Have you ever noticed a dripping sound or a wheezing sound in your house? If you do, try to notice such sounds, they mostly during nights or when the house is calm. Although it looks like a scene straight out a suspense thriller, it actually rings the bells to check all the plumbing machinery of your home. Be it a water leak or gas leak, checking the problem and addressing it immediately to it is the best way to avoid further damage to the house and your expenditure.
- Water leaking and signs to find it:
- Check the valves connected to the drains first, it is the basic place where the pipes may get clogged and can produce a very awful smell due to the development of moss from the clogged soap remnants hair and such waste material. Removing the drain pipe or checking for the leak sound can help in this case.
- If the drain valve check doesn’t help, check for the toilet area leaks. It is the most predominant place after the thorough drain check because most of the water usage takes place here. Try and do the sound hearing check here also. And there are more methods to find water seeping like adding food color and checking for the leakage areas in the toilet pipe.
- If the second option is also ruled out, check for the shut-off valve in the house, that valve basically stops all the water inflow to the house and the meter indicates if there is any inflow at places. Based on the meter indication you get to know if there is a leak in the house or in the meter line connected to the house from the outside. If the meter head doesn’t move, then it means that the leak is somewhere inside the house. If not, then check by walking slowly along the meter line to check for the water leak in a precise manner.
- Checking the garden, swimming pools and shower heads all are the other basic areas to check for, if all the above tasks fail to show the leak area. Once the leak area is found out, it is easier for the plumber to fix the problem. Because plumbers might have to bring in sound hearing devices and other such machineries in the latter case which might add up to the cost of plumbing and clean up.
- Factors to consider while hiring a plumber:
- Depending on the criticality of the problem in the house, the experience of the plumber does play a major role. The experience of the plumbers is area specific. Some are good at hydro jetting to clear the clogs, while some aren’t that good at this technique. So on the basis of how big the problem is and which area it belongs to, plumbers should be hired.
- It is better to ask for the references of people in whose houses the plumber had previously worked for, because basing on what they have to say, we can decide on hiring him or check for other plumbers with good work background.
- Financial criteria are as important as the work being done. One should know it beforehand about the problem and how much it takes to get the repair done. Taking a preset quote from the plumber about the costs will help to avoid further financial discrepancies.
- A guarantee and warranty needs to be provided by the plumber in case the problem arises again and in that way we can check for the quality service.
- How to prevent repetitive investments and excessive water bills:
- Hiring an excellent plumber is the only solution to prevent such problems, you can identify if the plumber is skilled without asking for his qualification but by just asking to elaborate the problem in your house. If he is able to explain it well, there are high chances of him doing a perfect job and he might also give enough tips to prevent recurrence of such a problem.
- After getting a written estimate of the total cost of plumbing, you might want to look for cheaper options without checking for the credibility of the plumbers. This might lead to excessive costs at the later stages because the problem might reoccur or worsen.
- Once the problem is fixed, a good plumber does the cleanup of the place and reassures you of the warranty for the plumbing machinery he has fitted in. Thus these factors might justify, why a good plumber hiring is better even though it might be a bit costlier task than hiring an amateur.
- How to check if the plumber is licensed?
- It is important to check the license number of the plumber to protect yourself and your home, in case of any further issues.
- The plumber must be willing to tell show his license number, which might be displayed on the plumbing devices they work with, or the website.
- In case of any water flooding or any such problems at the house, if an unlicensed plumber had worked for it previously. It might not be covered under the house insurance because the plumber is not holding a license.
- A trade qualification also might suffice in the case of places where a license is not mandatory.
- Even apprentice plumbers must have a license provision, so you must have a word with them about the license because you can’t afford your insurance being void due to such reasons.
- In case of any mishaps during the repair, physical injuries to the plumber also get covered under the policy only in the case of licensed plumbers.
- It also comes under breaking the law and setting oneself up for a fraud in some places. So better be sure than sorry.
The above factors sum up to the problem and solution map, when you find a water leak in your house. The plumbing may seem to be a task which can be handled by local skilled artisans. But improperly installed plumbing may cause health risks and significant property loss which is why it’s important to choose a qualified yet certified plumber to work on the leaking pipes.
