Photo By Pixel-Shot at Shutterstock

People tend to think of plumbing services as last-minute repair work or emergency fixes. When water’s gushing out through walls, there’s no water for your morning shower, the toilet’s sprung a leak, comparing services is the last thing on your mind. But there’s no shortage of plumbing services near Granbury, TX. And relying on mediocre plumbers is a disaster waiting to happen, especially if your home warranty has lapsed. Here are a few things to check if you’re looking for tradespeople you can rely on for all your plumbing issues for many years to come:

1.  License, Certification, and Trade Body Membership

A plumber’s list of qualifications and accreditations are your first of call. You should expect your plumbing service provider to have a Level 3 Diploma in Domestic Plumbing and Heating – or a Level 2, at the very least. If they have a website, check the bottom of the homepage for seals and logos from plumbing organizations like United Association (UA), American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), or Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC). However, plumbing license requirements vary by state, so be sure to check the certifications required before you call a plumber. For the time being, plumbers’ licenses are awarded locally by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners.

2. Insurance

Insurance is very important because in this line of work, accidents do happen; and when they do, you don’t want to be liable for hefty repair bills. Any reliable plumbing service provider in Granbury, TX should have a substantial policy amounting to millions of dollars, to cover structural damage to your home, fire, flooding, and various other costly issues. Even if it may take time for the funds to reach you, and you may need to pay some of the cost up-front, you still have the peace of mind that comes with knowing it will eventually all be covered by the insurance company.

3.  Guarantee

Good plumbing service providers are backed up by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. There are several third-party companies that can cover the cost of a plumbing job if you’re not entirely satisfied with the work. Some plumbers advertise a U-Win service satisfaction guarantee on their website. Others are part of the TrustMark scheme. This is a government endorsed scheme that asks members to adhere to a strict code of conduct. There are other agencies that offer these guarantees for fully vetted technicians, depending on where you live. Both journeymen and master plumbers should be able to offer this guarantee, whereby they come back and redo the work for free if you’re not satisfied with it the first time around.

4.  Experience

It’s not unusual for plumbing service companies to send out two tradespeople at once, especially if the problem you’re having is not so straightforward and different skills may be required. Other times, a more experienced plumber is joined by a trainee or apprentice. It pays to make sure that the trainee is supervised at all times. Be sure to shadow them discreetly if the more experienced plumber steps out at any moment. That said, there are times when a less experienced plumber can fix a recurrent issue quickly, even after more experienced colleagues have failed. The age of your house, plumbing, and water heating appliances will be a factor. If an issue keeps coming back after you’ve paid a plumbing service company to fix it, don’t hesitate to request a second opinion. In Texas, a journeyman plumber must have at least 8,000 hours of work experience, while a master plumber has at least four more years of experience on top of that.

5.  References

Nowadays, online references are easy to manipulate. Some websites can do very little to filter out dishonest reviews. It’s easy to spot fake ones though. Look at the time of day (or night) most of them have been posted, the names and profiles of people posting, and their grammar and spelling. Websites like TrustPilot will post a banner at the top of review profiles that have been flagged for suspicious activity.

There are a few websites that aren’t as easily manipulated, though. Look for lumbing service reviews on Home Advisor, ReviewBuzz, and Customer Lobby. If you have a neighborhood website featuring plumbers who operate in the Granbury, TX area, swap stories with your neighbors and get some recommendations from them.

If your prospective plumbers have a website, check the companies that endorse them. A BBB A+ accreditation is the standard in this industry. If they’re not local, then they should at least be well-known brands. Also look for genuine charitable organization logos on their website like The Salvation Army shield, American National Red Cross, Step Up for Students, Care USA, etc.

Word-of-mouth is also very important, so don’t underestimate the value of good recommendations from friends and relatives. These plumbing service providers are also very convenient, because they’re likely to operate in the Granbury, TX area. If you don’t have enough references to cross-check, then ask some of the other tradespeople you know. Being referred to a good plumber by another professional could also entitle you to a discount.

6.  Price

There’s a reason we left the price for last. However much it costs to have a good plumbing service provider at your disposal within minutes, it’s worth it. That said, there’s only so much a plumber can charge. Fixing minor leaks, replacing small parts, and unclogging accessible drains should never cost more than a couple of hundred dollars. For plumbers with a fixed call-out charge or hourly rate, you could even squeeze several odd plumbing jobs in there. When it comes to fitting filters, fixing water heaters, or replacing a sewer line, though, you’re looking at a hefty three-figure sum.

Contact the experts at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing today!