Tony Bocchicchio, Lakewood plumber: Five Questions

Q: With the winter weve had so far, what free advice can you give to folks about how to prevent their pipes from freezing or bursting?

A: Adequately heat and properly insulate the house, especially if you have problem areas. One of the mistakes people made was cutting down their heat when they left for the holidays. When they came back, they found tragic results. We had some pretty sad stories. Even in the older homes, if people make updates on things like windows, especially in their basement, it helps a lot.

Q: Can you describe a time when you were faced with a situation that tested your skills?

A: Almost every day in some fashion or another. Just the other day we (at A B Plumbing Services) were changing from three tanks to four in an apartment building. We had to encompass water lines, HVAC, gas lines, and electrical. We had to do that in a fast way so that the 40 units could be back operating in a reasonable amount of time. We also do a lot of service and repair on older homes, such as chasing leaks in pipes through old-style construction and doing as little damage as we can to fix the problems.

Q: Many plumbers are on call nights and weekends. What do you do to balance work and personal life?

A: We have a loyal customer base -- 95 percent are repeat customers. Well do what we can to accommodate them. We are a small enterprise, so we are not a 24/7 operation. And, like the old adage busy people find time, I find time to spend with my family and social groups. With the crew that works with me, we trade off on offhours.

Q: How have changes in technology affected your job?

Q: What would people be surprised to learn about your profession?

A: The biggest shock is that plumbers dont take home a lot of money. Its a really expensive business to operate between the tools, equipment and materials. If people get sticker shock when they see their bills, this doesnt mean the plumber is getting rich. When I bought my trucks, the price of gas was $1.29 a gallon. Were at the mercy of the wholesalers and the economy. When things like the price of oil go up, so does the price of PVC pipe. The price of copper has skyrocketed. We have no control over those types of things.

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Tony Bocchicchio, Lakewood plumber: Five Questions