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A Simple Homeowners 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:

  1. Check with your family or friends for a reference.
  2. Ask a local real estate agent for a good plumber they have used.
  3. If you have used another contractor on your home, ask for a reference.
  4. Check with your local plumbing supply store for a recommendation of a reputable plumbing company.
  5. 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? Here’s a checklist of items you need to ask a plumber… BEFORE you hire them.

Do you have a state license to do plumbing?

Always check 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 follow to become a plumber. Official gold master plumber. These steps and the rules for earning the master plumbing designation are set by the state. Must have 3-5 years of primary plumbing experience, references, and pass an exam to earn a Journeyman or Master Plumbing license. To earn 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 that 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 at home.

Are service technicians background checked?

Would you feel comfortable having your service technicians work at your home? A plumber must perform a full background check and random drug testing on all employees. In addition, professional service technicians working in your home must be in uniform and have name tags. These Service Technicians must be company employees 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 necessary training, skills, plumbing tools and experience to handle all types of plumbing emergencies in your home.

Does your plumbing company have insurance?

A plumbing company that performs service in your home must have General liability insurance and a stream worker’s compensation insurance certificate. On 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 homeowner’s insurance. Typically, the plumber must carry a minimum of $500,000.00 in general liability insurance, but it is not uncommon for plumbers who do commercial plumbing to carry $3,000,000.00 in coverage.

Workers’ compensation insurance covers an injury to the plumber while working on your home. So, as a customer, you don’t need 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 “24/7” plumbing service must have a customer service person ready to take your call after hours. Also, 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 name-brand fixtures and materials that offer manufacturer-to-consumer warranties? What brands do you stock and transport in 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?

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 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 probably No properly trained in current plumbing code requirements.

What are your plumbing rates?

Service plumbers charge for their work in two ways, Time and material prices gold flat rate pricing. Let me explain the difference, this is very important.

With the Time and Materials method; The plumber charges a small “service fee” to get 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 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 who uses flat fee pricing will charge a “diagnostic fee” to determine your plumbing problem and then give you a flat fee quote to fix the problem. You know in advance how much your repair will cost. If you do not want to proceed with the repair, you are only required to pay the diagnosis 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 the 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 client has left work, waits for the plumber to show up, and is already committed to the diagnostic fee, he is faced with a huge cost to fix a small plumbing problem.

While the flat fee 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 ticket price. 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 labor 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 referrals from their clients, commercial banker, or plumbing supply house. Also, ask if they are a member of a state or national plumbing association, local chamber of commerce, or if they have received any awards or recognition in the community.

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