tips for hiring plumbers without getting burned on salary

damn, that sucks. what kinda checks did you do before hirin him?

always run a background check through something like checkr before you even interview em, saved me from hiring a guy with two theft charges last year. next, ask about their experience with specific systems like pex-a installs or ridgid seesnake diagnostics, and make em demo a simple fix on the spot if you can. probation period is key, give em three months at a lower rate and see if they stick around. i've been using jobber for tracking hours and performance, it flags the slackers quick. dont forget to check references from their last three jobs, not just what they put on the resume. for salary, start em at 25 bucks an hour here in the midwest and bump up if they prove themselves after six months. one more thing, get everything in writing including non-compete clauses to keep em from jumping ship. works for me every time.

dude i got screwed by a plumber who bailed after two days, left the pex lines half run and i had to call in a favor to finish the damn job.

those fake licenses are everywhere now, thanks to shady online mills pumping out BS credentials faster than we can flush crap. insurance checks aint enough when the whole system's rigged against real pros trying to hire decent help.