Have you ever wondered what it is that plumbers really do? Interestingly enough, they wear a lot of hats!
Plumbers aren’t only known for the “plumber’s crack”.
They don’t just run Drano to unclog your pipes. Plumbers also don’t just clean out your garbage disposal after someone decided to throw the chicken bones down the drain. There are many other services plumbers deal with on a day-to-day basis, which is what makes them a valuable asset for your home or business.
Being a plumber is a very physically taxing job as they have to deal with staying on their knees for hours, holding equipment, and working with tools that you sometimes won’t recognize. Plumbers offer personal home and business services to make your life easier and less messy. There are three main categories that plumbers work in and each requires a lot of experience and skill.
1. Plumbers Install and Fix Water Piping Systems
This is the most obvious service that plumbers offer. The fixing of water piping systems is the common category of work that plumbers are requested to perform. Plumbers are hired to fix pipes that could cause damages to the rest of the home or building. Pipes may be backing up, causing flooding or bursting from intense pressure or build up.
There are many reasons why a plumber may be hired to fix your piping system. Here is a list of the most common requests for a plumber to fix piping systems.
- Unclogging toilets, showers, and kitchen drains
- Fixing dripping faucets
- Fixing leaky pipes
- Adjusting water pressure
- Fixing pipes that have burst
- Installing new piping and draining systems
- Fixing previous work from inexperienced plumbers
- Installing water heaters
- Fixing water heaters and boilers
- Installing appliances
- Draining and unclogging pools, ponds, and other man-made bodies of water
- Sewage clean up
You’ll call on a plumber to fix any problems you may be facing with your water piping systems. Plumbers are also useful for the installation process of new piping systems and the removal of old piping systems.
If you have a new house or business build, a plumber would also be the go-to hire for the installation of piping for any part of the home or building’s structure.
5 Things Plumbers Don’t Want You to Do
To make your life easier and to make the piping system project less complicated for the plumber, here are a few tips for what plumbers recommend you don’t do.
- Don’t dump large amounts of food in your kitchen drain all at once. This can clog the drain and stop the disposal from working.
- Don’t flush plastics or other non-decomposable materials in the toilet. If they can’t decompose, they will get stuck without reaching the septic tank.
- Don’t flush large amounts of hair down the shower drain. This will inevitably clog the drain and could cause flooding in your bathtub.
- Don’t perform DIY projects to your piping system unless you know what you’re doing. YouTube can be a great resource for homeowners, but that doesn’t mean each piping system is the same. You may have a simple problem that can turn into a complicated problem if you try “fixing” the piping issue. Rely on the professionals to fix the problem.
- Don’t freeze your pipes! Pipes will typically freeze if the heater is left off in the house or building. To avoid freezing your pipes, keep the temperature of each room at a minimum of 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. If pipes freeze, they can burst, which can leak water into other parts of the foundation causing a worse issue.
2. Plumbers Work on Garbage Waste Disposal
Plumbers are experienced in working on waste disposal systems. Your garbage disposal can become clogged, overused, and aged. Plumbers can fix the garbage disposal for missing blades, piping issues, and the removal of substances causing clogging. They can also remove and install a new garbage disposal system if your current garbage disposal is old or burned out.
Garbage disposals can become damaged if non-food and liquid items are put in the drain. For example, you wouldn’t want to leave forks in the sink because they can fall down the drain. If a utensil is hidden from your view and you turn the garbage disposal on, the metal can dull the blades or the fork could become jammed.
Other food items can cause damages as well! Bones, rice, grease, and other dense foods can lead to clogging and damages. It’s best to hire a plumber to deal with the removal of waste stuck in the garbage disposal since they have the proper equipment for the job.
3. Plumbers Assist with HVAC Systems
Did you know that your local HVAC guy is a plumber? HVAC systems refer to your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units in your house and business. Plumbers who have experience with HVAC systems are your real service experts! They work to fix, repair, and install furnaces, boilers, air conditioning units, and other ventilation systems.
If you’re wondering why it’s so hot in your home, your air conditioning unit could be out of commission. Or if it’s not warm enough in your commercial building during the winter season, then maybe your furnace is failing. Plumbers are unique in knowing most things about your house and business construct. If you don’t know where the problem is, a plumber will find it!
What Are the Qualifications to Become a Plumber?
You can’t just put a shirt and hat on to call yourself a plumber. Holding a toolbox full of wrenches and pipe parts also doesn’t qualify you as a plumber. In order to become a plumber, there are certain qualifications you must acquire.
First, you need a have experience in understanding math, physics, and drafting or blueprinting. Piping can be super complex depending on the building or local region. If a plumber doesn’t have a foundation in physics, it would be very difficult to find where the source of damage is located and where it could have spread to. If they can’t read a blueprint, how are they supposed to know where to find the piping in the home or building?
Next, you need to attend vocational classes specific to the plumbing expertise. Plumbers need to know how to work with the city’s water supply and drainage systems. They also need to know what the appropriate tools are to deal with each unique situation.
Finally, a plumber must acquire licensing to work in a state. This isn’t just important for them to understand how the water supply and drainage systems work in your state and region, it provides you safety. If you hire a plumber that doesn’t have a license, they become a huge liability due to inadequate experience that can lead to negligence and possibly more damages. Never hire a plumber that doesn’t have proof of licensing.
Why Should I Hire a Plumber Instead of Doing the Job Myself?
Let’s address the question as to why a plumber is your best solution to your home and business service needs. If the above information about how a plumber must be very experienced to work on piping and HVAC systems doesn’t prove their worth, then let’s lay it all out here.
When an amateur works on a piping system, garbage waste disposal, or HVAC system, the chances are much higher for further problems to occur. What if the issue that was “fixed” was only just a small part of the great scheme of things?
Just because one part of the piping system is leaking, doesn’t mean there isn’t a larger leak somewhere else. If further damages occur, this could affect much more of the house or building than just the pipes. It could cause molding, electrical shortages, insulation problems, corrosion, rusting, and other foundational problems.
If you’re thinking about trusting yourself to perform a DIY plumbing-related project, we implore you to think first about all of the information listed above. Is it just a dripping faucet or is there loose equipment causing faulty water pressure? You might think you can accomplish the job “good enough”, but a professional plumber will make sure your fixes and repairs are long-lasting solutions.
Good Guys Home Services offers inspections to review the plumbing problem, run diagnostics, and find the solution your home or business needs. We are Colorado’s best plumbing service company with years of experience in dealing with piping, water supply, waste disposal, and HVAC systems.
If you need a plumber you can trust to get the job done without lying to you about pricing or scheming you to pay for more than the necessary installations or fixes, then give us a call today at (970) 818-8008. We are licensed emergency plumbers ready for any project!