Why You Need A Professional Plumber For Domestic Plumbing Maintenance

In this era of the Internet where information on any topic is readily available, many homeowners are tempted to do their own plumbing maintenance, especially those who are keen DIY-ers. You can easily find instructional videos online about plumbing maintenance jobs. They are usually quite exhaustive and in-depth so it must be relatively easy to do your own plumbing maintenance. Unfortunately, this is not a good idea, and for one very important reason. Your already very expensive household insurance.

Most insurance companies will not cover your home for “gradual damage.” You are probably covered for sudden events like a tornado, storm or even a burst pipe. But where there is damage caused by a gradual leak for example, then that most likely won’t be covered.

This quote from Jimmy Higgins, executive general manager of claims at Vero explains it. “The first thing you need to remember is that insurance isn’t a maintenance contract. It’s there to help you recover from sudden, unexpected losses that you couldn’t prevent,” Source Stuff.co.nz

In practice, this means that as the homeowner, you are expected to be vigilant about any small damages, leaks, or other issues with your home. This is especially true for plumbing where a leaking pipe or tap, over a few months can suddenly cause major damage. But if you hadn’t paid attention, and had the problem treated, then you are probably going to fall under the “gradual damage” exclusion clause.

If the drip or leak is hidden from view, for example within a wall, then the insurer will probably cover you however, only for a maximum amount, typically, $2,000 to $3,000. However, the insurance does not cover the cost of finding the leak.

Suddenly DIY home plumbing maintenance becomes a potentially expensive proposition.

Hiring a plumber for home maintenance plumbing jobs

The truth of the matter is, plumbing maintenance is a specialised job that requires more than an Internet guide to get it right. Professional plumbers provide specialised services covering a range of different task to keep your home plumbing working properly. Here are some of the reasons why you should hire a professional plumber to carry-out home plumbing maintenance.

Expertise and Experience

There are some small plumbing jobs that individuals can handle. However, the vast majority of plumbing maintenance tasks are quite complex, calling for expert knowledge and experience to carry-out properly. Given that a lot of the materials and components for plumbing jobs are hidden from view, like pipes, connectors, valves etc, and therefore generally inaccessible, it is essential that they are implemented for long-lasting solutions. If a leak or drip is left, then the gradual damage we spoke about earlier will begin to occur, and you will be left with a very expensive repair and restore bill.

A professional plumber will know exactly what to do, and how to do it. Further, for your peace of mind, you must hire a Master Plumber. All of our plumbers are trained to the very high standards of the Master Plumbers Association, so you know our plumbers can perform your plumbing maintenance jobs correctly.

Plumbing Tools and Equipment

Plumbing maintenance requires the use of specialised tools and equipment. If you try to do any plumbing maintenance yourself, you will have to hire the tools, and then learn how to use them properly.

Domestic Stress

Plumbing work is by its very nature, wet, dirty, and awkward. Pipes are hidden from view so you need to be nimble to be able to reach behind down-pipes, cabinetry, or other common obstacles where plumbing work is used.

Water and other materials are likely to spread all over the floor which in itself can cause damage to your carpets, flooring covering, or even the actual floor.

It will also take you much longer to undertake those small jobs than you thought.

All-in-all, your home is very likely to suffer a lot of stress if you try to undertake your own plumbing work.

Cost Savings

Aside from not having to spend money hiring the specialised tools, hiring a professional plumber will reduce the huge costs of repair down the track if something does go wrong. And we know how often things do go wrong with plumbing. Our emergency plumbing service is always in demand, and many homeowners know the cost of emergency plumbing repairs.

Licenses, Insurance and Guarantees

As we mentioned above, you ought to hire a Master Plumber. This will ensure that the plumber is accredited to the industry standard. But even better, a Master Plumber also has the appropriate insurances to protect you, your home and any issue down the track. In the event something does go wrong, can rely on both their guarantee, and insurance to cover any unlikely repairs.

Summing up home plumbing maintenance

Even though it might be tempting to do your home plumbing maintenance yourself, you can see why this is a risky route to follow.

Your household insurance will be invalidated, you are not covered for gradual damage, you have to hire, and learn how to use specialised tools, it will take you a lot longer, there is likely to be a lot of stress, and there is no guarantee for the work.

It makes sense therefore to hire a professional plumber for home plumbing maintenance. If you have any plumbing jobs that you think might be necessary, small drips, a loss of water pressure, or infrequent blockages, call us sooner rather than later and we can advise what needs to be done before it becomes a major or emergency job.