The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Plumbers... Really? How much?
Thundyrkatz
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hello folks I am looking for some advice on Plumbers
I am a fairly new home owner, less then 1 year, and I recently ran into some plumbing issues and had to call a plumber to come fix me up. This turned out to be horrendously expensive and though I am sure I was over charged I honestly have nothing to compare the pricing to.
This all started when I tried to fix a leaky faucet in my kitchen. A simple Delta Faucet with a ball valve. I bought the parts to replace the ball valve and was all set to go. Step 1 shut off the water valves under the sink. Well that is where things fell apart. The valves were original to the house, so like 40 years old. Not only would they not fully shut off. When I turned them back to the open position, they began leaking. Good times.
So, several hundreds of dollars later I have some shiny new valves a repaired faucet.
I have heard that plumbers are the most expensive repair people you will bring into your home. But wow, I had no idea. Have others found plumbers to be outrageously expensive?
Also, other then looking through the phone book and hoping to get lucky with a qualified plumber, any thoughts on where to look for a good plumber recommendations?
I am new to town and don’t know too many people so it’s difficult to get good word of mouth recommendations. I have some other non-emergency work I would like to get done but not at these prices.
I live in Southern NH if that helps. Thanks for your help!
I am a fairly new home owner, less then 1 year, and I recently ran into some plumbing issues and had to call a plumber to come fix me up. This turned out to be horrendously expensive and though I am sure I was over charged I honestly have nothing to compare the pricing to.
This all started when I tried to fix a leaky faucet in my kitchen. A simple Delta Faucet with a ball valve. I bought the parts to replace the ball valve and was all set to go. Step 1 shut off the water valves under the sink. Well that is where things fell apart. The valves were original to the house, so like 40 years old. Not only would they not fully shut off. When I turned them back to the open position, they began leaking. Good times.
So, several hundreds of dollars later I have some shiny new valves a repaired faucet.
I have heard that plumbers are the most expensive repair people you will bring into your home. But wow, I had no idea. Have others found plumbers to be outrageously expensive?
Also, other then looking through the phone book and hoping to get lucky with a qualified plumber, any thoughts on where to look for a good plumber recommendations?
I am new to town and don’t know too many people so it’s difficult to get good word of mouth recommendations. I have some other non-emergency work I would like to get done but not at these prices.
I live in Southern NH if that helps. Thanks for your help!
Thundyrkatz on
0
Posts
Check out yelp for plumber recs. Ask for recs from whoever represented you in purchasing the home (your real estate agent). When you find someone you like keep going back to them for future jobs.
to save money in the future, you should learn to do basic plumbing yourself... unless you're significantly changing the existing plumbing layout, basic stuff is easy... unclogging usually requires a snake and some patience, replacing pieces of pipe takes either glue or solder and some skill, same with valves, faucets, drains, etc.
i highly recommend getting comfortable with the DIY Network on TV, and shows like "This Old House", as they will teach you invaluable information... check out their plumbing section for a good start:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/plumbing
Another option would be to use this as an opportunity to break the ice and ask someone at work or church, or at the coffee shop, or bookstore. From there, build a list of plumbers to call to get quotes from. Being new to an area only means you have to talk to people you haven't known very long, it doesn't mean the people around you won't help.
Sorry, but is this a joke?
No
No. Besides being a skilled profession they are also practicing a profession in conditions that most people don't want to work in, and charge accordingly.
You can botch a lot of jobs but a botched plumbing job can be one of the most damaging to the home besides electrical and a bad foundation.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
...which means that plumbers need to carry liability insurance, which also costs money.
Luckily I received it as a gift from my father.
Plumbers do more than than the maintenance crew at an apartment complex.
Just going to jump on the bandwagon of commending this fine post. Let's see you go through a sewer train, unclog the sewer backwash valve, lubricate it, and remove ingrown roots from a sewer line without damaging it in the span of 1.5 hours.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions. I agree that plumbers are highly skilled and deserve to get paid accordingly. I was expecting to pay a few hundred bucks, and was just surprised when it was much more then that!
Also, i was trying to fix it myself, but apparently i am not as handy as i had once thought i was. So, not only was i out lots of money my pride was crushed. needless to say i was not a happy camper.
I have one of those do it yourself books, i was following it when things went wrong! on step 1 no less!
Thanks for the advice on the real estate agent and the home inspector, i will call them tomorrow.
Thanks everyone, i appreciate your help.
Not only that, but the state of the industry is a little lackluster as well. Most of the "plumbers" I ran across (working for other outfits, naturally) were no more than apprentices sent out with a handbook on common repair issues. A lot of them were alcoholics and/or drug addicts, to boot, and our company was called out more than a few times to correct the mistakes that one of these guys had made.
A good plumber will never want for work, though. Finding them is tough, though, as they tend to lack the capital to heavily advertise. A good rule of thumb is to note the size of their ad in the Yellow Pages--the bigger it is, the worse service you're going to receive. Like I mentioned before, these guys aren't rich (and are in the wrong line of work if they want to get that way), so anyone who can afford the astounding cost of a full-page ad in the phone book is ripping someone off down the line--and that someone is you. Who cares if you never call them back? There's a few hundred thousand other residents of any reasonably-sized city to scam.
The best way to find a good plumber is through word of mouth. Ask friends, family and neighbors who live in the area. See if your neighborhood has a community newsletter with a classified section. And check out Angie's List--it's full of consumer reviews tailored specifically for businesses, like Yelp without the shadiness.
When snagging a plumber, go with one who works on a time-and-materials basis. About 10-15 years ago, some outfits started hopping on a new trend in plumbing services--flat-rate pricing. While it's certainly attractive to the consumer--since you know what you will pay up front and don't have to worry about cost overruns--flat-rates make it easier for a plumber to mask themselves ripping you off. It also turns a service-oriented business into a sales-oriented one, as most of those drug-addled-apprentices-with-Plumbing-for-Dummies guys would also be pressured into upselling their customers. A good plumber will charge a fair rate for his services, and with time-and-materials pricing you know exactly what you are paying for.
And when you think you've found the guy and he shows up to your house, feel free to ask to see his license. If he's at all worth his salt, he'll have worked damn hard to earn that license and would be proud to show it off. If he hems and haws, send him away. If you think he might be honest when he says he forgot it at home, have him come back later with it. It's your money, and you have a right to make sure it's not going to waste.
Good luck and watch out for scammers!
They won't use parts you supply, because they've had way to many problems with people being stupid and buying the wrong parts etc.
Definitely learn how to do small/easy projects around the house or on the car, its a ton of fun and saves a lot of money. Just be prepared to pay big to have a professional fix anything that gets screwed up. Unless they are exceptionally nice they'll charge the same hourly for an easy job versus a hard one.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
You had no way of knowing that shit was going to go south, so don't blame yourself. Don't give up on the simple stuff. Some plumbing isn't hard. Some suck balls, and are to be avoided. Chalk this up as a learning experience and move on :^:
I had some leaky shut off valves as well, but they just hadn't been used in a while. The stopped pretty quickly and I haven't had a problem with them since (knock on wood).
The sewage ejector pump, however, is a different story.
Penguin, thanks for the kind words. Misery loves company so it is nice to know i am not alone. Sorry to hear about the ejector pump, i looked at a house that had one of those. The whole idea of having sewage at a gravitational advantage to my basement was just more then i could handle. i hope it wasn't as bad as i have imagined.
I will have to look for a plumbing store, you aren't kidding that the nice people at the big box store don't know much about plumbing.
Again, Thank you all for the help. I appreciate it.