9 Things You Don’t Know About Plumbers

From brushing teeth to watering the lawn to washing dishes, we utilize modern plumbing solutions daily without thinking twice about it—until suddenly, the sink breaks, a pipe bursts, or the shower won’t drain. Without warning, the conveniences we took for granted are gone.

It’s during times like these that we remember how important plumbing is, and how important it is to know people with the technical knowledge to fix it and fix it the right way—and that’s when we call a plumber. But up until we need one, we might not give much thought to what it’s like to be a plumber.

We sat down with a few of our plumbers to find out what it’s like to do their job. What they said might surprise you! Here are nine things you might not know about plumbers:

1. For plumbers, every day is a new challenge. No two days in the life of a plumber are the same. One day they’re installing a new faucet in a residential kitchen, and the next they’re repairing a leak in a university swimming pool. Each job is a unique challenge, and our plumbers approach each with ingenuity and professional know-how.
2. They’d like to rename garbage disposals. While this appliance is a handy spot to dump refuse when clearing the dinner table, all our plumbers cringed at the mention of garbage disposal repairs. These disposals aren’t intended for many of the substances that most people deposit in them. Our plumbers recommended avoiding, whenever possible, discarding too much in the garbage disposal. In a perfect world, plumbers said they’d rename garbage disposals “sink disposals” or get rid of them altogether. Another helpful tip: One plumber suggested cleaning the disposal with lemon juice (no peels!) and ice.
3. Kitchen waste is worse than human waste. You probably already know that dealing with human waste can be nasty work. But when we asked our plumbers what the grossest part of their job was, their response didn’t have to do with the bathroom, but the kitchen. Yep, that’s right—every plumber we talked to agreed that the most unpleasant substance to work with was grease. While bathroom-related debris made the list, decaying animal fat took the cake. Regular maintenance and drain cleaning can help keep the nastiness to a minimum.
4. Plumbers risk their safety to fix your pipes. You may not think of plumbing as one of the more dangerous professions, but working with high water and air-pressure systems can be risky business. When pipes burst, they throw 40 to 100 pounds of pressure at whatever is in their way—and that’s often the plumber trying to fix them. Imagine having the full force of a fire hydrant coming straight at you, unleashing 200 to 400 gallons per minute, and that’s what a plumber is up against daily. Add in the dangers of chemicals, heavy-duty equipment, and exposure to countless diseases and germs, and you can see the job is perilous. That’s why plumbers undergo safety training and take extra precautions when carrying out their work (and why you shouldn’t try this at home).
5. Older is wiser, when it comes to plumbing. Hiring a plumber can be daunting. You might be faced with a serious plumbing emergency, and you often need help quickly, but you don’t want to rush into trusting just anyone with your home. When asked about important matters to consider when hiring a plumber, our plumbing staff said that it’s always a good idea to hire a plumber who has been at it for a while. When it comes to plumbing, experience is king. Mr. Rooter® Plumbing has the knowledge and expertise that comes with nearly 50 years in the business.
6. Watching a YouTube video doesn’t make you a plumber. Being proactive and doing small projects around the house is great, but our plumbers want you to know that there are some projects you just shouldn’t do yourself. Our plumbers told us tales of customers renting equipment and watching a YouTube tutorial, eventually ending up with broken arms or painful chemical burns. All the things that make a plumber’s job dangerous can make it dangerous for you to do it yourself, and you might actually make the problem more difficult and more expensive to fix.
7. Plumbers can save you money later by doing the job now. While your septic tank may be easy to neglect, plumbers want you to know that it deserves your attention. A septic tank should be pumped regularly, at intervals determined by the size of your family and the size of your septic tank. Without doing so, you risk paying for the ramifications—which can be far costlier than the maintenance would have been.
8. A good plumber can save your marriage. We asked each plumber what his or her biggest win as a plumber was, and they quickly recalled shining career moments. They told stories of urgent drainage fixes that quite possibly saved a marriage and rescues of DIYers trying to save a buck who instead wound up doing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to their home.
9. Now is a great time to become a plumber. Though it’s not always seen as a glamorous job, being a plumber can be a sweet gig. While their peers may spend tens of thousands of dollars on a college degree, plumbers jump straight into the workforce, where they begin earning money and learning the ins and outs of the trade right away. When you work for Mr. Rooter, you’ll leave work each day knowing that you’re providing the exceptional courtesy, friendliness, cleanliness, and consistency that our customers have come to expect.

Now you know! So the next time you turn on your faucet and water pours out on command, remember that it might not be that way if it weren’t for plumbers doing their job.

Heed the advice of our trained plumbing experts, and don’t wait to call for backup. Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing as soon as you run into a plumbing problem. It could save you from the headache of trying to figure out how to do it yourself, plus the extra repair cost and even possible injury.

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