10 Things

1. "There's an old plumber's adage: 'An ounce of prevention could cost me 5K.'"
Water is the single most common cause of household damage, according to a nationwide analysis by Safeco Insurance, a Seattle-based homeowner's insurance company. From 2002 to 2004, 30% of home water-damage claims resulted from appliance failure and another 62% from faulty plumbing systems. The biggest culprits: water heaters and washing machines. And repairs are costly. Safeco found that American households with water damage spent an average of $5,000 for each episode in that same period.

Some easy cautionary measures, however, can lessen the risk of water damage and dramatically reduce your reliance on plumbers. First, take stock. Make a checklist of your home's water-based appliances and equipment — water heaters, washing machines, sump pumps — and note any wear and tear, especially on appliance parts (washing machine hoses, for example). Water heaters have a life expectancy that is hard to predict, so check yours monthly for puddling and follow all maintenance guidelines to a T. There might not be an immediately visible problem, but tanks can rust on the inside, leading to a rupture.

2. "I'm not really a plumber."
Al Booker, a college administrator in Newark, N.J., decided to hire a handyman on a referral from a friend when he needed to install kitchen plumbing. "He came in and said he could do everything," Booker says. While laying pipes, the worker damaged the kitchen floor and compromised the safety of the structure by cutting into the joists. Booker ended up hiring an experienced plumber to finish the job, paying twice.

A wide swath of the plumbing industry is made up of handymen, guys with tools and a little plumbing know-how. While some of these Mr. Fix-its are competent, many, as Booker learned, are not. The best way to minimize your risk is to hire an experienced plumber. Ideally, that means licensed, meaning he or she has demonstrated basic competency in written and hands-on exams and, in many states, assisted on a minimum number of jobs. Licensed plumbers are required to abide by state regulations governing how the work is done and to follow local safety and building codes; they're also more likely to carry liability and worker's comp insurance. In states without licensed plumbers, your next-best bet is a licensed plumbing contractor, or at least someone who belongs to a plumbing trade organization.

3. "My less experienced underling will be over in a minute."
Risa Hoag, a PR firm owner, was surprised when much of the work in a new upstairs bathroom in her Nanuet, N.Y., home was done by people other than the plumber who gave her the initial estimate. That plumber, who was hired by Hoag's contractor, visited the home and assessed the job, but one of the young men who showed up to do the work along with him was an apprentice who neglected to cap a radiator line, which eventually flooded and ruined the ceiling of the kitchen below. "No one checked his work, and we had to rip out a new ceiling," Hoag says.

It's common for plumbers to bring apprentices on a job; in fact, it's a required part of the licensing process for trainees. But while in many states a licensed plumber is supposed to supervise, that doesn't always happen. The best way to protect yourself is to negotiate personnel at the outset. Most plumbing companies, whether individually run or larger operations, have multiple jobs going at once, so it's common practice to send employees or even trainees along with (or instead of) the guy whose name is on the side of the truck. But you can insist that a licensed plumber or plumbing contractor be present on the job, either working or, at the very least, to supervise.

4. "I don't do cleanup."
Plumbers will often rip up a wall to look for the source of a leak. Some will alert you to this ahead of time; others won't. Many plumbing problems are hidden, requiring walls, tiles and floor boards to be removed. And while a little demolition is hard to avoid, many plumbers won't repair the damage they've made, arguing that if the plumbing has been fixed their work is done. "You should always consider whether the job includes the repair of the house structure and cleanup," says Marc Edwards, a professor of civil engineering at Virginia Tech, who specializes in home plumbing engineering.

If your plumbing job is part of a renovation, chances are your general contractor will be responsible for repairing anything that was altered for access. But to be certain, draw up a contract for any job (assuming it's not an emergency) stipulating that the plumber will provide a damage estimate.

When possible, hire a neatnik over a chaos machine. After the disaster in their home, Risa Hoag and her husband found a new plumber whose "truck was meticulous," Hoag says. "He showed up with his own drop cloths and covered everything: rugs, hardwood floors. He kept the holes he made to a minimum, and he was immaculate."

5. "With a truck this size, you'd think I'd be well stocked. Think again."
The truck of a well-prepared service plumber should have enough basics to handle most common emergencies: copper tubing, faucet parts, replacement hoses, rubber washers, fittings and standard tools. "You want to solve as many problems as you can in the one visit, so the more well stocked you are, the better your chances," says Billy Silk, a licensed plumber and owner of Silver Spring, Md.-based Master Plumbing & Mechanical. But it's common for plumbers to reschedule an appointment because they're missing a part.

A good plumber should ask questions when you call the problem in so he'll know what to bring in the first place. If he doesn't, ask him what he'll need and whether he has it. Requirements can change dramatically if the job is more than just a service call — part of a renovation, for example, or at an older home. Then it's even more critical that the plumber be up on specific requirements or special parts needed. In some cases, a plumber may ask the client to obtain specialized fixtures or aesthetic items beforehand. "If the client knows what he wants and likes, or if a designer has gotten something before, he probably can get it faster than I can," Silk says.

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