Plumbing Tips

Save money with these handy plumbing tips

Finding a reliable and affordable plumber. It can be stressful! Where do you start to look? How do you know you can trust them?

Sometimes it might even be tempting to try your own DIY home plumbing just to avoid the stress. 

While we are all for keeping costs down we strongly recommend that you avoid the DIY approach – your plumbing system consists of a complex system of pipes and fixtures that (hopefully) work together to provide clean water, dispose of waste safely and more.

Further, because a plumbing system involves home and public safety, its design is strictly regulated by building codes for which plumbers are licensed and credentialed to ensure proper workmanship.

But you also don’t just want to hire any old plumber, you want to hire the right one! An experienced plumber who will undertake the job with care, do it safely and, get it right the first time so the job doesn’t become an expensive disaster.

Alongside some of the things to be mindful of when searching for a plumber, we’ve noted some other home plumbing tips below which will hopefully make your experience with a plumber a lot smoother (and possibly cheaper).

Finding a plumber

• Review your choice of plumber thoroughly online – trust your fellow trade searchers recommendations as they have already been through the process.  A large percentage of our work comes from our great True Local reviews.
• Ask about warranties – there can be different terms and conditions depending on who is supplying the materials, so it’s better to be clear up front so there are no surprises.
  
• You get what you pay for – just because it’s the cheapest, doesn’t mean it’s the best solution for you. Be wary of things that sound too good to be true!
• Ask about insurance – for your protection, make sure the plumber attending the site is fully insured, and most importantly licensed
• Plan ahead – where possible have a current sewer service diagram handy for your plumber to save time
• Support local – we personally prefer to support local business when we can. This is because local business understands the area, they can probably reach you quicker in the event of an emergency and they can build a rapport with you for future work. Our business is built on being truly local and providing a service that enables our customers to feel confident that we are just at the end of the phone should they need us.

Housekeeping plumbing tips

• Water leaks – stop the drip! Leaking taps (especially hot water) are expensive and waste energy. Get these looked at ASAP.
• Drains – avoid pouring oil or fats down the kitchen sink – invest in a sink strainer. Also, try to avoid excess hair going down the basin and shower drains and clean these regularly to remove any build-up. We love the multiple uses that baking soda has for this purpose!
• Blocked toilets – if you have young children, buy a child safety toilet latch. This simple little tool could save you hundreds!

Thirsty for more? Check out our Lime blog below for more plumbing tips.