What Should You Ask Plumbers and Electricians?
Plumbers and Electricians Are Different Than Other Tradesmen
When it comes to the plumbing and electrical trades, there are several differences as compared to HVAC, landscaping, roofing, and other professional home services. These differences include how the licensing works, availability of materials, and some stark cultural differences and the subsequent customer experiences. Understanding these differences and what you should ask plumbers and electricians before engaging them for work can make all the difference in how positive or negative of an experience you have.
Question One: Are You Licensed?
Asking about licensing is important, but every trade handles its licensing differently, if it is even licensed at all. Understanding the differences in licensing before you ask about it helps you to ensure the person you are considering for your repair or project is in fact properly licensed and capable of handling your needs.
HVAC
HVAC does not license each individual technician. They're required to have a simple EPA certification on how to safely handle refrigerant, but the licensing is held by a single individual within the company. With HVAC, you have an HVAC contractor whose license encompasses the entire company and everyone who works under them.
Roofing
While we do not offer roofing services, it's an often-related home service and licensed trade that homeowners should understand more about. Roofing is much the same to HVAC with its licensing, except that roofers can subcontract out a lot of their work and simply sign off on it. In fact, a lot of 'roofing companies' aren't more than a single individual acting as a salesman with all of his work being subbed out to work crews.
Home Repair
Handyman services are unlicensed, unless you're looking at projects so large that a licensed general contractor is required. Being an unlicensed trade, this means there is no state department regulating their services and making sure they are properly insured and bonded. This also means that if you have an issue with a home repair handyman that you lack the recourse of complaining to the state and instead have to go through small claims or civil court.
Landscaping
While there are certain licenses for chemical applications to your property, hardscaping and landscaping is an unlicensed trade. Like with handyman home repair services, a landscaper is not required by any state entity to have insurance or performance bonds.
Plumbing and Electrical
Plumbers and electricians are much the same in terms of their licensing. They have regulated apprenticeships, followed by testing and earning a journeyman's license, and then ultimately testing to become a master in their trade. Each technician holds their own individual license and is regulated by law on what they are and are not allowed to do inside of your home.
So, What Do You Ask Exactly?
If you're talking to any licensed professional, you want to ensure their license number is made available for you to check it online. You can check through the state's website to make sure that contractor is in good standing before you hire them for work. For plumbers and electricians, you can ask to see their journeyman or master's card. If they don't have it, make sure you understand why and that it's an acceptable reason. A great example of when it would be okay that someone doesn't have a journeyman card would be if they're doing work that doesn't fall under any licensing even though you may consider it part of the plumbing or electrical trade. A few examples of this include changing a faucet, unclogging a toilet, replacing an existing light fixture, running low gauge wire like for a thermostat or speakers, or other simpler or safer services that an apprentice can handle.
Question Two: Have You Done This Kind of Work Before?
Just because they're licensed for the work doesn't mean they're experienced in it. Plumbers and electricians are allowed to handle such a wide range of services that many of them aren't experts in everything. Some plumbers, for example, do very little sewer and drain work, while some electricians are exclusive to either residential or commercial work. Making sure the professional you're speaking with has done the kind of work you're needing is a very reasonable thing to ask about. You don't want them learning how to do something new with your house as their training field.
Question Three: How Much Are You Insured For?
If a plumbing or electrical contractor is licensed then you know they hold the minimum state required insurance and performance bonds. But if you're project is especially large, or your home especially expensive, you may want to make sure they have a sufficiently large policy to cover any possible mistakes. If a contractor has one million dollars in general liability, but your home is a three-million-dollar beauty, then that contractor is underinsured to perform substantial work in your home. Consider asking them to take out a special policy for your project or perhaps move on to a different company that is properly insured for your needs.
Okay, They're Licensed, Bonded, Insured, and Experienced, What's Next?
Once you know a plumbing or electrical contractor has all the right licensing and such and has sufficient experience related to your project, the next step is making sure you actually like them. People sometimes don't think about it, but you want to work with an individual or a company that you get along with and who has a reputation for standing behind their work with a great attitude. There is nothing more frustrating than a project going sideways and the contractor being difficult or rude about it.
That's why we encourage our customers to do a little research on us. Whether you're courting an electrician for parking lot lighting repairs or dealing with a bad breaker, or you're looking at using a plumber for a new installation or simple repair, you want to do your research. Every company is going to have a bad review or two, but overwhelmingly you'll find we're a 5-star company. Like anyone, we can make a mistake, and someone can have a bad experience, but for us those are few and far between. That's why we're so highly recommended, and why our online reviews are just fantastic.
Start With a Free Assessment
If you're considering hiring a plumber, electrician, or someone to help with one of our other trades like HVAC or landscaping, start with a free assessment. Our experts will come out and introduce themselves at no cost. From there, we'll take a look at your repair issue or project for free and provide a written estimate for services.