The importance of finding a low-cost plumber you can trust

One of the most important contacts to have in your phone when owning a home is the number for a reliable and economical plumber. Whether it is emergency plumbing repair work needed (e.g. blocked toilets or unblocking drains) or planned plumbing maintenance (e.g. plumbing in new kitchen taps or a bath) these are not the type of jobs to try your hand at D.I.Y. because a disastrous plumbing job can cause thousands of pounds of water damage to your home, this is why it is better to call in the skilled professionals. Of course, when it comes to plumbing in a washing machine and dishwasher, if you feel confident to do it yourself then that would save money especially if there is already the water inlet and outlet plumbed in.

Tips on how to save on your plumbing job

Calling in a professional plumber does not have to cost a fortune, here are some tips on how to make the experience an inexpensive one and help you stick to a low-cost budget on finding a plumber. If you have been looking on sites such as Gumtree, make sure the plumber has the necessary qualifications (NVQs) to deal with the job at hand.

Keep the cost down by asking if the plumber if they are vat registered and will offer any discounts for cash. Before the plumber comes out to your home to quote for the job, have an idea on the work that you needed by doing your own research off the internet. HaMuch has an ‘Ask a Question’ page - https://www.hamuch.com/questions/  - which goes out to tradespeople having them reply to your questions assisting with your research. This way you will not waste labour time by quizzing the plumber for ideas on what work you might want or need carried out. Unless it is an emergency, rather wait to contact the plumber during regular weekday working hours to avoid an extra emergency out of hours call-out charge.

If you are needing the plumber to replace parts, try and source the parts yourself. Amazon is excellent for comparing prices on products and getting next day delivery. When buying a product to keep the cost low, make sure you are replacing like for like to keep within your budget and avoid extra labour charges reconfiguring a system to new sizes (e.g. a bottom entry fill valve for the toilet replace a 15mm thread size with a new 15mm valve and be aware to not switch a metric outside garden tap with an imperial tap).

To minimise disruption in your home and time the plumber needs working in your home, make sure before their arrival you have cleared out the area where they will be working and there is as much access to the area as possible. If the plumber will need to work under your kitchen sink, clear out the shelves under the sink and leave some surface space for them to work. Often when working with water, the mains water will need to be shut off during the day so locate your stopcock before their arrival to keep the labour as low-priced as possible rather than paying unnecessary labour for the plumber to spend time searching for a stopcock.

Get comparison quotes

In order to stick to a budget, always get at least three comparison quotes. This way you can compare the service offered and the qualifications and experience of the various plumbers before making your decision on who to choose. HaMuch.com helps you find affordable plumbers quickly and easily, saving you time and money.

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