So let's say you are having plumbing problems and your only option is to call a plumber. Do you know what you should do while your plumber is working? How do you know if he is indeed going to fix your problem and charge you fairly?
Rule Number 1: Know What The Problem Is
Plumbing is one of the most important parts of your home. You can honestly survive without heat and air, without electricity and without gas, but there is almost no way that you can survive without plumbing. Where would you shower? How would you be able to use the restroom?
What I am trying to say is that plumbing is way more important then most people think. So with that being said, most people have no idea how their plumbing system is piped in. It is a rarity to come across a home owner who knows what kind of pipes are used for their water or sewer lines.
Now, most of you will think or say, "What does it matter? A pipe is a pipe, right?" and the answer is always going to be no. If your house is 20 years old or older, then you probably do not have good piping. PVC or PEX is really the only way to go. Older men still think copper is the best, but copper is metal and water is extremely corrosive. So you really need to find out what your lines are like and be aware of what is out there.
Also, you may inherit plumbing defects in your house. This pertains to every home, from brand new to 100 years old, it doesn't matter. If your house was just built, you may want to keep an eye out for trouble and the best way for this is to check ahead of time to see how long your warranty lasts, if you have one. It is sad, but there are a lot of contractors out there that do shabby work.
An example of this would have occurred during the build. Let's say after the plumbing system has been inspected, one of the young plumbing apprentices accidentally jack hammered into a sewer pipe and to keep himself from getting into trouble he fills the hole back up with concrete, never telling his boss. Now, the concrete is in your sewer line and you already have a big problem. Since no one ever really uses the plumbing until you move in, the problem goes unnoticed until one day when your bathroom floods, a week after you move in.
What happens next is the plumbers come out and start running snakes and cameras to find out what is going on. Then they discover your real problem and tell you that they have to jack up your kitchen floor and rip out your counters just to fix the problem. Of course the plumber will have to pay for all of this, but you and your family will have to suffer.
The above is an actual true story. So please, know what is going on and make sure you have plumbers run tests and explain the results before you move in to any home, or this could end up being you.
Rule Number 2: Ask a Lot of Questions
The plumber may seem annoyed if you follow this piece of advice, but I say let him be. He is working on your house, the place you call home. You have never met this man, or woman although that is very rare, so don't think that you can just automatically trust them. Most service plumbers work off of commission, meaning the more they charge you, the more money they make. Often times a crooked plumber will charge you for everything he possibly can and even add on a few charges as well. Then he will say that he is giving you a five dollar discount because he feels bad about how high the bill is.
The best way to prevent something like this is to be vigilant. This basically means to be aware of what the plumber is doing at all times. If he says that he is going to have to run snake cable down your main sewer drain, ask him how much it costs. He will probably say something along the lines of $89.50 for the first 50 feet and $0.80 for every foot thereafter. If this is the case, watch him run the cable. Most sections of one inch cable are 15 feet long. So if he only uses three sections, that means you owe him $89.50. However, let's say he tries to tell you that he ran 75 feet, well now you have him caught.
Asking questions will help protect you by keeping the plumber honest.
