The good news is there are thousands of good reliable plumbing services. How to find one and guarantee you actually get good plumbing service takes a little effort, but it’s worth it! Unless it’s an emergency, take a moment and find a good plumbing service.

Licensed, Bonded & Insured

Maybe you already have a friend that does plumbing service work. If not, the yellow pages are a good starting place. I would typically call three or four firms to get a handle on their terminology and approach. Chances are one will jump out at you; service has a way of doing that. Licensed means ‘licensed by the state’, while bonded and insured mean the plumbing service carries some level of insurance protection.

Plumbers come in all shapes and sizes. The mega-firm with locations nationwide might be conveniently located, but the price per visit may not be commensurate with the work performed. Start with the licensed and bonded question. This will tell you whether the company is actually in the business as profession plumbing service and if they are solely a plumbing service or maybe a general service or property management company that subs out the work to qualified workers.

Call The Chamber Of Commerce

The local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau can also direct you to legitimate businesses, but their data is sometimes based on membership or only applies to pre-existing firms. Still, they do look to see if service companies have had complaints lodged against them.

What To Expect

When choosing a plumbing service you should be able to expect a friendly and timely service call within a reasonable timeframe, and definitely at or near the designated appointment time. You should expect to pay a fair service charge for a house call. After that you should ask for and get a clear estimate of repairs, if they are to take more than fifteen minutes to complete. You should get from your plumbing service a pre-quoted and written estimate on any remodelling project or repairs requiring removal of existing hardware.

Plumbing problems almost always impact other areas unrelated to plumbing. Expect to have to ask what those implications are and anticipate that repairs to related flooring, walls and other fixtures may not be done by a plumber.

Service, Service, Service

All that said, a good plumbing service will guide you rightly, through the repair or remodel, working with or for your general contractor. Do your research and then you should be able to choose with confidence. A licensed plumbing service will do the job according to the plumbing code in a timely manner.