Choosing the Right Plumber
What to look for when hiring a plumber
Hiring a qualified and reliable plumber ensures your plumbing projects are completed professionally and efficiently. Here are some factors to consider when looking for a plumber:
- Licensing and certification: Ensure the plumber is licensed and certified to work in your area. Licensing requirements may vary by location, but a licensed plumber will have met the necessary education and training requirements set by local authorities.
- Experience: Look for a plumber with a proven track record and expertise in the specific plumbing services you need. An experienced plumber will be more likely to complete the job efficiently and with high quality.
- Insurance: Ensure the plumber is insured to protect yourself and your property from accidents or damages during the job. A reputable plumber should carry both liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance.
- References and reviews: Ask for references from previous clients and check online reviews to gauge the plumber’s reputation. This can give you an idea of their work quality and customer satisfaction.
- Communication: Choose a plumber who communicates clearly and professionally, answering your questions and addressing your concerns. This can help ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience.
- Estimates and Pricing: Obtain written estimates from multiple plumbers to compare their pricing. Ensure the estimates include materials, labor, and potential extra costs. Beware of extremely low quotes, which may indicate subpar work or hidden fees.
- Availability and response time: Consider a plumber who is available and can quickly respond to emergencies. Plumbing issues can be time-sensitive, and a prompt response can help minimize damage and costs.
- Warranty and guarantees: A reputable plumber should stand behind their work and offer warranties or guarantees on their services. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of these warranties.
- Professionalism and cleanliness: Hire a plumber who maintains a professional appearance, treats your home respectfully, and cleans up after completing the job. This can help ensure a positive experience.
- Local knowledge and expertise: A plumber familiar with local building codes and regulations can help ensure your project is completed safely and up to code.
Considering these factors, you can increase your chances of hiring a reliable and professional plumber to address your plumbing needs.
This week, Mike’s Tips focuses on choosing a plumber, HVAC, air conditioning service, or any service to keep you cool when it’s hot, hot when it’s cold, with fresh air and water where you need it, and not anywhere else.
NOTE: In no way are these statements meant to disparage any business, regardless of location, background, aggregator relationship, or any other tool one would use to find a plumbing services provider.
Let’s start with the basics. In New Jersey, to legally perform residential or commercial plumbing, it is imperative to have a valid license. This license should be current and found on their website or any other communication means. That means that regardless of whether you are a homeowner or a business owner, you have the right, and should exercise that right, to see the plumber’s license and workers comp insurance documents. This protects you from any lawsuits based on an accident on your premises by an employee or sub-contractor of the plumbing contractor you hired. Do not accept the equivalent of “I’ll bring it tomorrow” or “I just changed insurance carriers, and I don’t have the new ones with me.” While these might be accurate answers, you should not engage or sign a contract for work until you are presented with the proper documents.
Rule #1 – Do not search Craigslist for qualified, licensed plumbing, heating, and HVAC technicians. There are reports of lawsuits against these so-called tradesmen of all areas (carpenters, painters, mason workers, electricians, and more). Craigslist is for people who have some experience in one or more trades, work for cheap, provide low(er)-quality repair parts, and have no license or insurance. This is not meant as a complete burial of Craigslist (I’ve successfully bought some used but functional car parts.). There are dog walkers, math tutors, music teachers, and others who should be able to provide you with some evidence of success if only a few names of people who used them and offer a testimonial.
Rule #2 – Trying to get someone working on a job across the street to “give you a deal” since they are already nearby. This could be a good time to chat with your neighbor and ask him/her how they chose this plumbing service. Maybe it was a recommendation from a family friend, or perhaps he/she used them on another property – all good answers, but remember that the person who priced the project may not be there. If not, it’s a “side job” for one of their workers, who may not be qualified to do what you need to be done. Skilled plumbers typically have the namesake, phone number, and license number on their trucks. So, before you offer your money to a stranger who happens to be across the street, call their office and ask for their plumbing license number and explain you would like a WRITTEN proposal.
Note: if it’s an emergency i.e. a pipe broke and you can’t find the shut-off valve, be safe (bring the neighbor back to your house too), and ask for a fee for the fellow across the street to show you where the shut-off valve is, and turn it off. Then you can say thank you, hand him a few dollars, and put in a call to the number on the truck outside. No number? Then ask someone on the job for their office number and verify they are who they claim to be.
Rule #3 – Trucks with no signs or, worse, HANDMADE signs aren’t worthy of your time or your money. There are nightmare stories of jobs left half-finished while the tech went to buy parts with the money you gave him and never came back. Oh, and that number on the truck? It is likely disconnected, a pizza store, or the guy’s cell phone. Be smart, and be safe. Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC trucks are easily identifiable by their Fire Engine Red, and White painted bodies, with our numbers visible.
Rule #4 – Get a detailed estimate. A legitimate plumber will provide a document outlining exactly what you are asking them to repair, an estimate of the cost of parts and labor, and course, NJ Sales Tax. Why are these estimates? Two reasons, some parts have volatile prices. Copper, for example, reached an all-time high of 4.58 a pound in February 2011 and a record low of 1.94 in January 2016. Today it closed at $2.91, but with geopolitics and home-building changing weekly, it’s often difficult to be precise on parts. Likewise, labor costs are based on what’s visible during the inspection. As more debris is removed, unforeseen surprises can appear. Mold, termite damage, and rotten pipes from years ago may have become immovable and must be removed carefully to avoid further damage to connecting pipes. Asbestos-covered pipes must be removed in compliance with EPA guidelines and disposal costs can be high. Your contract signature does not allow the contractor to start adding fees. Instead, as these discoveries are made, a qualified tech should provide a revised estimate covering these new issues and how, where, when, and how much it will take to remedy. The contract should also include an expected start and end date.
Rule #5 – Show your appreciation for a job well done. Today’s independent plumbing and heating companies rely on the word of mouth of happy customers. There will always be clients who, regardless of the circumstances, feel unhappy with the cost or the time it took to complete the job. We make every effort to keep them at a minimum. Therefore, when you are pleased with the work, please consider providing a sentence or two as a testimonial we can use in our marketing. It helps you and us as we’ll show our appreciation with an appropriate discount on the next job you invite us to do for you.
Rule #6 – Understanding Aggregators. It would break our rule of non-disparagement of other companies if we were to name companies considered aggregators. Think of TV ads that promise they have vetted the service you need and can provide a highly-qualified service tech. Besides plumbing, they provide this service for electrical work, basement and garage cleanouts, and other activities. To be a plumber who MIGHT get selected for a job, a significant fee is payable to the aggregator to be on “Maggie’s Page” or “Your House Advisories”. Read the reviews, but realize that the vendors do some. Once the job is identified, it’s put out as a lead to several different service providers, in this case, plumbers; again, and it’s worth repeating, Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC does not disparage these services aggregators. It’s just not how we’ve done business for 40 years.
One Final Thought. You have a choice, especially when letting strangers wearing a uniform into your home or business. Please know, beyond a doubt, that you can trust Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC. Everything discussed above, from contracts to licenses to response times, is clearly explained and documented in our contract. Yes, there are times when an initial estimate must be revised in price, but as I mentioned before, it’s a matter of what we find as we begin repairing your problem.
Try Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC.
We’ll give you the best in people, parts, and service. Visit our website at www.mucciaplumbing.com or call Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC at 201-343-1414. We give you our best.
About Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC
Exclusively Serving Bergen County, New Jersey
Michael Muccia is a Master Plumber and the owner and operator of Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC. Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC is a full-service Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) service company based in and serving Bergen County, NJ, since 1978. The Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC team of trained and certified service technicians offers various services, including general plumbing and heating maintenance, for residential and commercial clients.
Whatever your plumbing, heating, air conditioning, or ventilation needs are, it’s easier with Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC. We treat our customers, large and small, with the best service in the industry. We know you have a choice when considering an HVAC company, and no matter what we do for you, we treat it as the most crucial job in our history. Our experience proves that we know how to work efficiently, which keeps costs low, uses only the best components within budget, and stands behind the work we do.
Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC has locations in the following areas:
Hackensack | Hillside | Ramsey | Waldwick | Maywood | Tenafly
