The plumber you hire when there are issues in your plumbing matters. Legacy Realty and Management advises the quality of that plumber can determine the efficiency of your plumbing and how much money you spend on future plumbing maintenance. That plumber can be a cost or an investment.
Most people do not think of the overall efficiency of their plumbing when solving issues in the system. Instead of viewing the plumbing as a whole, they focus on the problems they want to fix at that moment. The result is a plumbing system that doesn’t function coherently.
This approach is often the reason why in many homes the plumbing system never stops malfunctioning. Because past issues were not fully-solved and new problems are not preempted, the homeowner is constantly “putting out fires” in their plumbing.
But there is a better way to manage your home’s plumbing to make it more efficient.
Adopting a holistic approach to plumbing maintenance allows you to solve current issues while anticipating future ones. This proactive method of dealing with plumbing issues will let you get more out of the system without increasing your costs.
These are some of the things you can expect to see when a plumbing system works efficiently:
- Water efficiency: The plumbing uses less water while still meeting the home’s needs
- Resilient features and fixtures: The system components don’t fail or damage easily
- Ease of repair: Finding and fixing problems in the system takes less time
- Problems are contained: Issues in the system do not easily escalate to other areas
- Lower bills: The overall cost of operating the plumbing is lower.
Beyond these five qualities, the most essential aspect of an efficient plumbing system is the plumber who manages it. Efficient plumbing systems begin and end with the competence of the plumber. This is why you must invest time and effort to find the right plumber.
How to choose a local plumbing professional
Look for a local company
Speed and personalization are vital to the efficient management of your plumbing. You want a plumber with whom you can build a long-term relationship. The plumber should come to know your plumbing system intimately. That makes it easier to find and fix problems quickly. A national company cannot give you this, but a local plumbing company will.
Accreditations, certifications and affiliations
You want to verify the plumber’s competence on three levels. They should be licensed to practice in your area, and that license should be current. They must be adequately trained and certified by a recognized institution. They should be respected members of the local chapter of their professional body. It also helps if they have partnerships.
Experience
For two reasons, you don’t want to hire a plumber who lacks experience. The obvious reason is they may not have the ability to diagnose and fully-solve issues in the plumbing. Secondly, a new company might be a scam operation looking to swindle unsuspecting homeowners. The only exception is an experienced local plumber who starts his own company.
Reputation
One of the reasons you want a local company is because it is easier to verify their information. You can ask friends and neighbors about the services of the plumber. That is not easy to do when dealing with a national chain. How do you establish the reputation of the people working in the local office of a national company?
Specialization
A plumber’s specialization matters. Even if residential and commercial plumbing systems do the same thing, they are still different in very essential ways. Make sure the plumber has adequate experience working with plumbing systems in buildings similar to yours. Do not hire a plumber whose expertise is in a different area.
Insurance
Every tradesperson who does any work in your home should be adequately insured. The insurance should include workers’ compensation for employees who are injured while working in your home, liability insurance to shield you from lawsuits, and property insurance if your home is damaged by the plumber or their staff.
24-hour emergency service
A local plumber is easier to access during emergencies. Check if the plumber offers round-the-clock emergency services every day of the week. It makes no sense to hire an emergency plumber if you have to wait hours before they arrive at your home. That is why you also want to ask the plumber about their average response time.
Transparent rates
How will the plumber’s work be priced? Does the pricing system make it easy to predict the cost of repairs? Will they give you a binding quote before they begin work? Do they require that you pay part of the fees upfront? Are they willing to provide a written contract that contains their fee and spells out the terms of the agreement?
To conclude, although this process takes time, finding a good plumber is worth the effort. You will reap the rewards in the improved performance of your home’s plumbing versus the reduced cost of maintaining that plumbing.