hires 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 applicable state and local plumbing codes. In addition to passing an exam to receive their license, they must undergo annual continuing education to stay abreast of code changes, new products, and innovations in plumbing.
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 follow to become a Official gold Plumber master. These steps and the rules for earning the Master Plumber designation are set by the state. You must have 3-5 years of primary plumbing experience, referrals, and pass an exam to earn a Journeyman or Master Plumbing license. To obtain a Master Plumbers license, some 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 to 10 years. This gives you an idea of how viable and stable the business is and if they will be available to justify the work they do at home.
Is the background of the service technicians checked?
Would you be comfortable with your service technicians working in your home? A plumber must perform a full background check and random drug tests on all employees. Also, professional service technicians working in your home must be in uniform and have name plates. These service technicians must be company employees and not subcontractors.
What are your skills and experience in plumbing?
Plumbing requires specific technical knowledge and skills. Plumbing companies use specific tools that are not available to a local homeowner or plumbing technician. 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 serving 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 that may occur to your home caused directly by the plumber. If the plumber does not have his own general liability policy, any damage would be covered by his homeowner’s insurance. Generally, the plumber must have a minimum of $ 500,000.00 in general liability insurance, but it is not uncommon for plumbers doing commercial plumbing to have coverage of $ 3,000,000.00.
Workers’ compensation insurance covers a plumber’s injury while working at home. So, as a customer, you don’t have to worry about being responsible for a plumber having an accident while working on your home.
Do you offer emergency service after hours?
A plumbing company that advertises it has a “24/7” plumbing service should have a customer service person ready to take your call after hours. Additionally, the plumber should have on-call or after-hours plumbers available to repair your plumbing emergency.
Does the plumber use quality materials?
Does the plumber install quality, recognizable brand-name fixtures and materials that offer manufacturer’s warranties to the consumer? What brands do you store and transport on your service trucks? Manufacturers of plumbing parts, fixtures, and appliances generally offer a limited replacement warranty on their products.
Will my job require a permit from the city or county where I live?
Typically, you must be a licensed master plumber to obtain a plumbing permit. The city or county will inspect the plumbing at various times during the installation to ensure 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 performed, and probably no properly trained in current plumbing code requirements.
What are your plumbing fees?
Service plumbers charge for their work in two ways: Prices of time and materials gold Flat rate pricing. Let me explain the difference, this is very important.
With the Time & Materials; the plumber charges a small “service fee” to get to work, an hourly rate while on the job, and the materials that were used to repair the plumbing. Usually there is a minimum labor charge of one hour and then you are charged by the quarter hour. With this method, you only pay for the actual time it takes and the 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 up front what your repair will cost. If you do not want to proceed with the repair, you are only obliged to pay the diagnostic fee.
With flat rate pricing, it’s hard to tell how much the plumber is charging you per hour. I can tell you that the fixed price they give you is based on the worst case scenario for the plumbing company … what is the longest time it would take for a slow plumber to fix the problem? But, after the customer has pulled out of work, waits for the plumber to show up and is already committed to the diagnostic fee, he faces a huge cost to repair a small plumbing problem.
While the flat rate pricing method seems attractive, in most cases an experienced licensed plumber can fix your plumbing emergency in time and material for less money. Also, with the flat rate pricing, most service technicians are paid a commission on the ticket price. Technicians have usually been trained by professionals to sell and close an expensive sale. This can lead to abuse, as the technician in your home becomes more of a salesperson rather than a plumber.
Do you guarantee or guarantee 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 from clients you have worked for?
A reputable plumbing company will have no problem giving referrals from their clients, commercial banker, or plumbing supply house. Also, ask if they are members of a state or national plumbing association, local chamber of commerce, or if they have received awards or recognition in the community.
