Plumbers should be called for any number of issues, including an overflowing toilet, leaking pipes and clogged drains.

Rosie on the House generally focuses on the homeowner. The past two weeks, we focused on the construction professional. Today, we will cover a day in the life of a plumber.

The throne. The porcelain goddess. The loo. No matter what you call the toilet, it needs to work when you do your business. So do the water heater and faucets. When they don’t work, leak, or are backed up, who do you call? A plumber — one licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.

A plumber’s duties, for lack of a better word, is much more than unclogging a toilet or fixing a leaky faucet. A plumber installs and maintains pipes for potable water, drainage, irrigation, and sewage. They also install and repair water heaters and water filtration systems. They are involved in hands-on work and sometimes in a design capacity, drafting blueprints and helping make the installation process more efficient.

Isely’s Home Service, A Rosie-Certified Partner notes the following most common plumbing issues.

An overflowing toilet — Leads to a constant flow of water that can damage floors and carpet as well as the ceiling and rooms below if not stopped in time. Learn how to shut off your water until the plumber arrives.

Clogged drains — Don’t waste your time using chemical solvents as they are temporary and only slightly improve drainage in bathroom showers and sinks. A plumber can snake the drain and use a scope if the problem persists. Get it done right and you won’t have to worry about it for a long while!

Leaking pipes — Older homes or homes with weak connections need to be resoldered, fitted with new Teflon tape, or replaced need a professional plumber.

Bursting pipes — If your pipes burst, shut off the water immediately, and call your trusted plumber. Consider removing furniture and valuables. A damaged pipe can flood a home with more than 12 gallons of water a minute. SimpleSENCE Water Leak & Freeze Detector will alert you when home flooding occurs. A few well-placed sensors can help save your home from damage. Wifi is required.

Water heater issues — A damaged water heater can literally explode and shoot through the ceiling or turn into a rocket. This can happen whether a water heater is gas or electric. This happens when the pressure relief valve won’t open and the thermostat won’t turn off. For gas water heaters a plumber will also check the integrity of all natural gas piping and fittings.

Sump Pump Troubles — Years of wear and tear can take a toll on a sump pump. Do you want to clean that up?

Backed up sewage system — If you suddenly see an overflow of foul-smelling brackish water coming out from the seams of your walls, call a plumber immediately.

But don’t wait for an emergency. Schedule annual maintenance with your plumber to ensure everything is running smoothly and anything that could be a problem is premised before it becomes a disaster.

The demand for all residential services is very high. Choosing a good plumber for regular maintenance will make it easier to get help when an emergency arises.

When the plumber visits, ask them to show you how to turn off the water at the faucets, toilets, and the whole house. Also, have them check the water pressure to your home. It should be approximately 60psi. A higher pressure can cause problems and void warranties on plumbing fixtures. It would be a good time to have your water heater drained as well.

Matt Sears, department manager for electrical and plumbing at Temperature Control Inc., a Rosie-Certified Partner, takes us through a typical day for a plumber.

Their day starts at 6:30 a.m. when they arrive at the yard. They sort the jobs for the day, which could be two to six depending on the type of work, and make sure everything they need for each one is on their truck.

For the smaller jobs, such as a leaky faucet, backed-up toilet and water heater replacement, all the equipment they will need is generally on their truck. Occasionally the plumber may need to run out to a supplier for a part during the job.

The plumbers are out the door by 7:45 a.m. and head to their first appointments.

Not every call is a backed-up toilet or leaky faucet. Sometimes there is a re-pipe, a water heater replacement, or the installation of a water filtration system. Jobs such as those may require the plumber to be on-site for eight to 10 hours and it is most likely their only call for the day. Installing a new toilet generally takes two hours.

“Most plumbers are done for the day between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.,” Sears said. “They may finish as late as midnight if there is a problem such as getting the water back on, the toilets to flush, or other mechanical failures beyond what was visible at the initial sales call.”

When the plumber is done with their last job of the day, they head directly home. If they get home before 6 p.m. and a call comes in, they head out again. Calls that come in after 6 p.m. are serviced by the on-call emergency plumber. Every seven days, a different plumber within the company is on call. This is in addition to their regular work schedule.

Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning “Rosie on the House” radio broadcast, heard locally from 10 to 11 a.m. on KNST (790-AM) in Tucson.

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Plumbers should be called for any number of issues, including an overflowing toilet, leaking pipes and clogged drains.

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