Questions to Ask Your Plumber

Important Questions to Ask When Hiring a Plumber

Plumbers are valuable for resolving a variety of problems around your home or business, and it’s important to know when to hire them and when you can tackle the problem on your own. It’s vital that you don’t just hire any worker though, because they aren’t all the same. Some are highly skilled professionals, while others will cause more harm than good.

To separate one from the other, here’s a list of simple questions to ask a worker before you begin working with them. Use these questions and you can hire them confidently.

The Benefits of Asking

• Get more reliable work
• Enjoy warranty coverage

Do you have a license and insurance?

Start off any interaction by finding out whether they are licensed and insured or not. You don’t want to work with anyone that doesn’t have these credentials, because you would be the one picking up the tab if the worker causes damage to your home.

Do you have references?

Don’t bother hiring a professional to work in your home if they don’t have any past references. Find out who the references are and then talk to one or more if you can.

What sort of response time can you offer?

Always ask how long he will take to respond to a repair request. If it’s going to take weeks to get a leaky pipe fixed you don’t want to do business with them. It’s always a good idea to get this information so you know who will offer you prompt help and who will be to slow to be useful.

Is 24-hour emergency support available?

Eventually you’re going to run into a plumbing emergency that you want resolved, and it’s important that you have the help you need to take care of it when the time comes. That’s why you should ask if he offers an emergency service. Always keep an emergency plumber available for those key times when you need help right away.

What services do you offer?

Some contractors specialize in a certain area such as toilet repair or drain cleaning. Find out exactly what services your technician offers to learn if he can help you or not with certain problems.

What is the charge for specialty parts?

Generally, contractors keep standard parts in stock, but there’s going to be a time when the necessary parts aren’t on hand. When that time comes it’s important to know how much your technitian will charge you to obtain the necessary part. There’s a time cost involved and you could pay a fee for that time. Find out what the fee is ahead of time so you aren’t surprised.

Ask each of these questions and you’ll have a good idea what to expect when you start working with a technician in the future.

For more information on what a professional plumbing contractor can do for you, be sure to give us a call at 831-431-6593 for a quote and to contact local plumbers in your area.