Your relationship with a plumber is like any relationship. A certain level of trust and understanding is needed from both parties. There’s no better way to tell if you have the right plumber than by actually having them work for you.
Of course, this advice doesn’t always pan out in practice. If you’re looking for an emergency plumber in Santa Barbara, you want to make a quick decision with the least amount of risk.
So, what are you supposed to do? We can think of two major factors that are going to help you choose a good plumber.
1. Social Proof
Social proof is huge. Before making a purchase—whether it’s for plumbing or for deciding what to eat at a new restaurant—we tend to ask for the opinions of others. If you’ve ever spent several minutes reading reviews on Amazon or Yelp, then you know exactly what we’re talking about.
Reviews
A good plumber will be more than happy to show off their reviews and testimonials. If their website or Yelp page isn’t bursting with reviews—and good ones—then you should find someone else.
Affiliations
Another form of social proof can be found in the organizations that are affiliated with the plumber. Local chambers, nonprofit organizations, and the BBB (Better Business Bureau) are just a few examples. If the plumber has earned the trust of these organizations, then it’s a good indication that they can be trusted to do what they say they will.
2. Professional Equipment
While it’s true that even bad plumbers can try to compensate with the best equipment, the only thing worse would be to hire a plumber who doesn’t have any modern tools or equipment. Good equipment can mean a lot of things, such as:
- The plumber has experience if they’re able to operate them properly.
- Better tools will get the job done faster and more efficiently, thus saving you time and money.
- It shows that they’re well-established and prepared.
Examples of Professional Equipment that Makes All the Difference
- Trenchless Pipe Replacement: In the past, main line and sewer line replacement wwereperformed by excavating your yard for the entire length of the pipe. Trenchless pipe replacement shortcuts this whole process with mthe inimal amount of destruction to your property.
- Video Pipe Inspection: Finding a clog or leak in your pipes used to take a lot of educated guessing. It can can get messy and time-consuming to track down a single point in the entire line. Video pipe inspection eliminates the guesswork by using a line with a tiny camera at the end, which can then be inserted into the pipes to check their condition.
- Hydro-Jets: Getting a drain unclogged is one thing, but thoroughly cleaning that drain is another. Hydro-jets use highly pressurized blasts of hot water to clean the interior of the pipes, and it will blast away any clogs, whether it’s from grease and fat or trash build-up. This level of drain cleaning simply isn’t possible with chemical drain cleaners (which, by the way, are quite corrosive to pipes).