Choosing the right plumber for your hot water installation can be a daunting task. Sometimes it seems like there are hundreds of options to choose from, so without being able to test them all, how do you make sure you’re getting the best service right away?
Just like all businesses, not all plumbers are made equal. That’s why it’s so important to look into one that’s the best fit for your home and to always keep an open mind for where improvement could be had. If you didn’t love the service of your last plumber, don’t let that bind you to them. After all, it’s always best to keep moving forward until you find the perfect plumber for you.
At North Lakes Plumbing & Gas Co., we understand how important it is to be able to find a plumber you can trust to handle your hot water installation and ongoing repairs. We’ve put together a step by step guide to choosing the plumber for your hot water system installation near Brisbane. You can use this guide no matter where you’re from, but some terminology is specific to plumbers in Queensland. Read on to learn more.
Step 1: Do Your Research
Not every plumber is the same! When choosing a plumber to install a hot water system, you need to make sure that they are the right kind of plumber for the job. After you’ve filtered your potential plumbers by their service area, and ensured to review testimonials on Facebook and Google, the next step is to shortlist your plumbers by the ones who can actually do the job. You can generally do this by checking out their website, and seeing what their hot water system services are. If they don’t have it listed on the website, or they don’t have a website, you could just call and ask them as part of Step 3 below.
Step 2: Consider the Type of Hot Water System
It’s important to know what you’re looking for in a hot water system, and with so many choices on the market, there is a lot to sift through. There is gas and electric hot water, amongst others, and many different brands on the market. Here at North Lakes Plumbing & Gas Co., we are proud to be within the top 15 Rheem suppliers in Australia, This is no ordinary feat as Rheem is one of the most trusted brands in the industry. You can read more about why we love Rheem hot water systems here. Once you’ve got an idea of what you want, you can start asking the right questions to ensure you get the desired results. Again, if you’re struggling to know what’s what, you can ask this question in Step 3.
Step 3: Ask the Right Questions
Okay, now that you’re fairly educated on what is available in your area and what you might be looking for, it’s time to go back to your shortlist of plumbers and start phoning around to ask questions. Some questions that we’d recommend including are:
What licenses do you have?
Are you insured to carry out this work?
Do you offer an after-hours service if anything goes wrong?
What is the procedure if there is an issue after you leave?
Basically, you want to ensure that the plumber you choose is qualified for the job at hand. Our plumbers have Restricted Electrical Licenses and Unrestricted Gas Licenses, so we’re able to install both gas and electric hot water systems. If your plumber is not licensed to install the type of hot water system you’re after, then forget it. Do not, we repeat, do not allow an unlicensed plumber to carry out any gas or electrical work in your home.
Tip: A plumber with these licenses will have no problem producing them upon request.
Step 4: Read the Quote Carefully (And Don’t Be Afraid to Shop Around)
At this point, it’s time to get the reading glasses out and ensure you’re across the fine print on all of your quotes. Ensure that they are offering a no-obligation quote - again, most good plumbers will have no trouble doing this and request that they give it to you as a hard copy or email. Whether you have one quote or multiple to compare, you want to ensure that it is inclusive of all costs - and has a service guarantee.
For example, at North Lakes Plumbing & Gas Co., we will ensure to send a technician back to your property as soon as one becomes available, should there be any issues after we leave. More often than not, we don’t need to because we’ve correctly diagnosed and quoted the cost to fix the problem, but we are here to help whether it’s the first, second, or fifth time we’ve seen you.
If you’re not sure what to look for on your hot water installation quote, read our article, ‘Does Your Hot Water System Quote Include These 5 Things?’.
Step 5: Arrange Your Installation
So, now that you’ve found the right plumber to do the job and you’ve got a quote you’re happy with, it’s time to arrange your installation. If you’re at this point, chances are you’ve found a trustworthy plumber near you to help with your hot water installation. If not, you’ve come to the right place because we here at North Lakes Plumbing & Gas Co. service all of Brisbane North, Brisbane CBD and from Woodford to Bribie.
Our friendly team of administrators are in the office during regular business hours and can be reached at (07) 3491 8489 or works@northlakesplumbingqld.com.au. For after-hours support, call our mobile line on 0418 797 940.