Why You Should Hire a Licensed Plumber for New Construction

February 26th, 2013 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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When you’re building the home of your dreams, staying within your budget can be a very real concern. It’s tempting to cut corners wherever you can, opting for less expensive choices when it comes to finishing and the installation of some features.

Most local building ordinances will prevent a non-licensed plumber from performing plumbing work on a new home, but many have loopholes in the building codes that allow homeowners themselves to perform the work, provided that it meets inspection. Properly plumbing your new home isn’t as simple as making a trip to the bookstore or turning to a search engine, however.

Improperly installed plumbing fixtures can cause very real problems in your home, with the least of your worries being a failed inspection. Tearing out the offending plumbing work and replacing it can be more expensive and time-consuming than simply hiring a licensed professional plumber in the first place. When you consider the potential issues stemming from mistakes during the installation of sewer lines or drains, any money you could save up front may simply not be worth it when all is said and done.

If your home will be connected to a septic tank, rather than a municipal sewer system, you’ll also have the possibility of fumes from the septic tank backing up into the bathroom to contend with. Vent pipes and p-traps are designed to prevent these problems, but aren’t likely to be effective if they’re not properly installed by a seasoned professional. Before you take on the major task of plumbing your new home from the ground up, you should consider the many benefits and very few drawbacks of contracting with a licensed plumbing professional in your area.

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Establishing A Good Working Relationship With Your Plumbing Contractor

October 3rd, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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Every year the Better Business Bureau receives thousands of complaints against plumbers.  What is really troubling is that about a quarter of these complaints are closed as unresolved.  Cleary, thousands of Americans a year are unhappy with the work done or service provided by their plumber.  Here are a few steps you can take to avoid becoming one of these dissatisfied customer.

First, don’t just call the first plumber you find on the internet or in the phone book.  Try to get some referrals and do some research to find a few good, reputable plumbers in your area.  Choose a plumber who has an established business address and phone number and who has been in business for years under the same name.  Make sure the plumber is licensed and insured and check for complaints with the BBB and on internet review sites.

Next, for any big job like a sewer lateral replacement, new water heater, water line repairs, or kitchen remodeling project, get a written estimate and go over it with the plumber to make sure that you understand what work is included and the cost.  You should also understand what problems could potentially arise and the approximate additional costs that could be incurred.  This is the source of many complaints about plumbers.

Unfortunately, it is the nature of plumbing that it can be difficult to predict what types of unexpected problems will arise in a big plumbing job.  When these issues come up, your plumber will need to do more work and the cost of the project will increase beyond the original estimate.  Many homeowners become upset at the plumber when this happens, but the plumber has no way of knowing in advance whether or not these issues will arise.  Thorough communication with your plumber ahead of time will prevent hard feelings later.

Finally, don’t pay for the job in full up front.  Your plumber may ask for a third or half of the payment in advance, but never make the final payment until the job is completed to your satisfaction.

Blog post provided by St. Louis Plumbers

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Avoiding Plumbing Contractor Complaints

April 11th, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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According to data kept by the Better Business Bureau, plumbers consistently have a high number of complaints filed every year.  Of the thousands of industries followed by the BBB, plumbers ranked 33rd in 2011 with 4,729 complaints filed and 34th in 2010 with 4,419 complaints.    Even more troubling about these numbers is that about 20 to 25 percent of these complaints are unresolved.  Cell phone companies and cable television providers rank higher with many more complaints, but less than 5% of those complaints are unresolved.

The bottom line is that a lot of customers have not had a good experience with their plumbing contractors.  Whether you need drain cleaning, a new water heater installed, or a clogged toilet cleared, you can you avoid this happening to you by taking a few precautions.  First, choose a local plumber with a good reputation for customer service.  A plumber with an established business as evidenced by a permanent business location and telephone number will work harder to keep customers satisfied in order to protect their reputation.

Second, before any work begins, get an estimate and go over the estimate in detail with the plumbing contractor so you are sure you understand the scope of the work to be done and the total cost.  It is not always possible for your plumber to know in advance what sort of “surprises” may come up after the works starts.

Ask the plumber before the job starts what contingencies might arise and what the additional cost would be if they do. Many customers get very annoyed when problems arise during a job that require additional work, but the reality is that in many cases your plumber won’t know about these problems until he gets started.

Finally, don’t pay in full for the job up front.  Nothing is worse than a half finished job waiting for the plumber to come back and finish it.  Some plumbers may ask for partial payment in advance.  A third is typical and never pay more than half.  Pay the balance only after the job is completed to your satisfaction.

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