Different Types of Plumbing Professionals

What are the different types of plumbing professionals? Different types of license? What each type of plumbing professional is licensed to do?

The choice you make on what type of plumbing professional you should hire to do work for you is often contingent on what kind of work you want done.

Some plumbers specialize in installing new pipes into new houses while other plumbers may specialize in installing new pipes into new commercial buildings. Some plumbers specialize in fixing pipes in residences while others may specialize in fixing problems in larger buildings. Some plumbers may have very focused specialization such as a plumber who excels in working on fire suppressing sprinkler systems. And some plumbers specialize in installing natural gas lines, installing natural gas appliances and fixing natural gas lines. Plumbers that specialize in natural gas line work are sometimes called gas fitters.

Most plumbers know how to unclog a drain. But if you are looking to hire a plumber to do a big job, it is smart to look for a plumber who specializes in the kind of work you need done. No matter what kind of plumbing work needs to be done, people should always make sure the plumber they hire to do water pipe work of gas line work has been licensed by the state or the appropriate local authorities.

In most states there are several levels of a plumbing license an individual plumber can hold. In some states a plumbing license states the holder of the license is certified to work on water pipes and on natural gas lines and in other states separate licenses are awarded for water pipe work and natural gas line work.

The different levels of plumbing license indicate the amount of experience a plumber has. Many states award a master plumbing license, a journey pluming license and an apprentice plumbing license. Master plumbing licenses are awarded to plumbers who have held a journey license for a certain amount of time and have accumulated a certain amount of hours working as a licensed journey plumber. In order to get a master plumbing license, the plumber also normally has to pass a state-sanctioned test. In most states, a journey plumbing license is awarded to those who have held an apprentice plumbing license and have trained for a certain amount of hours with a master plumber. A state-sanctioned test must be passed in order to receive a journey license in most states. An apprentice license normally is awarded to those who have just begun training as a plumber and often the only requirement that someone needs to get one is that they have to be of a certain age.

Licenses to become certified to work on natural gas lines and install natural gas appliances work much the same way that plumbing licenses do. There are master natural gas fitter licenses, journey natural gas fitter licenses and apprentice natural gas fitter licenses.

Some states award separate certifications for propane gas fitters and natural gas fitters. Master natural gas fitters and master plumbers are certified to work on most any project that an average person will ever need a plumber to do. Journey plumbers often work with master plumbers and can do some work themselves.

?Dapeem.com 2006. To find a plumbing professional in a city near you, please visit the Dapeem.com Yellow Page Directory located at http://plumbing.dapeem.com.

DIY Plumbing Repair - You Have Homeowners Insurance, Use It!

Since most home owners insurance policies don't cover the cost of repairs few people think to check with them when plumbing problems occur. Although they may not cover the repair, they will usually cover the value of damaged property including cleaning up after the repair. The scope of this type of project is typically not a diy plumbing repair project so you will want to find any way you can to help pay for it.

A few years ago I had the misfortune of finding water seeping through a wall in my basement one spring. First this was blamed on a very wet season. Next, when dry weather came around and the leak was still there a basement waterproofing contractor was called in. It was no suprise when this contractor informed me that I had ground water and needed their expensive services. Since the company had a vested interest in me believing this they did not seem to feel the need to offer any other possible explanation. Based on the fact that the remaining 95% of the basement walls had no such problem a third opinion was in order.

Based on the proximity of the leak to the primary kitchen drain pipes a third contractor was called. After a short examination, the plumbing contractor was able to determine that the kitchen drain pipe was leaking (not where we could access it easily of course but behind a cinder block wall under a concrete slab).

The plumbing contractor then made an unexpected suggestion - call my insurance company before starting the repair. That was when he explained that the company would not pay for the repair, but they would pay for the cost of jack hammering up my living room, hall, and/or office floor to find the leak and cleaning up afterwards. He was also able to suggest an alternative solution that was cleaner and much less expensive and present it to the insurance company.

Two repair scenarios were proposed.

The first project would involved having the plumbing contractor find the leak under the living room slab, repair the drain pipe, and then replace the concrete and flooring to clean up after the project. As would be expected the estimate for this repair was on the high side ($4000+ by the time all the cleanup work would have been completed).

The second repair was considerably less intrusive - they would cap off the existing drain line (kitchen only) and re-route it through the joist's in the basement and re-connect it to the main line outside the house. The only "heavy" work in this proposal was cutting a 6 inch hole in the exterior wall and digging a trench to run the new pipe to be reconnected. The remainder of the work amounted to a fairly simple plumbing repair. The net cost for this repair was about half the first proposal

With both of these proposals on hand, the insurance company had no problem in justifying payment for the FULL SECOND OPTION (less deductable of course). The insurance company saved money, the home owner saved money, and the repair was accomplished within 2 days with a minimum of cleanup required.

This entire project demonstrated the value of a good plumbing contractor. They were able to quickly identify the problem, propose multiple solutions, and help justify the payment by the insurance company.

This repair also demonstrated the value of a insurance company. The insurance company was willing to accept and pay for an alternative solution as well as inform the home owner of all the expenses that should be recorded for reimbursement.

Ray Breitenbach writes for SimpleHomeRepairs. Please visit for more information on how to perform you own basic home repairs

Call the Plumber?

We all know the story of the homeowner who tried his own plumbing repairs and ended up paying more since the plumber had to fix the repairs. Recognizing when the job is too big or too complicated for the ordinary homeowner is not easy-handyman egos are too easily bruised. However, plumbers are notoriously expensive so you want to make sure you really need one before you call him. There are a number of things you can do to make sure you will keep your costs of plumbing repairs at a minimum.

First of all, don't compare the prices of plumbers based solely upon their rates. Make sure you know all of the costs involved. One plumber may have lower advertised rates, but charge mileage which will increase the price of the job. Some plumbers start the clock when they get to your house, others may start it as soon as they leave their shop. Find out if they charge by the quarter hour; if they charge by the hour, you may have to pay for a full additional hour even though the job only went a few minutes over. Make sure you are fully aware of the real rates, so that you are comparing apples to apples. Another good idea is to ask around with friends and families for a reputable plumber instead of relying on advertisements.

Keep your plumbing jobs down altogether by taking good care of your plumbing. Most plumbing emergencies are caused by backups. Avoid having items such as grease or hair, which are responsible for most clogs, go into your drains. Putting vinegar, followed by boiling hot water down the drain is said to cut through grease clogs. Use a mesh catch in all of your drains to catch hair and avoid it going down the drains. Use a drain cleaning product once a month to keep the drains clean.

If you do hire a plumber to install a fixture, save money by buying your own fixtures. A plumber will add a premium to any fixtures he has to obtain for you. Just make sure you agree upon the type of fixtures you will use. Some plumbers won't guarantee certain cheaper brands.

If you keep all of your plumbing fixtures properly maintained, you can almost eliminate the need for a plumber. Make sure fixtures are attached properly and tightened. If you do call a plumber, make sure you know exactly what the problem is so the plumber can fix it and get out; don't forget he charges by the hour so you don't want to spend precious time discussing the problem. Keep a list of plumbing problems, so that if you have to call a plumber for one thing, you can have him fix everything in the same visit.

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