Tag Archives: best chicago plumbers

Jul '22

10 Ways to Find a Dependable Plumber in Chicago

The plumbing system is a huge part of what makes your home such a nice place to live in. Although you don’t see this system at work most of the time, it is toiling away every single hour to keep you and your family supplied with clean water. It also carries away all the wastewater generated in your home without any fuss.

What would happen if your home’s plumbing system suddenly stopped working? That’s not something you like to think about, but it is a very real possibility. There are two ways to keep this from happening. You can avoid damage to your home’s plumbing by using it in the right way, says Ocean Blue Management. Secondly, you can protect your plumbing by only hiring a qualified plumber to work on it.

If you live in Chicago, you know that finding someone to fix problems with your plumbing is not hard at all. However, whether that person has the training and experience to do a good job is another matter altogether. The cost of letting unqualified persons handle your home’s plumbing system goes beyond the money you pay the person and your wasted time.

Badly done plumbing repairs and amateur plumbers subject your home to a slew of issues. Long after the joy of paying a small fee to a non-professional is forgotten, the unrelenting pains of that bad decision will still haunt you. What are the steps you can take to make sure that the plumber you hire to work on your Chicago home is trustworthy?

10 steps for finding a dependable plumber in Chicago

Experience matters

There are things you can only learn from years of practice; that’s why experience often coincides with competence. Also, a plumber who has been practicing in an area for a long time would have built a reputation. That reputation is easier to verify. A new company, on the other hand, might be a bad plumber who has recently moved to your area.

Are they local?

Give preference to local Chicago plumbers over national chains. Nationwide companies may have all the sophisticated equipment, but they lack one key thing: the personal touch. Local companies are more responsive, they can adapt to your specific needs, and you can build a long-term personal relationship with the plumber.

Verify credentials and licensing

Most tradesmen are happy to display proof of their competence via their various certifications and the training they have done. However, you should not take the plumber at their word. Take the extra step to verify all claims. Also, ensure the plumber you are working with is licensed by the municipality and that the license is still valid.

Ask about memberships

In addition to certifications, training, and licensing, the plumber should be a member of the local chapter of their professional body. Professional bodies have a code of conduct they expect their members to follow. The plumber knows that he can lose his standing, or license if he fails to uphold those standards.

Insurance and warranty

What kind of insurance do they offer? What happens if one of their workers is injured on your premises while working on your plumbing? What about if they damage your home or belongings while doing their work? Do they have enough insurance to cover these and is there a warranty on their work?

Look at their team

How many people do they have on their payroll? Are they permanent or temporary employees? What are the qualifications of the people who work for them? Permanent employees are more committed to their work than temporary staff, since, unlike temps, they may have to work for that same customer again in the future.

Check their online reputation

Follow the company’s online footsteps by checking the comments and reviews left by past and current customers. How does the company interact with people on its social media pages? Pay particular attention to its response to negative comments and reviews. What are its Yelp, Google, and BBB ratings?

Ask for referrals

Can the plumber furnish you with a list of people they have worked for in the last 6-12 months? These should be people who live close to your location. Ask the plumber’s permission to contact the people on the list. Make the effort to speak with some of them about their experience working with that plumber.

Ask for recommendations

Skilled workers and technicians who have worked within a specific location for a reasonable length of time often know one another. Your plumber, HVAC technician, and the local hardware store know the best workmen in the area and the ones who are no good. You can ask them for recommendations.

Are they willing to put things in writing?

Ask the plumber for a copy of the contract they give to their customers? Let them also provide the estimates in writing, rather than over the phone. A plumber who is unwilling or unable to do these cannot be trusted. Having things in writing helps you avoid unnecessary disputes in the future.

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Feb '22

What to Look for in a Local Chicago Plumber?

Plumbing issues in the home are unavoidable – they happen every so often. When they do happen, these problems can disrupt the entire routine of your household and destroy your personal belongings. Plumbing issues will also cost you a lot of money if you do not detect them on time.

The difference between having constant plumbing emergencies in your home and staying ahead of problems is the plumber you hire and your plumbing maintenance plan. Your plumber is vital to the frequency of plumbing problems in your home and how much they cost.

A good plumber should reduce the number of emergencies to the barest minimum. They should take you to where you will get preventative maintenance and upgrades. That means a relative absence of plumbing crises because issues are dealt with before they get to that point.

How do you find a plumber who is competent and trustworthy? What are the qualities you should look for in plumbers before hiring them? The list below highlights the critical traits a professional plumber must have. Following them will help you better manage plumbing issues in your home or office.

Tips for choosing the right plumber in Chicago

Are they a local or national chain plumbing company?

The first criterion is that you want a company near enough to respond to your needs. You want a long-term relationship with this company, and you expect that they will come to know your home’s plumbing intimately. It is hard to get these benefits when dealing with a national plumbing company such as Roto-Rooter and the like. That is why you should only talk to local plumbers in Chicago.

Licensing, accreditations, certifications, and memberships

They must be adequately trained and willing to share proof of that training. On your part, you should be able to verify any claims they make. In most municipalities, plumbers need licenses before working in the area. You want to ascertain this, their level of training and membership of the local chapter or their professional body.

Years of experience

The plumber must have experience; you only learn some things by doing. This experience is best if particularized to the kind of plumbing you have in your home or office. You don’t want a plumber who works mainly with single-family homes handling the plumbing in a multi-unit apartment complex.

Reviews and references

If a plumber in Chicago has been in the industry for a long time, they should have a list of satisfied customers who are willing to vouch for them. Ask for a list of references in the area and contact them to hear what they can say about the company. Also, check reviews of the company online; pay attention to negative reviews or comments to see how the company responds to them.

a local chicago plumber performing a drain cleaning service.

The quality of their employees

What kind of training does the staff of the company have? Do they use trained and certified plumbers? How many of such workers are on the company’s payroll? Are the workers full-time or part-time, and how long have they been with the organization? Finally, do they conduct thorough background checks on the people they employ?

Are they insured?

The company must have insurance up to a certain amount. They should be able to provide proof of that insurance. Moreover, you must verify their insurance from the insurance company. The company’s insurance should not only cover their employees in case of injury. It should shield you from liability and protect your property from loss or damage.

Tools and equipment

They should have up-to-date tools and equipment. Plumbing issues in the house require a diverse set of tools and equipment. If the plumber is not well equipped, it will affect the quality of work. That is crucial because you want a plumber to arrive when you have a plumbing emergency. A competent plumber should have a fully kitted van with everything they need to resolve plumbing emergencies in Chicago quickly and thoroughly.

Round-the-clock service

Plumbing emergencies don’t announce themselves before they happen, and they can happen at any time of the day. You want to know if your plumber can send someone to handle issues if they need fixing at the oddest hour of the night or during the holidays. Additionally, the company should have stellar customer service available throughout the day.

How much do they charge?

You should know the charges for any service the plumber in Chicago provides upfront. You want the plumber’s rates to compare favorably with what others charge. But more importantly, you want those rates to be transparent and predictable. You also want to know the kind of guarantees they offer on any work they do. You must, however, avoid the mistake of selecting the cheapest plumber.

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