Important questions you need to ask your plumber

It would certainly be great for any home owner to have a trusted plumbing professional they can call on whenever the need arises. After all, no home plumbing professional is ever immune from plumbing problems. No matter how first-rate everything about your plumbing system is, you are bound to run into plumbing problems sooner or later. With a reliable local plumber on your speed dial, you are assured of first-rate work should your experience plumbing problems.

Building a solid relationship with a plumbing professional is important. However, before you can do so, you first have to know what you need to know about any given local plumber before engaging his or her services. That means you have to ask several questions, the answers to which would help you determine if you’re talking to the right plumbing professional or not. To make sure you’ll be getting the best service possible, here are some of the things you need to ask a local plumber.

1. Ask if he has a licence, insurance and certification from the state

The law requires plumbing professionals to have a licence before they practice their profession in any given state in Australia. Insurance is also important for both the plumbing professional’s and your sake. Ideally, the plumbing professional you’re thinking about hiring should have public liability insurance as a minimum.

2. Ask the plumber for references

This is probably the best way to determine if you have the right plumber in front of you. For sure, no previous customer or employer would hesitate giving a plumbing professional a glowing recommendation if he has done a good job with them. Conversely, no previous customer or employer would mince words about a plumber who has done nothing but highly unsatisfying work for them. If you ask the plumber for references and he chooses not to give you at least one, take whatever he says with a grain of salt and move on to other prospective plumbers. Chances are, he’s hiding something, and you wouldn’t want to leave your plumbing system at the mercy of someone like that.

3. Find out if he has previously done the plumbing job you want him to do

There are a couple of reasons why you need to establish this early on. One is that hiring someone who has experience in what you need done means he will likely do a good job. Hire someone who doesn’t have experience on that particular task, and you’ll probably hire a second plumber just to fix whatever mess the first one is likely to leave behind.

The second reason is that plumbing professionals have specialities. One local plumber could be good at emergencies, while another could be specialising in installing or renovating plumbing systems. One type of plumbing professional would probably understand basic plumbing systems as well as the other, but may not be as good at doing what the other does.

4. Ask about prices/charges

This, of course, is extremely important, especially when what you require is emergency plumbing service, which tends to be costlier. That way, you’ll be prepared to pay the charges that need to be paid when a plumbing emergency arises, which translates to less stress for you. In any case, if you develop a solid relationship with a particular local plumber over the years, there is always the likelihood that you’ll be given preferred client status, which could mean some savings for you in the future.

5. Ask for a quote

Always ask for a written estimate. If the plumber refuses, then find one who will fulfill your request. This is for your own protection as mandated by most states. With a written estimate, no plumber could just charge you anything more than what was written in the quote without your express consent. That would spare your from the stress of receiving an enormous bill when the job is done.

Need help finding tradespeople for your place?

Here at Tradebusters®, our FREE and local tradesmen concierge service can help you connect with highly recommended electricians and other trade businesses.

Simply complete our easy job request form and a member from our team will call you back shortly to help you get started.

Meet a Top 3 Local Choice near you:

Whether you are renovating, buying, selling, or moving, The Sydney Top 3 Local Choice directory can help connect you with vetted and reputable local businesses with confidence.

From local tradies, to real estate services providers, property and finance services we have you covered.

See who got a Top 3 spot near you.

Mortgage Brokers Sydney