Plumbing work emergencies have a tendency to occur at the worst possible time. You may wake up early to prepare breakfast for your family when suddenly a pipe lets up. You may even have guests over for a party when your water system decides to take a holiday. An Urgence plumber will take care of your sinks, drains and pipes to rectify any problem that may have arisen. However, it is important to ensure that you get the best emergency plumber for the job.
Who to work with
The criteria you want to use when choosing between plumbers around your area is to analyze their services. When looking at the list of plumbers, first ensure that they actually offer emergency services. You do not want to be in the middle of an emergency waiting for a plumber that does not seem to be in a hurry to get to your home. A company or contractor offering emergency services would not be doing you a favor by working off-hours, and the prices will be favorable. This should help narrow down your list.
Recommendations are invaluable
In addition to your own search for contacts, you may want to get a plumber whose work is already known. In case of an emergency, the last thing you want is a quack attempting to fix your pipes. Ask your friends or family members to recommend someone they know would get the job done. Recommendations are fantastic because you have an assurance that the contractor will deliver on what is promised. You will also have all the information from the person who informed you so you know what to expect in terms of the range of prices and how much time it will take to complete the task. This will give you a head start in your search for an emergency plumber.
Legal matters
Any time you engage the services of a professional, you are essentially entering into a contract. Since a contract is legally binding, you need to ensure that you are protected in regard to legal matters. The first thing you would want to check is that the plumber has a valid license. This is the legal permit to work as a plumber. A plumber with a license is your assurance that you are working with someone that has gone through the necessary qualification procedures and is therefore not a quack. Secondly, ensure that the plumber is insured. This will save you a lot of legal problems, such as having to cover the medical bill for the plumber if he gets injured or gets into an accident within your premises.
Emergency plumbers are of great importance in a crisis, but you should never have to feel so desperate that you pick the first cheap contractor available. Taking the right steps when selecting a plumber will help ensure that you get back to your normal activities in no time and with little trouble.
Do you really need an emergency plumber? If you are building a swimming pool, you probably don't, but if the inside of your house starts to imitate a swimming pool, you most probably do.
There are undoubtedly jobs that require the services of a licensed plumber, such as when your toilet backs up into your tubs and sinks, or when you require putting in a new pipe line. However, there are jobs that require not just any plumber but an emergency plumber, such as when water uncontrollably runs out of your faucet and toilets starts flooding the house. However, they are at a premium. How do you know if there is a need for their services or not?
Do You Really Need An Emergency Plumber?
Before contacting any plumber, you would need to turn off the water supply, or if possible the waterline that supplies the fixture. This will prevent any further water damage. This would also most likely stop the flow of water. Once you've stopped the water flow, assess the situation. If the problem is an overflowing toilet, you will be all right until the morning, as long as you don't flush. You could also wait in the morning if you will be able to find alternatives, such as using the kitchen sink instead of the bathroom sink. You can then avoid paying for premium for calling in a 24-hour plumber during the night hours, or during holidays or weekend.
Calling an Emergency Plumber
However, if after turning off the water and assessing the situation, and your plumbing crisis cannot be put off, be prepared before calling an emergency plumber and have some information and questions readily available when you get hold of one.
Before calling the plumber's number, try to identify the problems as closely as you can. The more specific and more details you can provide, the better they will be able to gauge the emergency and estimate the cost of repair.
It is also a good idea to call several plumber's numbers if you do not yet have a licensed plumber of choice. You will be able to get several quotes of service call fees as there could sometimes be significant difference in prices.
Also ask for a quote for the service call. Some will charge for simply coming to your house, even if they would not be doing any repairs then. Make sure to ask for this amount ahead of time, and not be surprised by it in your bill.
Ask for an estimate for the total cost of repairs. Some 24-hour plumbers will not want to give an estimate over the phone, and would want to personally assess the plumbing situation first. But you may be able to get a rough estimate and an idea of the price if you come well-informed about the plumbing emergency. Picture out the scenario to your emergency plumber and ask for the usual or average cost of repair.
If you are calling an emergency service, always ask for the emergency plumber to call you first, so that you will be able to talk to the plumber personally and get a better estimate of cost.
