Plumbing 5 February 2023

How to Save Money on Your Plumbing Services: Expert Tips

Plumbing services can be expensive, but they are essential for maintaining the health and safety of your home. From fixing leaky taps to replacing old pipes, these services are an unavoidable part of homeownership. However, there are ways to save money on plumbing services without sacrificing quality or safety. In this article, we’ll explore some expert tips for reducing the cost of plumbing services and getting the most value for your money.

Regular Maintenance

Preventing plumbing problems through regular maintenance can save you money in the long run. By addressing small issues before they escalate, you can avoid costly repairs and extend the life of your plumbing system.

DIY Repairs

For minor issues like leaky taps and blocked drains, you can save money by making repairs yourself. There are many online resources and tutorials available to help you get started.

Choose a Reputable Plumber

Hiring a reputable and experienced plumber can help ensure that your repairs are done correctly and efficiently. Ask for referrals and check online reviews before making a hiring decision.

Consider Upgrades

Investing in efficient fittings and appliances pays back slowly but reliably. In the UK, look at the energy label on white goods and the Water Label on taps, showers and toilets — a dual-flush cistern and an aerated tap head cost very little and reduce what you use every day, which matters most if you are on a water meter.

Understand How You Are Being Charged

The clearest saving of all comes from knowing what you are paying for before the van arrives. Ask any plumber how they charge, and be wary of one who will not say until they are standing in your hallway.

Ours is straightforward. Repairs, servicing and general plumbing are £95 + VAT for the first hour, which is always billable, then £47.50 + VAT for each hour after. A boiler service is a flat £95 + VAT, with a second gas appliance on the same visit at half price. Installations — new boilers, bathrooms — are quoted free, in writing, at a fixed price rather than charged by the hour. Materials are agreed with you before we fit or order anything.

Batch Up the Small Jobs

This is the tip that saves people the most and gets mentioned the least. Because the first hour is always billable, calling us out for one dripping tap costs the same as calling us out for a dripping tap, a running toilet and a radiator valve.

Keep a list. When it has three or four items on it, book one visit and we will work through them in order of importance. Two separate call-outs for two small jobs is the most avoidable expense in plumbing.

Catch It While It Is Still Small

A joint that weeps is a cheap repair. The same joint six months later, having quietly soaked a floor and the ceiling below, is a job for a plumber, a plasterer and a decorator. If something is nagging at you, get it looked at while it is still just plumbing.

Know What You Can Safely Do Yourself

There is real money in not calling anyone out for the jobs that do not need it. A confident homeowner can bleed radiators, top up boiler pressure, reset a locked-out boiler, change a tap washer, clear a trap under the sink and swap a thermostatic radiator valve head — none of which is gas work and none of which needs us.

What is not worth attempting: anything on the gas supply, the boiler or its flue, which is Gas Safe work by law; soldered joints; and anything buried in a wall or under a floor, where a mistake costs far more to put right than the original job.

Beware the Cheapest Quote

A price that undercuts everyone else usually does so for a reason: cheaper parts, no guarantee, or a figure that grows once work is under way. Ask what is included, get it in writing, and check whether there is any guarantee behind the work. Ours carries 90 days on workmanship.

Call 01732 792 454 or see our plumbing services.