When you have a plumbing emergency at your home, you need to quickly find a qualified, professional Plumbers Athens OH to fix the problem. Here are several ways to find a plumber:
- Check with your family or friends for a referral.
- Ask a local real estate agent for a good plumber she has used.
- If you have used another contractor in your home, ask the contractor for a referral.
- Check with the local plumbing supply store for a recommendation for a reputable plumbing company.
- Go online and check the reviews of plumbers in your area. If you search for a plumber in your city on one of the popular search engines, such as Google or Yahoo, you will find the search engines “Local Listing” of plumbers geographically near you, links to their website, and customer reviews of their work.
After you find a plumber in your area, what do you look for before you hire them? Here is a checklist of items you need to ask a plumber… BEFORE you hire them.
Are you licensed by the state to do plumbing?
Always check that you are working with a licensed plumber, ask to see his state license! Licensed plumbers have the work experience, training, and are familiar with current state and local plumbing codes. In addition to passing an exam to receive their license, they must take annual continuing education to keep abreast of changes to the codes, new products, and innovations in plumbing.
In Georgia, there are a lot of skills you need to succeed as a plumber. As a result, there are many steps an apprentice plumber needs to take to become a Journeyman or Master Plumber. These steps and the rules for obtaining the designation of master plumber are set by the state. You must have 3-5 years of primary plumbing experience, references, and pass an exam to get a Journeyman or Master Plumbing license. For a Master Plumbers license part of your experience must include commercial or industrial plumbing. In addition, they should have additional certifications to test and certify backflow devices or work on septic systems.
How many years have you been in business?
A good rule of thumb is look for plumber’s that have been in business for 8-10 years. This gives you a gauge as to how viable and stable the business is and if they will be around to warrant the work they do on your home.
Are Service Technicians background checked?
Would you be comfortable having their Service Technicians working in your home? A plumber should conduct a complete background check and random drug testing on all employees. Further, professional Service Technicians working in your home should be uniformed and have name tags. These Service Technicians should be company employees and not sub-contractors.
What are your skills and experience in plumbing?
Plumbing demands specific technical skills and knowledge. Plumbing companies use specific tools not available to a homeowner or a local plumbing handyman. The benefit of dealing with an experienced, qualified plumbing company is… they are equipped with all the necessary training, skills, plumbing tools, and experience to handle all sorts of plumbing emergencies in your home.
Does your plumbing company have insurance?
A plumbing company performing service in your home should have General Liability Insurance and a current Workman’s Compensation insurance certificate. Upon request, the plumber should be able to provide you with a copy of his insurance.
General liability insurance covers damage that might occur to your home directly caused by the plumber. If the plumber does not have his own general liability policy, any damages would be covered by your homeowners insurance. Typically the plumber should carry a minimum of $500,000.00 in general liability insurance, but it is not uncommon for plumbers who do commercial plumbing to carry $3,000,000.00 in coverage.
