Make sure your plumber is licensed

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The deep freeze had plumbers all over West Michigan busy with calls of burst pipes and frozen water lines -- but the coming rising temperatures could mean the calls will continue to rise. Before Saturday, it had been years since Sommerdyke Plumbing's Darrin Ackerman fixed a pipe that had burst due to the cold. Starting this past weekend, he said he has fixed about a dozen. "This is just, what is it, a thousand year freeze or something," said Ackerman."I haven't had any in a couple years now -- two or three years -- so this is actually pretty nice 'cause we're busy.But it's kind of nice to be home, [too]." At one East Grand Rapids home Tuesday, there was no water coming to the bathroom faucets. The problem was a burst pipe in the bathroom.

Though it had never burst in the 27 years the homeowner lived there, the water had leaked through the floor and frozen down the outside of the house.The large amount of water created a small ice rink on the porch under the bathroom. When the thaw comes, the plumber told 24 Hour News 8, he may get even busier. Frozen pipes will then thaw, and previously undetected breaks will become clear. When and if that happens to you, Ackerman said it's important to make sure you call a reputable plumber -- not just an unknown person off Craigslist who claims to have plumbing expertise.

The plumber should be licensed with the state, have a history in the area, experience and insurance for the worst-case scenarios. "If we did something wrong, we're insured," he said. "But hopefully that wouldn't happen."

You can check to see if your plumber is licensed here on the State of Michigan website.

-----

Inside woodtv.com:

Tips to keep your pipes from freezing

Here is the original post:
Make sure your plumber is licensed