Questions You Should Ask Before Engaging A Plumber
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If you are having some plumbing problems or want to install new drains, pipes, sinks, basins, do kitchen remodeling, etc. and want to engage a plumbing contractor, you need to be prepared with some questions which will help you in saving a lot of time and money in the long term. You need to ask them step-by-step and write them on a piece of paper so that you do not forget anything, so here are some questions you should ask before hiring a plumber for fittings of pipes, water motors, installing water lines, fixing water tank, sink, toilet, kitchen, drains, basins, bathroom showers, installation of sewerage and drainage fixtures, etc:
- Do you know how to do this plumbing work?
- What will be cost for this plumbing work? Also take a written estimate to avoid surprise bills at the end of work.
- Are you state certified and insured? If yes, tell him to show his/her certification, insurance, and previous work record to check for any complaints again him.
- Who will bring all the plumbing fixtures and pipes from the hardware shop, you or me?
- How many people you will bring to do this work and if you are doing it alone, how much time will you take to complete this task?
- If you are having water problems or your water motor pump is not working, you need to ask do I need to buy a new water pump or will this work after repairing?
- What is the guarantee of the plumbing work done by you and your workers?
If you are engaging a plumber for excavation of a well for getting groundwater, you need to add some questions to the above questions like:
- What do you think at how many feet groundwater will be available in my area?
- Digging a well for groundwater needs special permission from court, will you take the cost of charges for that from me or I need to take permission on my own?
- What is the cost of boring and drilling and pipes and submersible motor pumps for pumping water from underground wells? Take a written estimate.
- Will you hire a boring machine from other sources or do you own a boring machine yourself?
- What if you are not able to get groundwater after digging? What will be the charge to my pocket at that time?
Asking the above questions and writing them on a piece of paper will not only assist you in discovering an ideal plumbing contractor for your plumbing work but also these questions will make sure that the work is done successfully without costing you extra money or time than what was required or estimated in the beginning of engaging the plumber.
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Hi ocbill, I have been hiring local plumbers for my domestic needs since changing my house, I think for last 5 years now. In my old house, my father used to do all the hirings. I have many times experienced the problem you have talked about of getting bill two times of what had been estimated initially and slowly and slowly I learned how to tackle with these problems. Also, checking certification or plumbing license is really important if you want to avoid problems in the future.
I am a licensed contractor and read this with interest. Soni the best thing is to get QUOTES or ESTIMATES from say 2-3 plumbers. Depending on the nature of the work (for example the number of unknowns), the quotes will vary and its not always in your interest to just take the cheapest because it can mean shortcuts or lack of quality. Also, what is a FAIR thing? With renovations (cf to new work) you can start something and find more problems so there are variations in the work and price and with experience you can find contractors who you feel are a 'fit' with you and do the right thing by their clients who do the right thing by them.
Hi psychic, I was not aware that you are a licensed contractor. You have explained all the process and given a solution to the problem in an excellent way. I forgot about this thing of getting estimates from two or three plumbers and getting the cheapest one is not always good.
Thanks for the alerts.
Fortunately my bank has done a sifting process of different contractors and from this pre-qualified list I may choose. Helps a lot to sift the fly by nights.
That's really great equealla so you don't need to search for contractors as you already have a pre-qualified list.
Nice Hub. These are definitely questions to consider when hiring a plumber.
Thank you so much whitton. Thanks for the visit.
Hi soni2006.. great hub!! theres surely a lot to know before you hire a plumber!! hiring the wrong person can be disastorous.
carrie
ocbill 22 months ago
very good questions. Although, lots of contractors will tell you what you want to hear and not blink an eye if the bill is two times what he estimated claiming well problem A, was caused by another problem I did not see until now.
I think your most important item to get prior to work starting is their certification or license and check it. This is not my experience just other people I know who used contractors.