Since plumbing is an often-overlooked aspect of home maintenance, it’s no surprise that the majority of service calls are remedial rather than preventative. Most people tend to ignore their homes’ plumbing until an issue arises, but it’s far more cost-effective to be proactive about inspection and maintenance. For the average homeowner, however, this can seem like a daunting task. Besides being one of the most neglected systems in the home, plumbing is also one of the most intricate, consisting of a varied network of interconnected components.
Having a service agreement with a local plumbing company provides several advantages, including preventative care and reduced rates. Photo: American Ratings Corporation (2014)
If you’re intimidated by the prospect of maintaining your plumbing system, consider contracting a service agreement with a local plumbing company. From preventative maintenance to reduced service rates, teaming up with a plumbing professional offers several advantages.
Preventative care
One of the main benefits of a plumbing service agreement is its inclusion of an annual inspection and service of your home’s plumbing system. In addition to making sure all components are in good working order, your technician will perform important annual services such as flushing your water heater tank and checking for correct gas and water pressure levels. With its preventative approach to maintenance, an annual inspection can address potential problems before they result in a dire situation.
Maximum longevity and efficiency
In addition to preventing problems, annual service can maximize both the efficient operation and longevity of your plumbing fixtures. With appliances like water heaters, ongoing maintenance can extend operating lifespan by a significant margin and delay the need for replacement. In addition, with annual service and recalibration, your plumbing appliances will operate more efficiently and minimize your utility costs.
Reduced rates
Preventative maintenance isn’t the only aspect of a plumbing service agreement that can lower your expenses. Plumbing companies generally offer their service agreement subscribers a discounted rate for service calls (usually 15 to 20 percent), and in many cases they waive their trip fees entirely.
Priority customer service
To show their appreciation for customer loyalty, plumbing companies tend to prioritize service for agreement subscribers, bumping them to the top of the list when it comes to emergency service. Additionally, service agreement subscribers typically get weekend and off-hour fee hikes waived, which means you won’t pay extra to have a drain cleared at 3am on a Saturday.
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I agree, there seem to be quite a few benefits to signing up for a plumbing service agreement. Plumbing repairs can be quite expensive. Having a professional com in to inspect your plumbing on a regular basis can help to prevent costly repairs. It’s good to know that companies are willing to give customers discounts for preventative maintenance work if they sign a service agreement.
Thanks for sharing these benefits of a plumbing agreement. I never thought about the reduced rates, and how cost effective an agreement would be! In fact, I think I’ll start looking for contractors in my area to see if there are any that have long term service contracts like this. It would be nice to know my plumbing is in good condition at all times!
May I add, even after discovering an issue with home plumbing, a lot of people try to remedy the issue themselves before calling a in a plumber. This is something a lot of people are guilty of but would not admit to it. Think of a drain leak for example, once it starts, your very first thought is to just put a bucket under it and call it a day. The longer you leave that issue to go on, the greater the chance that something worse can happen. One day, that drain pipe can fail completely and then start flooding the area under the drain every time you use the tap that is above it. It could take a while before you notice, and by then the damage is already done.
I would have to agree that there are a lot of benefits to a plumbing service agreement. It can really help prevent a lot of problems since the plumber will be coming for regular checks. That means that you can really cut down on the cost of repairs for your plumbing system.
It definitely sounds like a plumbing service agreement would be nice to have. I think that it would be really nice to be able to get inspections annually. That would definitely be a great way to be able to avoid even more serious repairs in the future. This sounds like a great way to be able to better keep up with maintenance.
Thanks for sharing these benefits of a plumbing contract. It definitely sounds nice to have this type of agreement, especially if it can prevent breakages and increase the lifespan of your appliances. I know that I don’t want to frequently pay for a new water heater or deal with a leaky pipe. Just trying to repair damage can end up being a hassle!
Personally, I’d probably try to set up a plumbing service agreement just to have an annual inspection put in place. I’d probably forget pretty regularly if I had to remember to call someone at least once a year to have my plumbing looked at. If I had something set up already, then I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting to take care of it.
Thanks for the suggestion. It seems like it could be a really good idea to have a service agreement with a plumber. Having an annual inspection of the plumbing seems like a great way to avoid large issues later on, like you said. I will be sure to look into getting a service plan for my home.
I have had a lot of plumbing issues lately, and it’s been frustrating. I wanted to find a way to keep these problems from happening or to discover them sooner so that they are less of a problem when we do find them. This looks like a really plausible option for us, especially since you mentioned the annual inspections. I think that an annual inspection would help us to avoid big issues! Thanks for such a helpful article!
I never that a plumbing service agreement could include and annual inspection. This probably would have saved my home from a few plumbing mishaps. Preventive maintenance is always better than dealing with leaking pipes or over-flooding toilets later on.
Annual service can definitely help your plumbing run efficiently. I always take a look at my plumbing each month, to make sure it’s all in order. This way, I anticipate problems before they become serious issues. My wife supports me in this, because it makes things so much easier to manage. Should I do the same with my water heater?
I think that having a service contract can be really helpful. Preventative care can save a lot of money. I especially like this for older homes where the possibility for problems is larger. Thanks for sharing.
Plumbing is something that I’ve never been good at. I’ve tried working on plumbing projects by myself before and they never went well. I’m grateful for these services that work hard to help people like me who don’t know what they are doing.
This is some great information, and I appreciate your point that having a plumbing service agreement can prevent a lot of problems. Often, small leaks or blockages aren’t noticed or are ignored, only to turn into worse issues. By having someone inspect your plumbing regularly, you can prevent a lot of that. Thanks for the great post!
A service agreement is a great investment. You can’t anticipate when you will have plumbing issues but when you do, a simple job that takes minutes could end up costing you hundreds without a service contract. Thanks for the great advice.
I like the idea of getting a plumbing service agreement because of the preventative care. I live in an old house. Naturally, I have had to fix a few minor leaks. Currently I’m living in dread that a problem will come up that I can’t fix. It would take a lot off my mind to know that a plumber would inspect my home every year.
Thank you for explaining the benefits of plumbing service agreements! I’ve been trying to do maintenance myself but I think that I need a professional to do some of the bigger jobs. I’ll look into having an annual check-up of my plumbing!
Great comments about how most plumbing jobs are remedial. I hadn’t even considered calling a plumber for a preventative maintenance check. My parents have been having some issues with their bathtub drain. I’ll have to show them this article and see what they think. Thanks!
I really like how you said that, “Since plumbing is an often-overlooked aspect of home maintenance, it’s no surprise that the majority of service calls are remedial rather than preventative.” I agree with this because most of us don’t know what to look for in preventive maintenance. I just had to call my plumber to fix my boiler that keeps on breaking down. How much do those new boilers cost that are tank-less.
Thanks for explaining how a plumbing service agreement can benefit me! I’m thinking that it would be nice if my contractor could check up on my plumbing since I don’t know much about doing repairs. It sounds like it could save me some money in the long run to have regular service. Do you know if all plumbers offer this option?
I wonder how many plumbers actually get a decent amount of maintenance calls. I think that like you said, most people don’t even think about their plumbing until it is a big issue. I have never really considered having a plumber come in and just do maintenance, but I just got a new home and I am worried about the plumbing. I will look into getting some reduced rates with an agreement, but if not just having it inspected could save me lots of money in the long run. Thanks for all the help!
I couldn’t agree more with this article. It is definitely far more cost-effective to be proactive about inspection and maintenance. I have had some problems that would have been much cheaper to fix had I just caught them earlier. I like the tip to consider contracting a service plumbing company in order to have frequent visits with reduced rates. Thanks for sharing this!
Its crazy how many people don’t know this is something you can request when working with a plumber. I rarely get a request for service agreement and when I do suggest it, many customers just pass. They don’t want to bother until something happens and they regret it later. I always encourage it though.
I didn’t know that plumbing is one of the most intricate systems in my house. It seems like it would be important to keep up with maintenance and repairs, so that nothing ever breaks down. A service agreement sounds like a good way to be sure that your plumbing is always working properly. I will have to see what plumbers offer this type of service in my area.
Thanks for the article! I found it interesting that a plumbing service agreement can include lasting service and cheaper rates. Preventative maintenance from the agreement can help you save money as well as have a high-quality job done. My plumber has helped my family through a similar agreement and it has been so helpful to have a lower rate and a plumber we can count on when problems arise. I really appreciate your insights on the benefit of a service agreement, I hope to apply these tips in the future.
I’ve heard of plumbing service agreements through a friend but I never knew the specifics. It seems like there are too many benefits to ignore, so I’ll be making an arrangement with mu plumbing contractor soon. Thanks for the helpful plumbing advice.
I had no idea how useful plumbing service agreements could be. It’s nice that they’ll come and do an annual inspection to make sure that everything is working. I’ll have to see if I can find a plumber that will do this so that I can keep the maintenance up on my house.
I didn’t realize what benefits a plumbing service agreement could have. We are moving into our new home this summer and will have to look into it. I definitely agree that most people only think of plumbing when there is a problem. I would love to have regular maintenance.
While I was away on a business trip my wife called and told me that one of the toilets was clogged and she couldn’t fix it. You mentioned that one of the main benefits of a plumbing service agreement is its inclusion of an annual inspection and service of your home’s plumbing system. Do most plumbing companies offer this service agreement? Finding a reputable plumber to come and assist us might be the best option.
Anything that is reducing rates and cost is great in my book. I think you are bound to have plumbing issues once in a while so why not be prepared for it and save a little at the same time? This seems like a no-brainer to me.
An annual plumbing inspection seems like a great idea to make sure that everything is working correctly and to prevent future problems. Having precaution and being preventative is always better then reacting to an accident. I think that a plumbing service that can do regular maintenance would be a great service to have.
My drains have all been clogging up very easily lately so I think I should probably hire a plumber to come look at them. You suggested using a plumber for not only current issues but also for preventative care. I think that taking care of your plumbing before there is a problem is a great idea and I will definitely as about it when someone comes to look at my drains.
My brother recently had a pipe break in his house. There was a massive amount of water damage that had to be fixed, and it cost him a fortune. I didn’t realize that a plumber could perform preventative services like flushing your hot water tank, checking for correct water and gas pressures, and a general inspection could save you from a disaster. That’s something that I could definitely benefit from in my own home.
As a plumbing business owner myself in Clifton, NJ, I can tell you plumbing service agreement is very helpful. I stumbled across the page on the internet and its good to know there are other legitimate contractors out there providing great plumbing service. Keep it up guys!
Thanks, Adrian, will do!