How Often Do you Call A Plumber?

In 2006, Nexstar surveyed 600 homeowners nationwide. We asked this question: “How often do you contact a company to inquire about plumbing services they offer?” Here’s what we learned:

8% reported that they contact a plumber to inquire about their services more than once a year
16% said they contact a plumber once a year
24% contact a plumber once every 2-3 years
13% contact a plumber once every 4-5 years
13% contact a plumber once every 6 years or longer
25% report that they’ve never contacted a plumber to inquire about their services
1% don’t know

This data can of course vary. For example, city dwellers are more likely to call a plumber than rural people. Specifically:

20% of large and very large city people say they’ve never contacted a plumber
Nearly a quarter of those that live in medium-sized towns say they’ve never contacted a plumber
Nearly a third of rural people say they’ve never contacted a plumber

The data can also vary based on skill level. Specifically,

11% of those that report that no one in the house can make even a minor repair report that they’ve never contacted a plumber
17% of those that report that someone in the house can make most minor repairs say they’ve never contacted a plumber
24% of those that report that someone in the house can make most minor and some major repairs say they’ve never contacted a plumber
39% of those that report that someone in the house can make most major repairs say they’ve never contacted a plumber

Don’t take these figures as exact. As with any research study, there’s always a margin of error, which grows the more you look at smaller groups of people. Any one of the national figures (the first set of numbers above) could be overstated or understated by four percentage points or even a bit more. The big city/rural percentages above, and the skill level percentages, could be overstated or understated by 8 percentage points or more. Again, this is standard with a statistical study like this.

Proprietary Information, Kevin Shaw Plumbing, Inc & Nexstar Network, © 2009

Kevin Shaw is president of Kevin Shaw Plumbing, Inc, serving the San Gabriel Valley since 1982. With over 30 years of In The Field experience, Kevin has the skills and know how to fix most any plumbing problem and makes it a priority to stay abreast of the latest needs in customer satisfaction as well as technical advances. He has served as the President of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC) of the Greater Los Angeles Area, and the California State Board of PHCC. He is also a member of the distinguished organization Nexstar Network and a founding member of Service Roundtable, both of which are trade organizations that train and equip contractors to meet their customer’s plumbing, heating & cooling needs.

For questions, please contact info@kevinshawplumbing.com or call 626-359-1864. You may also visit the company’s website at www.KevinShawPlumbing.com for more helpful tips and homeowner articles and general information. You may also send any questions or comments to: 224 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia, CA 91016