4 Essential Factors to Consider When Hiring a Plumber for Your Home

Plumbing issues can be quite serious. A lot of people tend to underestimate how much of an impact plumbing problems,s can have on a home, but the consequences of some issues can be severe. Plumbing doesn’t just involve a leaky faucet or a clogged drain.

It can often involve things like burst pipes, sewage backup, and gas leaks that have the potential to wrack up huge bills due to property damage that they can cause.

Knowing how to find a reliable plumber near you can be a skill that will serve you for as long as you live. Let’s explore how to do just that in today’s article.

Table of Contents

#1. Peruse Public Reviews

A lot of plumbing companies have gotten good at marketing themselves as great businesses, and they can even be quite convincing at it.

Should you take them at their word when they tell you that they are the best plumbing service in your area?

Well, there’s an easy way to sniff out people that only know how to talk big but will let you down when it’s time to provide results.

The first thing you should do if you are planning to hire a plumber is to check public reviews about them. You should be able to find these easily on their google my business profile.

Ideally, you only want to use use a service that has managed to get reviews of at least four stars and above.

Reading both positive and negative reviews will give you some context into what you are getting into. Additionally, when looking at reviews, take a look at when they were posted. Try to sort the reviews by new to see how their service has been in recent times.

Also, check the dates of any reviews that offer really high praise. There are many companies that will provide reviews for money, and one obvious giveaway that a company is using fake reviews is a high number of positive reviews that are all posted on the same day or within a short time frame.

You can also look at the usernames and the other reviews they may have posted. It may seem a bit too much, but it never hurts to be too thorough.

#2. Responsiveness

In connection with the previous point, you also want to take note of how people describe the responsiveness of the company.

This is because, in addition to finding a plumber that is able to take care of a wide range of issues, it is equally important that they are prompt in their service.

Plumbing issues are often sudden and urgent, and homeowners have to turn off their main water valve and hope the plumber arrives in time to provide immediate assistance.

Take, for instance, winter in Ohio. Plumbers in Ohio were overwhelmed by the demand and couldn’t keep up. The Tulsa fire department and the mayor ended up having to plead with citizens to learn to find where their water shut-off valves were.

When situations are critical like this, you don’t want to deal with incompetence. Instead, you want to find a Tulsa plumber that is able to get to you quickly and sort out your frozen pipes. Speed is critical when dealing with frozen pipes as frozen pipes can quickly lead to burst pipes, and such a situation is a much more expensive problem to fix.

Wooten Knockout is one such plumbing company in Tulsa that customers seem to have had great experiences with. With close to 200 legitimate 4.9-star reviews, they seem to be saving the people of Tulsa from problems with their plumbing every day.

One testimonial from a satisfied customer read:

“I had some plumbing issues fixed by Wooten Knockout. They were fast and did an exceptional job! They were very professional and very friendly to deal with. The price was very reasonable and affordable. I will definitely use them again on other projects and would recommend them.”

Other reviews also highlighted their speed and responsiveness, saying:

“Bradley answered a late evening call and came the next morning to repair a slab leak. They were prompt and courteous. The repair was completed quickly and efficiently. Excellent service overall, and I would recommend Knockout Plumbing to anyone. Trustworthy and honest.”

Wooten Knockout is one of those plumbing teams that manage to have expertise in virtually every form of plumbing. Their services cover everything from emergency repairs, water heater installations, faucet, toilet, and piping repairs, and much more.

#3. Honesty

In addition to being well-reviewed and responsive to emergencies, you should find a plumber that knows how to treat their customers right. Plumbers are notorious for their tendency to mislead those they think won’t know much about the trade.

Hopefully, you would have detected such services when you went through their public reviews online. But here are some common tricks and scams that you should watch out for if you suspect that your plumber is up to no good:

They try to get you to buy new fixtures with no convincing reason.
They “forget” to give you quotes and information in writing.
They get evasive when you ask too many questions. Good plumbers are happy to discuss and explain what is wrong.
They get evasive when you ask about their credentials.
They are vague when talking about their rates.

These are some of the more obvious giveaways that you aren’t dealing with the most honest plumber out there.

If you feel like things are getting weird, simply cancel their services before they start to officially work on the issue. Many plumbers do a free consultation, so this should be easy enough. If they charge you for giving their assessment, then you know that you really dodged a bullet.

#4. Certification

Unlike many countries, a career in the trades in America goes through a very structured and organized process. Plumbers here are required to have a license that they obtain from passing a certification exam.

Some of the steps that certified plumbers need to go through involve:

Apprenticeship of 4 – 5 years under the supervision of a journeyman plumber
Pass an aptitude test (Required to get into Apprenticeship programs)
Pass background checks (Required to get into Apprenticeship programs)
Pass a drug test (Required to get into Apprenticeship programs)
Obtain a Journeyman license (Work under a Master)
Obtain a Master Licence (Qualified to run a business that involves plumbing)

Different states have different requirements when it comes to who can work as a plumber.

There are some states like Kansas and Nebraska that allow people to work without a license. Other states, like Mississippi, don’t require licenses as long as the project falls under $10,000. Pennsylvania also has no license requirement, but certain cities and counties within it do.

When you are hiring a plumber, it can be worth checking if they meet the minimum standards of your state.