Having a trusted plumber on hand can save your weekend

There are a few things in life that you usually just want to have a person for. Most of us have a tech guy that we call upon when we have some computer malfunction, a food lady (maybe mom) that we call on when we need to remember the final ingredient for our favorite recipe, or a car dude that we go to in order to feel like we are not getting ripped off. Here is a novel idea though, what about a Plumber on call? Or an HVAC Service company prepared? This author believes that having these “guys” on your team is just as important as the car guy that changes your oil and fixes your breaks. Plumbing and HVAC is an area that when things go wrong, they often go wrong at the most inopportune of times. Like your furnace stops working in the middle of a snow storm. Or your shower drain is so clogged that no snake on the market can clear it and you have got house guests arriving in just a few days. These things do not go wrong on your calendar, so having a plumber guy or an HVAC service guy ready to go will be incredibly helpful in avoiding the homeowner blues.

Look for a Plumber or HVAC service company that has a long history of experience. Make sure the company you hire is not some group of first timers that slapped a sticker on their truck and came up with an internet site and a couple of business cards. You want to hire a company that has been servicing a large population of people for many years. This way

you can be assured that the team that shows up at your home to fix your disaster, will be a group of individuals that really know what they are doing and are knowledgeable in a diverse area of work. Call the company and ask for bids on various problems you could predict you may run into sometime in the future. You want a company with experience for sure, but if that company gives you a bid three times the expense of another with slightly less, your wallet usually makes the final decision. Ask the company about financing as well. A few select Plumbers or HVAC service companies actually offer this! Finally, ask the company for a list of references. Though it may seem like a lot of work to call your way through all of these lists in their entirety, it will be worth it in the end for the amount of feedback you learn. Have a list of questions prepared dealing with fidelity towards the bid, timeliness, professionalism, quality and overall satisfaction. Of course you want to ask if they would hire this plumbing or HVAC Service person again.

From here you should be able to narrow your search to one or two. Have these companies send out a service person and take your pick. In the end you will be happy you went through with all of these things before the big disaster strikes.