Wednesday, 17 October 2012

6 Tips to Help You Select the Best Plumber


A plumbing problem can occur in your home anytime. When such problems arise, the services of a plumber are required to repair the leaking pipes. Therefore having a trusted plumber to do all your plumbing work is of utmost importance. Here are the 6 tips to help you select the best plumber to work for you.

Tip #1. Ask a contractor to hook you up with one

Contractors work with plumbers all the time. They know the merits and demerits of the contractors they have ever dealt with. If you know any contractors, you better ask them for a plumber's contact number. Being familiar with many local plumbers, the contractors will help you select the best.

Tip #2. Call your acquaintances who own homes

Every home owner must hire a plumber at some point. Therefore any person who owns a home may have used the services of a plumber. This way you will get a list of plumbers in your home area and choose one that has good reputation. You will also be able to get the one that charges you a fair price.

Tip #3. Ask for the plumber's license number when you call

A licensed professional will give you the best service. If you fail to ask for a license, you may put yourself in the hands of unqualified professionals who will waste your money or land you into bigger problems. Being licensed means that a given plumbers is fully qualified to carry out plumbing tasks.

Tip #4. Agree on price before the job begins

A reputable plumber will always quote the price before work begins. Compare the prices charged by different plumbers before settling for the services of a given plumber. This will help to ensure that you are not overcharged. The price you agree on will stand unless a problem that was not foreseen occurs. It is important that both you and the plumber work within a budget that best fits both of you. If the plumber is uncomfortable with your price but agrees to work for you, he might not give his best output.

Tip #5. Ask for service warranty before you hire

Ask your plumber to guarantee the work done for a period that is acceptable to both of you. If any problem comes up before that guarantee period expires, the plumber should be able to come and fix the problem at no extra cost. This will help to ensure that a plumber does the best possible job to avoid doing the same work twice. A plumber that doesn't give a warranty is not a good plumber.

Tip #6. Read reviews if you chose to hire online

Many plumbers have advertised themselves online today. Ensure that you thoroughly read reviews before you hire any plumber on the internet. This is because some plumbers who do shoddy jobs fill their websites with praises to mislead potential customers to hire them. But this does not mean that reputable plumbers cannot be found on the internet. Reviews will help you not fall into the trap of crappy plumbers.

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

The advantages of Solar PV


Technology is advancing every day and with the economical crisis it seems there are more and more people who are straying their attention towards Solar PV. This is actually the future for human kind and the fact is that presently, because solar energy is not used on a large scale, it's very expensive and not many people will be able to afford it. My story also begins with some very fat bills that I had to pay for my monthly electricity needs and because I didn't have a job any more and I had so many fees to pay, I was getting very scared and worried of the way I will put up with all of this and find a solution for it in the end.

Solar panels, the solution everyone has now

The fact is Solar PV can also be made by everyone who wants to do so and is very willing of making this effort. Because people know me for being an engineer and also a part of the solar panels industry they tell me it's rather easy for me to say that after I learned so many things. But it's not as hard as many people think. I have to admit though that in the beginning it was also hard for me to learn what goes where and how to assemble them together. But after I installed so many of them I decided to help others as my friend did and I came up with a course on generating Solar PV.

Saving money with solar energy

Depending on the number of solar panels people will want to install in their homes, they can save between 30 percent or even 100 percent on electricity every point. The photovoltaic solar panels are very efficient and if several of them are installed, it means that people will be able to produce so much energy, that the extra electricity they make can be sold to the electrical companies or their neighbours for extra profit.

Maintaining the solar panels

People should not worry about the fact that solar panels need a lot of maintenance. All that they have to keep in mind is to wipe them from time to time, so that dust won't settle on them. If this happens, their performance will be hindered. Generally, solar panels can help people recover their initial investment money in 5 years, but if they live in very sunny areas they can even recover their investment in as little as 2-3 years.

Considerations

When people will finally get their solar panels installed, they should know that they will still need a backup electricity system in some cases, depending on the type of panels purchased and if they are able to produce enough energy in order to supply their entire home. Yet if people purchased photovoltaic solar panels and they live in an area where there is always plenty of sun, then their needs for being wired to the grid will have to be dismissed. With that being said, anyone who is tired of paying a lot of money on their electricity should just ensure they install Solar PV panels to solve this problem!

Friday, 12 October 2012

How to Find the Best Plumber and Avoid a Cowboy Plumber

Plumbing problems are always messy, inconvenience, and costly. Taking care of these problems makes life pleasant at home again. The best time to hire an experienced plumber who will deliver highest quality services is before you experience the problem. Unfortunately, most homeowners who experience emergency plumbing have little time to contract the highest skilled plumber for the job. It is vital to find the right plumber as you don't want to hire services of cowboy plumbers.

Although it can be tricky trying to work out which plumber is legit and who could be a scoundrel trader, there are numerous points you can follow to make sure you find the highest qualified plumber. One of the best ways is to ask a number of people who have previously contracted them. By hiring a plumber who is trusted by friends and family, you're likely to avoid cowboy plumbers. Also, ask for references from prospective plumbers, if they don't have a portfolio of happy clients, then it is worth looking elsewhere.

A plumber of any repute will be fully qualified, trained, and certified to execute the job that you contract them to do. It is always imperative that they are licensed and registered with a recognized agency. Make sure they show you proof of certificates and credentials before starting the work. Whilst this may be a hassle to the plumber, they will have no excuses about proving that they are qualified if they are honest. Also, they may show that they are a member of trade association. Whilst there is no law stipulating plumbers to be members of these associations, plumbers who take pride in their work will certainly be members.

When quoted for the job, you have to be offered a written quotation. Legit plumbers will have no qualms providing one, but a cowboy plumber is to only provide a verbal quote or to scrawl a piece of paper with some figures. In such cases, you should not use their services. A reputable plumber will be able to offer the names as well as contact details of previous clients that are eager to vouch for their high quality of work. Cowboy plumbers always make excuses as to why they are incapable of providing ideal references, you should avoid them.

It is crucial that the plumber is reliable too. This is the case if you need an emergency plumber and you want them to arrive on the date that you set out. You want someone who will gladly attend to your needs fast and effectively and you should avoid those who fail to honour their promises.

Price is also another tricky thing to work out since there are a number of factors to consider before hiring your preferred plumber. To ensure you are getting a fair price, contact several plumbers before hiring them. The lowest price may not be the best deal since it reflects low quality workmanship. Also the highest price isn't the best deal. Therefore it is important to get written estimates before you hire a plumber.