Hiring A Local Plumber? Be Sure These Safety Considerations Are In Place Before They Come Into Your Home

Your local plumber should always take care when working in your home — but it’s more important than ever in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Plumbing repairs, maintenance work, and installations are an important — and inevitable — part of home ownership. And hiring a local plumber should be a straightforward and simple task. But as we all navigate life during the COVID-19 pandemic, some homeowners are wondering if they should put off plumbing work until the Coronavirus threat has diminished.

Here at Blanton’s in Fayetteville, NC, we understand the importance of keeping you and your family safe. For us, safety considerations have always been a part of every plumbing repair, maintenance, and installation job. Now, more than ever, we’re taking special precautions to keep our customers safe. We pride ourselves on doing thorough work with a smile, and we consider our customers to be a part of our community. Some even feel like family!

No matter where you live and what type of plumbing work you need done, your service professional should follow a strict set of protocols with your health and safety in mind. Does your local plumber follow these rules? But first: An important question about scheduling plumbing work.

Should You Delay Plumbing Repairs Until After COVID-19?

As we navigate the global pandemic on a local level, it’s important to minimize risk and practice social distancing. This means that daily life looks a little different for many; work or school may be conducted with online tools, we’re seeing our friends a little less, and we’re taking precautions to slow the spread. But residential plumbing work is not something you can put on the back burner. Not only are delayed repairs irritating to live with, they can cause extended damage over time. The longer you avoid fixing a plumbing problem, the bigger it may become. Luckily, getting plumbing work done does not have to mean compromising your health and safety.

Safety Considerations Your Local Plumber Should ALWAYS Take

Whether we’re in a pandemic or not, it’s imperative that your plumber respects your home and the people in it! Here are a few items that should always be on your plumber’s checklist:

• Wearing disposable booties to keep your floors clean (and safe).
• Washing hands before arrival, and regularly throughout the duration of work.
• Taking a “pack in, pack out” mentality to tools, trash, and waste: If your plumber brought it in, or accumulated it on the job, he or she should remove it.
• Cleaning as work is done, and leaving the work site spotless — especially for jobs to be completed over a series of days.

COVID-19 Safety Precautions Your Plumbing Company Needs To Follow

Of course, safety protocols in the COVID-19 era are more extensive. Because the virus has been proven to be spread through breath droplets and close human contact, special precautions must be taken. Here’s a checklist of things your local plumber should always do when arriving, working, and leaving your home:

• PPE (personal protective equipment) should be worn at all times throughout the job — this protects the plumber and your family. This includes a face mask and eyewear.
• Disposable gloves should be worn whenever touching high-traffic items, such as doorknobs.
• Social distancing — 6 feet apart — should be respected and maintained.
• Any digital devices used should be disinfected after each use.
• Tools should be regularly disinfected during the job, and always thoroughly disinfected after completion.
• Service professionalsexperiencing illness should not perform the job, and must stay at home until they are well.

Here’s the bottom line: Transparency about practices and protocol are key. Your local plumber should be upfront and honest about all precautions taken. A company code of conduct should be in place, and readily available for customers to read. Here’s ours. Questions should be encouraged and answered in a timely and complete manner. These are challenging times, and we all deserve to feel safe with and confident in the businesses we rely on to keep our homes humming.

Contact Blanton’s Air at (910) 822-2866 for all your Fayetteville or Raleigh, NC HVAC and plumbing needs.