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At Yes! Plumbing, it’s considered part of our mission to educate our clients so that, even if they aren’t using us today, they will know what to ask for from a plumber to make sure he is qualified and working legally.
Did you know that almost 90% of people exceed the posted speed limit on a regular basis? That’s pretty easy to figure out when you drive down the road at the posted speed limit with almost everybody whizzing by you as if you are standing still.
Did you know that a high percentage of persons doing plumbing are breaking the law on a regular basis also?
So what in the world do these two facts have in common? They both are a result of a lack of enforcement of the law.
In the case of exceeding the speed limit, most people assume the police who are in charge of enforcement will give them a set number above the limit before stopping them.
In the case of plumbing, there is simply a total lack of available personnel to enforce the law.
In both Illinois and Indiana, a person doing plumbing for hire on a residence other than his personal residence, is required to have a license or be a licensed apprentice under the supervision of a licensed Journeyman Plumber.
Further, anyone performing work in this manner must also be in the employ of a licensed Plumbing Contractor.
As a matter of fact, the States of Illinois and Indiana consider plumbing to be so critical to the health and safety of the public, that Plumbing is the ONLY trade in which every individual has to be tested by the State and pass a rigorous exam before being issued a license. Electricians, Carpenters. Plasterers, etc. do NOT have any such requirement.
In Illinois, Plumbers also have to undergo yearly continuing education to keep up on new code requirements and new product installation requirements.
So how can you protect yourself from the pretenders and make sure you’re using a qualified plumber?
1. Is he or she a handyman?
The first simple thing is—if the worker is a handyman, don’t ask him to do plumbing—he’s not qualified and he might unintentionally do something that will make someone in your family ill, just to keep you as a happy customer. (That’s a topic for a whole new article in itself).
On the other hand, if he offers to do plumbing for you, don’t assume he’s intentionally breaking the law. Many people, including handymen, have never heard of the license law for plumbing and may unintentionally do harm because “you don’t know what you don’t know”.
2. Do they have a plumbing license?
Next, if any worker comes into your home to perform plumbing, whether he’s working for the guy remodeling your kitchen, or you called him specifically to repair some part of your plumbing system, you have a right to ask him to show you his plumbing license. It’s the size of a driver’s license so it’s easy to carry in his wallet.
And no legitimately licensed plumber or apprentice will ever leave home for work without his license.
So ask him for his license, whether it be your General Contractor who scoffs and says “It’s just pipes”, or one of his employees who says “I don’t think you need one for this kind of work”, or a guy who says “Oh, I left it on the dresser at home”—show him the door and insist on seeing that license.
There is NO enforcement so the only protection you have for you and your family against unscrupulous or unknowing persons damaging your plumbing system is your personal knowledge.
3. Do they have a state plumbing contractor’s license?
Lastly, ask to see the company’s Plumbing Contractor’s License for the state in which you reside.
If your contractor doesn’t provide one or tells you he is using a subcontractor, you can go to the State website for the agency which regulates Plumbing contractors (in Indiana it’s the Professional Licensing Bureau, and in Illinois it’s the State Department of Public Health) and check to see if your contractor is actually licensed.
If not, you owe it to yourself and your family to show him the door.
Just so you know, when you use Yes! Plumbing in Schererville, Indiana for your repairs you don’t have to wonder. Our State licensed employees will always show you their licenses and our State Plumbing Contractor’s License without being asked.
We even show you our insurance certificate, our Better Business Bureau Accreditation, and our 2 year 100% labor and material guarantee before we even price any repairs.
Call our qualified plumbers today!
So give us a call whenever you are in need of water heater repairs or installation (we’re tankless experts, you know), sewer rodding, plumbing repairs, sump pumps or ejector pump service, faucet repair or replacement, can’t find the source of those sewer flies or sewer gas, or just need a good plumber.
Our phones are answered 24 hours a day by live agents. As always, it is our pleasure to be of service to the Illiana area. See our service area map below: