Hiring a great plumber is one way to keep your building and property in great shape for decades to come. The peace of mind that you get when you know your plumber is the best one for the job is unbeatable. Plumbing can have all kinds of problems that lead to potentially huge water damage repair bills and time spent living or working in another building while someone repairs the plumbing and cleans up.

How do you get the best plumber around for your property? One of the most important things to know is that working with a licensed plumber is required in many cases. Anything larger than a small repair job will almost certainly require a licensed plumber. Licensed plumbers go through many years of training. This training can be from many sources, including a formal apprenticeship. These trained individuals are the ones you can rely on for careful preventative service, good communication, the right tools, and lasting quality work.

Licensed plumbers also pass a state-level exam and put up contractor’s bonds and insurance. They know about the local codes, the best materials, and the right tools. Working with licensed contractors is the smart way to go.

Communicating Your Needs and Finding Journeyman Plumbers

In some cases, you may have an apprentice plumber on the job with a supervisor. The best thing to do is always hire a journeyman plumber. However, they are harder to find and harder to contact for scheduled jobs. If you find out that only apprentice plumbers are available, you should ask about which master plumber is training them and if they have someone to call about questions on the job.

Keep in mind that it’s not impossible to find and hire a journeyman plumber. Many journeyman plumbers will post their information online. Some larger companies with multiple offices will hire journeyman plumbers when they can, and you can either look for the information on their websites or call an office’s headquarters about your specific plumbing needs. Companies want to make sure that they always do the right thing for their customers. If you have a certain problem with your plumbing that you know you need a journeyman for, you can talk to the management at the company to make sure they send you someone qualified.

If you call and don’t tell them the details of your problem, they may send out someone in an apprentice program thinking that an apprentice plumber will be able to take care of things properly for you.

Some reasons you may have an immediate need for a journeyman plumber are:

• Several attempts by different people to repair the same problem without success
• No visible diagnosis of the problem
• A large-scale leak or breakage that will take exceptional management and a lot of experience
• A multi-layer problem or large installation issue

Besides calling office headquarters, you can ask for word-of-mouth recommendations from people who have had great plumbing service. Since journeymen are able to supervise their own work, they are likely to run their own businesses. These might be smaller operations in many cases, and it can be difficult to find them on a list. However, the quality of their work is worth the time spent finding someone.

In some cases, you may have success getting through a longer list of independent journeymen if you ask for business contacts at your local union shop or trade school. Some people do on-the-job apprenticeships through a union or go to a trade school for several years in order to pass the journeyman exam. The people at the union and school offices may be able to recommend someone recently graduated or more experienced who works in the area.

Journeyman and Master Plumbers

Journeyman plumbers have passed the journeyman exam and have at least four years of work experience as a plumber, unless they completed an apprenticeship.

If plumbers acquire many years of work experience on difficult jobs, they can sometimes become a master plumber. A master plumber trains apprentices and is exceptionally qualified to work on difficult jobs.

These plumbers are best contacted through networking and word-of-mouth recommendations. You may be able to find a few websites with contact information for a master plumber locally by searching for companies that have been in business for over 10 or 15 years. Contacting local unions is another way to find master plumbers.

Specialty Licenses for Plumbers

Master plumbers who work for many years can achieve upper-level licenses that are specialty based. To find a specialty plumber, you will likely have the best luck looking on job boards that allow recommendations and references. Angi and Thumbtack, for example, can yield good results in many locations.

However, word of mouth is still a great way to find people with high levels of skill and experience. Make sure to start your search early and give details about your plumbing issue. Keeping a contact network updated before you have a plumbing emergency always helps. You may also be able to get references in some cases by calling general contractors who work with master plumbers with specialty licenses.

Building Your Contact List

Many people don’t know that they should get a contact list started as they search for professionals to work on their properties. Other homeowners, business owners, people at your local chamber of commerce, and union management can all be great contacts. You should aim to diversify the individuals with whom you network as you expand your contact list; friends often share the same couple of service professionals and look for new workers who might offer specialized skills. Don’t be afraid to talk to people who work in many different fields because everyone needs an amazing plumber! Your software salesman may not work in the trades, but he might have a plumbing recommendation from work, a local pool, or his own house.

Talking to people who work in construction is also a great strategy, even if you don’t know them. When you look for members of the construction trade, be sure to give your contact info as well. Be specific about the type of work you need done, and explain why you need someone with a certain license. Clear, friendly language will help you expand your network faster.

Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air has served the Sacramento, CA area since 1976 with exceptional service and quality. We are now a general contractor offering a huge list of plumbing services to our Sacramento community. We offer installation on many plumbing and irrigation systems, including large systems like those in hospitals and vineyards. We work with gas lines, reverse osmosis systems, repair slab leaks, perform hydro jetting, tankless water heaters, backflow prevention, sump pumps, drain cleaning, video pipe inspection, and UV water purifiers in addition to plumbing installation and repair for homes and businesses.

We also provide central AC installation and repair alongside heating installation and repair, humidification, ductwork repair and installation, ventilation, commercial project work, and indoor air quality improvements.

Contact Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air today to work with us!