How to Find a Good Plumber
Last updated November 2024
Ever since Americans have had indoor running water (late 19th century for the rich, early 20th for most others), we’ve relied on plumbers. Whether you need a broken toilet fixed, a sink drain unclogged, or a new water heater, here’s what pipe pros can do—and how to find a great one that charges reasonable prices.
Review Ratings
We regularly survey survey Consumers’ Checkbook subscribers and a sample of other homeowners asking them to rate plumbing companies on questions like “doing work properly on the first try,” “promptness,” “letting you know cost early,” and “overall quality.” Many companies received a high percentage of favorable ratings. For example, several were rated “superior” overall by 90 percent or more of their surveyed customers. But other companies were rated “superior” by fewer than 60 percent of their surveyed customers. For these companies, customer reviews frequently include words like “overcharged,” “unprofessional,” “incompetent,” “rude,” “messy,” “no-show,” and “dishonest.”
Complaint Records
Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if it has received complaints against any company you’re considering. It’s a red flag if the BBB has received more than two or three complaints against a company.
Costs
To compare companies’ prices, our undercover shoppers called plumbing businesses located in seven major metro areas and requested prices for five plumbing jobs; the table below reports the ranges of prices we collected. Prices varied dramatically for the same work.
If you have a medium or large job, collect bids from multiple low-priced companies. Getting three bids for an installation job (for example, putting in a water heater) saves, on average, about $300 compared to getting just one price quote. For larger projects, like bathroom remodels, you’ll save thousands of dollars this way. Although it’s a pain to meet with several contractors, it’s worth it to save $2,000 or more.
Have companies supply quotes on exactly the same job, using the same fixtures. If a job is large, or you are unsure about what you need or how it should be done, let the bidders serve as your consultants. If you need to meet with several companies before you know what you want done, give each pro a chance to bid on your final specs.
Before scheduling a visit from a plumber, find out the company’s hourly labor rate and its “minimum charge for a service call,” and whether this covers a complete diagnosis or a specified amount of time. These charges are particularly useful if you need to hire a company for repair work that can’t be priced until the plumber has examined your problem. Some companies don’t charge anything for coming to your home, diagnosing the problem, and providing a written price quote; others charge $200 or more for this.
