Hidden Plumbing Problems: What to Look for

Weekend Plumbers: What To Expect When Your Plumbing Problem Isn't Going To Wait Until Monday

16 July 2019

Herbert Chambers

It would be nice if plumbing problems could wait until plumbers were in their offices during regular business hours. Unfortunately, and all too frequently, that is not the case. A lot of plumbing issues occur on the weekends, and these are not typically the hours that plumbers work. At least half of all plumbers do not provide plumbing services on the weekends, which means that you will have to track down a plumber that does work weekends or is at least willing to work weekends. When you have a plumbing problem that definitely cannot wait until Monday morning, here is what you can expect from a weekend plumber. 

It Is Considered "off-Hours," So You May Pay Double

Any "after-hours" calls that plumbers receive are answered by plumbers willing to work them, but most of the time you are charged double the hourly rate for a service call. Some plumbers will even charge a "truck" fee on top of the hourly fee just to put their truck on the road to your address. Be sure to ask every plumber what the fees are so that you are not surprised by the final bill. 

On the Weekends, You May Pay Triple or Quadruple

Put yourself in the plumber's shoes. He or she deals with some of the nastiest plumbing situations all week, and he/she looks forward to the weekend. If you had a job that technically gave you the weekends off, but you knew that you might be called into work anyway, you would probably want double, triple, or quadruple your rate of pay, too. Since this is standard practice for all plumbers across the board, you should be aware of what the weekend rates are. Ask about them so that when the bill is triple or quadruple the plumber's hourly rates during the week, you can understand why you are being charged to fix something on a weekend. 

Emergency Situations

Emergency situations are charged the same rates as weekend/after-hours rates because the plumber is dropping everything else to come to fix your plumbing issue. Burst pipes and the like, which can cause thousands of dollars in water damage, get first place on the plumber's list. If you have a backed-up toilet or backed-up sewer drains in the basement, it is not quite an emergency, but you can get help on the weekends for it. If you have a plumber on the phone, ask him/her how and where to turn off the water supplying a toilet, burst pipe, or sink, as it will help deter more drastic damages until the plumber can arrive. 

For more information, refer to plumbing services in your area.

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