A Mental Checklist
It is important to understand the services you need when it is time to call a plumber. There are many different types of plumbers that handle a variety of different plumbing jobs. First, it is important to take a deep breath and understand what your current needs are at the time of your plumbing emergency. A faucet that doesn’t work properly will require a different plumber than one that may come out to fix a sewer line backup or install a water heater. Simply, different plumbers have different specialties. To save you time, we have developed a mental checklist to help pick the right plumber for the right job.
Identify your needs
It’s easier said than done, especially if you have an emergency on your hands. Ask yourself, what is going on? Is there water, sewage, or gas leaking somewhere? Do you have a clog? Is there a facility or appliance not working correctly? Where is it happening? Is this happening upstairs, downstairs, or in the basement? Is it in a kitchen or bathroom? The more information you can provide the plumber, helps them determine what they need to do to resolve the problem before they even walk in the door. This is not always the case and sometimes the plumber just needs to come out and inspect the situation to determine what the problem is.
The Right Plumber for the Right Job
As previously mentioned, there are a variety of plumbing problems and a variety of plumbers to choose from. Once you have determined the problem, the next step is to contact a plumber and schedule an appointment. If you have a leaking sink there are plumbers who handle household plumbing issues. They typically will service leaky faucets, running toilets, new facility installations or small clogs in your upstairs bathroom and kitchen sink. On the opposite end, there are plumbers who provide specific services. Some plumbers only provide storm drain repair or sewer line cleaning. It is important to understand the difference. People who specialize in a certain area of work will typically have more available solutions, more efficient procedures for the work involved, and more insight into the problem based on relevant experience in their area of expertise. For instance, a typical plumber who fixes leaking faucets and snakes drains is not going to be properly equipped to service a sewer line backup in your basement. This can result in a lack of customer satisfaction because if the problem is not properly addressed, you’re going to find yourself in the same position in the near future. Would you ask a mechanic who replaces bodywork to replace your car’s transmission? The mechanic may understand how to complete the task (they are an automotive technician) but do they have the relevant experience and expertise to assure you the job is done correctly?
Experience Matters (so do the reviews)…
A person who works with their hands is usually proud of the work they accomplished. If this is not true then what is the quality of the work being done? With that being said, experience matters. Wise financial decisions are based on a series of qualifications that assure you (the customer) will be fully satisfied with the work. Think about it. Are you going to pay the neighbor’s kids thousands of dollars to repair your roof? More than likely not. Would you pay a professional with years of experience? More than likely yes. So why would you trust any plumber to work on something they may have little to no experience working on? Experience is the proof that a customer needs in their pudding to assure them of the quality of work being done. The easiest way to find a qualified plumber in the 21st century is to look online at the multitude of plumbing companies ready to serve your needs. Google, Yelp, Bing, Better Business Bureau, Yahoo, Angie’s List, Yellow Pages, all have listed reviews for those on their websites to help inform future customers about the company they are about to employ. It is important that customers look at these reviews and determine the experience of the professional they are about to hire. Questions like, response time, quality of workmanship, politeness of workers, price, etc. can all be read by those who have already chosen them for past services.
So if you’re having a plumbing emergency, take a deep breath. Think of the mental checklist. Identify your problem, look for plumbers suited for servicing those needs and check their reviews to get a feel for their expertise. We at Mister Sewer are dedicated to educating our customers so they may make more informed decisions about their plumbing problems. We offer a wide variety of blogs on our Resources page so they can educate themselves on various sewer line related questions such as camera inspections, sewer line cleaning and repair, and water line services. We also would like to encourage everyone to take a look at our Google reviews. We are the Sewer Experts. If you have questions or would like a plumber to come service your sewer line system, please call us at 412-835-2135.