Easier than finding a needle in a haystack so try to narrow the search down by,
- Asking your friends and neighbours
- Looking in local newspapers
- Check trade bodies such as Gas Safe Register, SNIPEF,IOP,Corgi etc
- Yellow Pages and Yell.Com
- On-line directories such as Google Local
- The local newsagent's window.
Ensure that the plumber you select has plenty of experience in your type of plumbing installation and more importantly that they know your particular house set up.
One of the most important things to consider however when employing a plumbers is how quickly can they get back to you in the event of some problem?
Unfortunately,given the very nature of the work,plumbing problems can and do occur when having plumbing work carried out and sometimes that means leaks. All plumbers get them from time to time for varying reasons,a bad fitting,awkward place,distracted whilst working and so but when leaks happen they can cause significant damage to your property and time is crucial in minimizing that damage so if your plumber is from miles out of your area and can't get back to you within a reasonable time then you may have a major problem on your hands so try to select someone relatively local to you if you are planning on having major plumbing works done in your house.
Of course other trades have problems and things can and do go wrong with work carried out by those trades but however water unfortunately can cause lots of damage very quickly. A joiner can make a mistake of fitting a kitchen cabinet or hanging a door or a decorator can inadvertently paint a ceiling the wrong colour but these mistakes,whilst annoying,won't potentially cause significant damage to your home. A small water leak undetected for two or three days could ruin a house and something such as this could easily happen if the house is un-occupied whilst the work is being done.
Not every plumbing system is identical and with more and more new build houses and flats containing the very latest plumbing technology you have to make sure that your plumber is familiar with those technologies, un-vented hot water cylinders for example require your plumber to have a G3 unvented system certificate to be able to install and work on.
These types of hot water systems are to be found all over Glasgow but particularly in new flats and houses in the likes of Newton Mearns,Shawlands,Netherlee,Mearnskirk and in The West End around Anniesland and Partick.
There are however still lots of traditional plumbing systems in Glasgow and the surrounding area,many still with cold water storage tanks and vented hot water cylinders and believe it or not lead supply pipes and wastes.
In recent years though, most properties in areas particularly like Shawlands,Langside and Queens Park,Pollockshields & Cathcart have had gas combination central heating boilers installed which means that the cold water storage tanks have been removed along with the hot water cylinders so that all of the plumbing in the property is fed from the water main in the street.
Most of these areas contain large amounts of tenement flats and it is crucial that the plumber you employ has a good working knowledge of these flats otherwise you may face delays and problems in getting your work completed.
Some younger plumbers may have spent the previous few years working exclusively on the new developments along the river at Finnieston and Partick and may have no experience working in older properties such as tenement flats or the Victorian terrace houses which are prevalent in areas such as Newlands,Giffnock,Cathcart,Jordanhill,Netherlee & Hyndland.
Do want your plumber spending your time learning how your plumbing system works in your home?
Obviously the opposite may be true with regard to new builds with some plumbers having absolutely no experience working in those sorts of properties but most experienced older plumbers have a very good grasp of plumbing fundamentals and the basics of the trade so most properties' plumbing systems shouldn't provide too much of a challenge to them.
Also when selecting your plumber ensure that you can contact them in an emergency. Most reputable plumbers will advertise their address a telephone land line along with their mobile numbers however there are an increasing number of plumbers operating only with either a mobile number a 0800 number or an 0845 number and some of these plumbers ,unfortunately,are extremely difficult to contact when you need them if something goes wrong so beware of plumbers who are not prepared to give you proper contact details and written quotes for the work you want done.
Finally you should always ensure your plumber has adequate public liability insurance in place and that their work is guaranteed. Also,always ask for references and remember to obtain three quotes for major works.
Comments