Plumber - When to Call a Professional and When to DIY

1. P PL LU UMBER MBER - - W WH HEN A AN ND D W WH HEN EN TO EN TO TO D DIY IY TO C CA AL LL L A A P PRO ROFESSIONAL FESSIONAL

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS How to Get in Contact with a Good Plumber. Clogged Drain Repair: When to Call a Professional and When to DIY. The Basics of Getting Ready for Water Line Repair. How to Go About Water Heater Installation.

3. HOW TO GET IN CONTACT WITH A GOOD PLUMBER Calling a plumber requires some research. A good plumber with many years of experience may be hard to find, but not impossible! One of the best ways to network to find a good plumber is to call friends. A good reputation is important, but you also want someone that you can communicate with well. Sometimes you also need someone who is just fast, or who can do an exceptionally hard job. It’s important to say what you are looking for in a plumber, especially if you have an emergency like a huge leak. Your plumber should be someone you can communicate with well. Since everyone communicates differently, this might be a challenge to find. It is well worth the search. Communicating well with tradespeople starts with making time to talk and finding your building plans if you can. You will want to make sure that you can recall when things started to go wrong with your plumbing. Thoroughness is paramount when it comes to plumbing, so your plumber may check on the whole house even if only one pipe is broken. Suspect pipes can conduct rust and erode valves, so take the time to talk with your plumber about water quality and any oddities you might have noticed. You will help them save lots of time on the job.

4. You want a plumber that can attend to you right away, usually. Water damage is tough to fix, so making an appointment for your plumber as soon as you spot a leak is a good idea. The fastest way to find a plumber is usually to go through a combination of friends and the phone book. You can also save time by working up a list of contractors slowly and keeping track of advertisements. Being prepared with a few warm leads on who might be the fastest person to come out is a great way to get ahead of a leak. You can also save time by scheduling house checkups, just like you would schedule a checkup with a doctor. This enables you to get ahead of a broken gasket or other malfunction and fix it before it breaks all the way. Specialty plumbers are also available for certain jobs. For really rare types of malfunction, you might find that a specialty plumber is what is needed. Some plumbers have industrial certificates or certificates to work on plumbing with natural gas lines or on home remodels, for example. You can do research on sites like Angie’s List or a simple internet search for your area to find out who has them. You can also call a union office or a contractor to see who might have a specialty that is in your area.

5. A plumber is a tradesman, so be prepared for a good-sized bill for the right person. Knowing this, do your research and buy with confidence when you find the right plumber. A job well done is worth the expense because of water damage prevention and peace of mind. You can keep track of advertisements and call around before you need a plumber if you want to get ahead of the game, but you can also network through friends or make heavy use of your phone book if you don’t have time to call people ahead of a leak. Have someone with a good reputation whom you can communicate really well when a need arises.

6. CLOGGED DRAIN REPAIR: WHEN TO CALL A PROFESSIONAL AND WHEN TO DIY Your clogged drain repair doesn’t have to be complicated. Drains can get all kinds of things in them, from hair to dirt buildup. Sometimes, drains become clogged with residue that is industrial. They may get slime in them or grease. It is important to know what is in your drain while you try to unclog it. You can stick a wire hanger down the drain to try to find out what is in there if you need to at first. You can also swirl the wire around to try to pull out hair and other stringy materials to clean it. If you can’t find out what is in the drain or it is farther down than your hanger will reach, you should proceed with caution. There are a few things everyone can do at home for clogged drain repair, providing a solid chunk of something isn’t stuck down them. One option is to pour a chemical cleaner down the drain. There are several green alternatives to this, such as baking soda and vinegar. You can also try bleach, but the smell is incredibly strong. Bleach is also flammable and it can make people faint, so watch your nose if you decide to try it. Make sure you open at least the door, and open both the door and the window if possible. You don’t want to pass out in the bathroom on accident!

7. It’s time to call a professional when these tips are too strenuous, the clog is severe, or the tips don’t work. These things will get rid of most minor clogs, and a few major ones. If a chemical or natural cleaner like baking soda and vinegar won’t work, you might have something serious on your hands, like a plastic toy or a chunk of industrial grease. Don’t wait too long before calling a professional. They can assess what is in your drain and pump it if need be. To avoid needing clogged drain repair, make sure you are using your drains for the right purpose. Industrial drains are different from home systems. A home system may become clogged over time by natural materials like heavy dirt, small pieces of gravel, and micous clay that can accumulate. These things may not be noticeable as they build up, and you may not even know they are tracked into your house until the drain is clogged. Industrial drains have both catches and larger apertures to handle micous clays and gravel, while home drains do not. Make sure you’re not asking your home drains to handle an industrial job by cleaning them often and checking them. Then you can adjust your shoe or laundry situation to avoid clogging them.

8. Clogged drain repair doesn’t have to be a frequent task. Keeping on top of your drains is a tough task, but it’s worth it in expensive pumping fees. While you can’t help a few things getting by you into your drain, everyone can prevent buildup by watching what goes into their drains. Repairing a clogged drain is not as difficult if you handle small amounts of clog before they build up.

9. THE BASICS OF GETTING READY FOR WATER LINE REPAIR Getting your water line repaired by a professional doesn’t have to be a hassle. Water lines can have various breaks in them, or on occasion a pipe rusts out. You should always call a professional plumber when you need water line repair. Calling at the first sign of a break is the best thing to do, before complications arise. There are many water lines in a house, and even more in most industrial buildings. Whatever the problem seems to be, it’s safer to hedge on the side of caution when it comes to water line repair. Call early and try to shut your water off if possible to hedge against any more breakage. Prep your house. Depending on the number of water line repairs needed, there are several things you can do to get ready. The best thing you can do is clean out the area of the garage or hideaway where your water heater and other major plumbing hookups are housed. The professionals will need access to major plumbing outlets with room for their tools. You will save a lot of time by making room for everything there. You can also anticipate that some electrical may need to be looked at for the hot water, so it is a good idea to clear your electrical panel area as well. Make room in the hallway for lots of tools, and try to access your house plans if possible so that the plumber can test the lines in a more efficient manner.

10. Do your research on the professional. You always want to know who you are working with if you can. Calling friends for recommendations or a contractor with a common acquaintance is a great way to start. You can also get reviews on sites like Angie’s List to find out more about your plumbers. Water line repair is a pretty serious task, so the people working may be making major pipe repairs if the situation warrants. You will want to get an idea of how good an estimator the plumber is and how long he takes before hiring. Start with those questions and then move into questions about quality and professionalism. Have the lines cleaned before they are repaired. This is one of the things that holds plumbers up and increases your estimated bill. You can save some time, money, and hassle by having the water lines cleaned before the plumber gets there. Depending on your geographical area and how much clay is in your soil, water lines can become fairly dirty. In rainier areas with less clay, they may stay pretty clean. It’s a good idea to call someone who works in water or contracting to ask about the water line situation if you need an estimate of how large the cleaning bill may be in your locale.

11. HOW TO GO ABOUT WATER HEATER INSTALLATION Water heater installation should always be done by a professional. Hot water heaters are a heavy piece of equipment with a lot of wires and some high heat elements. There is also the issue of water pumping through the heater at a relatively high rate. You should always leave installation to a professional because of the safety risk if there is a leak. You should also not try to touch a broken hot water heater, to avoid getting burned. Even if you have gloves, broken hot water heaters can spurt extremely hot water or heat the water up to the wrong temperature. Make sure you are safe by turning your heater off if you suspect that it’s broken while you call a specialist. You should not try to install a water heater by yourself. Water heater installation has a unique combination of electrical wiring and plumbing, and the task is fairly complex. Many times specialists come out in pairs to do the job, as the heaters are quite heavy. Suffice it to say, it’s usually not a one-man job. You can’t roll or slide the heaters around when they need moving, and it takes a couple of people to set them in their housing. It also takes a few helpers to test the heater as it adjusts once it’s installed.

12. Installing a new model is always a good idea. Sometimes people are tempted to repair old hot water heaters rather than buying a new model. While it’s certainly not a bad idea to repair them, it’s nearly always a good idea to buy a new model. Rust and other buildup can accumulate on older models, and all in all it’s just a safe bet to go with a new one. It is often worth the extra expense to go with a new model because they will require little to no maintenance for much longer than an older model. The time and cost savings on repairs are a nice thing, and so you should consider a new heater when it comes to water heater installation. Check the temperatures when installing since they reset themselves. During water heater installation, the lines and the valves are reset, and so the temperature of the water may not be what it was previously. Sometimes it sets the water temperature colder, but on occasion the water can be very hot until it is adjusted. Water heater installation is fairly complex, so you might need up to an hour to get the water adjusted to the correct temperature. Make sure you do this with your installation expert before he leaves, since it’s pretty tough to adjust by yourself.

13. Water heater installation is an expensive repair, but it is well worth it. A brand new water heater is a great option, and if you choose to go this route, you will experience a lot more peace of mind. Having clear water lines and a rust-free environment is well worth the expense of a new heater for many people. Search for professionals on sites like Angie’s List if you need help choosing a qualified installer for your hot water heater.

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