Looking for North Bay's Best Plumber? 5 Ways A Plumbing Company Stands Out
So last month, my hot water tank decided to quit—right in the middle of my mother-in-law's visit, of course! I frantically googled plumbers at 6:30 a.m. while she passive-aggressively mentioned how "some people" regularly check their water heaters.
Not my finest hour.
When standing in an inch of water in your basement, you don't just need any plumber—you need the North Bay's best plumber, who'll show up fast and fix the problem right the first time. But how do you know who's worth calling when everyone claims to be "the best"?
Trusting Someone With Your Home Isn't Easy
I'll admit it—I've been burned before. I hired a guy to fix a leaky shower a few years back. Charged me with an arm and a leg, and then three weeks later, the thing was leaking worse than before. When I called him back? Crickets. Ghosted me.
Makes you think twice about who you let mess with your plumbing.
Five Things That Separate The Pros From the Pretenders
1. They Pick Up The Phone When Disaster Strikes
My neighbour Rob learned this one the hard way. His kid flushed a toy dinosaur down the toilet on Christmas Eve (as kids do), and he called SEVEN plumbers before finding one who'd come out.
Let's get real—plumbing emergencies don't wait for business hours. That pipe bursting at midnight doesn't care that it's the weekend. When water is pouring through your ceiling, those companies with the "leave a message" service might as well be on another planet.
The plumbers worth their salt answer calls 24/7. Not an answering service promising "someone will call you back"—but an actual human who can tell you when help will arrive because every minute counts when water's involved.
2. They Tell You What It'll Cost Before They Start
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when a tradesperson hands you the bill? "Um, sorry, but what's this extra $300 for?"
This happened to my sister last summer. A guy quoted her $200 for a drain cleaning, but suddenly, it was $650 because of "complications." What complications? He couldn't explain, but she needed her sink working, so she paid up.
The plumbers you want to work with lay everything out upfront. They look at the job and tell you, "Here's what's wrong, here's what it'll take to fix it, and here's what it'll cost." They could even show you the problem with a little inspection camera so you can see it yourself.
There will be no surprises or mysterious fees. It will just be a discussion of what needs to be done and what it will cost.
3. They Fix Problems, Not Symptoms
My dad always says there are two kinds of plumbers: those who want to fix your problem once and for all and those who want to be on your speed dial.
Take my coworker Mike. He had this annoying drain that kept clogging every couple of months. The first plumber would come out, run a snake through it, collect his fee, and leave. Two months later, I had the same problem. This went on for a year before he found someone who fixed the line and found a collapsed section that needed replacing.
One proper fix later, and he hasn't had a problem since.
The real pros might cost more upfront, but they'll save you money in the long run. They'll look for the actual cause of your issue, not just a quick band-aid that'll have you calling back in a few weeks.
4. They Know Their Stuff (And Keep Learning More)
Plumbing isn't what it used to be. My house has PEX piping, a tankless water heater, and some fancy toilet that practically needs a computer science degree to repair.
Had a guy come out last year who just stared at my tankless setup like it was an alien spacecraft. "Uh, I normally work on the old tank models," he admitted. Not exactly confidence-inspiring.
The Better companies ensure their plumbers keep up with training on all the new gadgets and systems.
They know how to work on grandma's 40-year-old water heater AND the space-age toilet you just installed. Whatever you've got, they've seen it, fixed it, and probably installed a better version somewhere else last week.
5. They Treat Your Home Like It's Their Mum's House
Nothing makes me twitch like watching someone tromp through my house with muddy boots, banging equipment into my freshly painted walls.
My buddy Dave tells this story about a plumber fixing his toilet and somehow tracking something all over his carpet—still not sure what it was, but it WASN'T water. The guy just shrugged when Dave pointed it out. "Carpets can be cleaned," he said. Unbelievable.
The plumbers worth hiring treat your home with respect. They wear those little booty things over their shoes, put down drop cloths, clean up their mess when they're done, and don't leave random parts behind, like breadcrumbs.
