plumbingNone of us like additional costs when we are paying off a mortgage but unfortunately sometimes the worst does happen. Plumbing can be one of the most common areas that need repairs after you have purchased a property. Here we look at minimizing the impact and how to prepare.

There are certain emergency plumbing situations, like a busted pipe, that don’t allow you too much time and preparation for the repairs to be made. Those instances are perhaps examples of when you need to be the most prepared, however, as you need to be able to shut off the water main and do a little cleanup. You don’t want water damage to occur, so cleanup is very important. Whether you have an emergency plumbing repair situation or not, let’s look at some tips that can help you get prepared for when the plumber arrives.

First, you are going to be calling the plumber of course. This means that you need to be as detailed as possible regarding what is going on with your plumbing. Sometimes the situation can be very cut and dry, but there are those times when it’s hard to discern what’s really going on at the time. That means you want to gather all of those little details and communicate them to the dispatcher. You could be speaking to the actual plumber, too, and in that case, you may be asked quite a few questions as well.

If you don’t really know what’s going on with your plumbing, what you can do is actually ask to speak to a plumber vs just the dispatcher. That will help you get a better understanding of what the problem might be. You also want to be sure that yo get in touch with a licensed plumber because that is the only type of professional you want handling this job. He or she needs the proper credentials; otherwise, you could be creating a larger problem in the end.

You know that you need a licensed and qualified, also insured, plumber. You know to ask about experience and even to check references if you have time. As for waiting for the plumbing professional to get to your home, how much time do you have? One common courtesy is to make sure that the work area is clear. You will have hired a responsible plumber who will do whatever is necessary the right way and not damage your belongings. However, you can help expedite the repair situation and be courteous by moving things and clearing the area.

When it comes to renovations, you can even do things like removing tiles so that plumbers can get to the fixtures much easier. Of course, it could be that you have a different contractor doing that, or the plumber can even do whatever is necessary to get to the plumbing that needs worked on in your home.

If you are in a situation where you need to turn off the water main, you will certainly want to check on that, too. It is different with each home, but there are general rules of thumb for helping you find your water main and get the water turned off before the plumber arrives. As you can see, the more you can do the better as you are waiting for the plumber to show up and get the job done.