Inside Plumbing Costs
This piece is how to save time & money when you need a plumber. What plumbers take into account when pricing up a job no matter how big or small are:
Travel
Materials
Labour
Access
Time
Travel – how far are you from the plumber be it their home address or job they are on. This can be in your favour if they are working close by on the day. Also travel to your nearest supplier if they don't have the part on the van.
Materials – plumbers know which parts / materials are reliable, try to stray away from buying your own as cheap doesn’t always last. If you like the look of something run it by the plumber first for their opinion if the make / model is good and will it fit.
For example - Taps are designed for either low pressure systems (gravity fed), high pressure systems from the mains water supply (combi boilers) and both. Many times customers buy a tap they like and find it does not have a good flow rate when installed due to buying a high pressured tap for a gravity fed system.
Labour – some plumbers give a hourly / day rate others will give a fixed price for a job. It is hard to give a price over the phone without seeing the job so it’s best to call a plumber who doesn’t charge a call out fee to get a quote.
Access- The same job can take either 20 minutes or 2 hours depending on access. For example if you want a siphon changing in the toilet due to it not flushing and have ease of access, all the bolts unscrew nicely and the toilet is in an open space isn’t going to add to time to complete the job. However if you have the same issue and your toilet is boxed in, the bolts are rusted and don’t unscrew and is in the corner tightly packed for room this will put a strain on the time to complete the job.
Time – This goes in-line with access above. Some jobs which may seem small such as a leaking radiator or changing a tap washer can become an issue due to having to drain the central system down to change the TRV on the radiator, if your stop cock / isolation valve doesn’t work to stop the incoming water to fix the tap. So be prepared for other problems your don't know you have. Stuck gate valves in the airing cupboard and stop cocks are very common as you never use them until you need to and they will seize.
Give as much info as possible to save time which equals money – by informing the plumber of where the leak is or when it leaks can help get them there with right parts. in today's world send a picture to their mobile so they can see what the problem is and grab the correct parts needed.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions no matter how silly you feel it might be – how your system works, is there anything that can be done to ensure the problem doesn’t happen again, how do I turn the water off, banging noises in the walls, low pressure, slow draining sinks, intermittent hot water, blockages, foul smells, where is my water meter / main stop cock - is it shared with my neighbour.
To many times a customer has called for an emergency plumber when they could have simply isolated the problem through a valve or stop cock and stopped endless damage to the property before our arrival, but they didn’t know where it is. Most times it is under the kitchen sink, in the garage or the down stairs toilet – sometimes they are well hidden (under floor boards). If you are renting ensure your land lord tells you where it is encase of an emergency.
Watching a plumber - most customers who watch are genuinely interested in what we are doing and how it works - don't be afraid to ask questions we don’t feel uncomfortable
If you have any questions or would like to know about the service we can provide Call Alex on 07762773796 to see how we can help.
Or visit us at our website https://www.leakshield.co.uk/
Leak Shield Plumbing and Drainage offer a 24/7 fast effective same day service to Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
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