Minimize Your Plumbing Expense

Whether it’s an emergency or some remodeling or renovation, sooner or later everybody needs to find a good plumber. There’s no doubt about it, a plumber can be expensive. So the important issues becomes getting value for your investment.

  1. Check with Friends and then online for reviews.

Why..? Because if you found a random “cheap plumber” and then had to pay to have the problem fixed again, then you certainly have not saved any money. So even though the natural tendency is to ask “what’s your rate?” you should first ask “Where can I find your reviews?” Only after you have determined the quality standards you need can be met should you inquire about rates or job cost. It is natural to want to hire any professional that’s reputable with the lowest rate. It sounds simple and direct, but it doesn’t always work that way.

Remember that “reputable” doesn’t always mean it’s a company you’ve heard of before. We all have a natural bias to assume that top-of-min-awareness equates to “reputable”. Unfortunately, this is often untrue. Especialy with service companies, several of the most highly promoted companies have the worst track records. This is why it’s important to get specific references from others or to go through some system of checking reviews.

The second problem with the hourly rate is that it is difficult to compare rates because of the many ways plumbers count the hours. Travel time is a factor that should be considered. Plumbers spend a good part of their day driving from job to job. They must be compensated for this time. Most honest reliable plumbers are willing to quote you a “job cost” rather than an hourly rate. At the end of the day, the figure that should matter most to you is “how much, in total, will the repair cost me”.? This is another reason to cultivate a relationship with a local plumber that lives and works in your area. These are generally the tradesmen that are able to deliver customer satisfaction consistently. Customer satisfaction takes into account all of these issues and constitutes an accurate indication of value received.

  1. Minimize Plumbing Needs

An entirely different approach to saving money on plumbing is to improve your level of home maintenance to reduce the need to call a professional. More service calls originate due to drain than any other single issue. Many homes have one or two problem drains and several that never need any attention at all.

The biggest culprit for needing plumbing work is the build-up of grease. There are some over the counter products that can help (caution is needed here) and we will cover more on that topic in a later blog.

  1. Avoid Emergency Calls

If you notice an issue, get your licensed plumber to look at it while it’s still small; before an emergency strikes. This gives you the greatest amount of time to explore options and get your long term solution.

Signature Plumbing Company is operated by Byron Neuse, a Master Plumber licensed by the State of Texas with over 20 years of experience in the field.

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