Plumber on speed dial vs. plumbing apps—what's your go-to?
I’ve been burned a couple times by those “smart” systems. Had a leak sensor ping my phone at 3am, sent me into a panic, and it turned out to be a spider crawling across the sensor. Lost a good night’s sleep over that one. Another time, the app just froze up when I needed to shut a valve remotely—ended up sprinting across town anyway.
I do like the peace of mind when the tech works, but nothing beats having a plumber you trust who’ll actually pick up the phone. I keep both, honestly. Tech’s great for catching stuff early, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it in an emergency. Maybe I’m old school, but I’d rather deal with a false alarm than a real flood because an app glitched out. Redundancy’s saved my bacon more than once... I guess I’m not ready to hand over all my keys to the robots just yet.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen folks rely on those apps, only for them to freeze up when things get hairy. Honestly, nothing beats having a real person you trust on call. Tech’s fine as a backup, but when water’s pouring in, you want someone who actually shows up. I’ve had to fix more than one “smart” valve that got stuck at the worst possible moment... Redundancy’s smart, but don’t ditch the human touch just yet.
Plumber on speed dial vs. plumbing apps—what's your go-to?
Tech’s fine as a backup, but when water’s pouring in, you want someone who actually shows up.
Couldn’t agree more with this. I’ve seen “smart” leak detectors and auto-shutoff valves fail at the worst times—usually when there’s a power blip or the WiFi drops out. Had a call last winter where a customer’s app said everything was fine, but the actual shutoff valve had jammed halfway closed. By the time I got there, their basement carpet was floating.
I get why people like the convenience of apps—remote monitoring, quick alerts, all that. But honestly, nothing replaces having someone who knows your system and can troubleshoot on the fly. Plumbing isn’t always plug-and-play. Sometimes you need to feel for a stuck valve or listen for a weird vibration in the pipes. No app’s gonna pick up on that nuance.
Redundancy’s smart, sure, but I’d never trust tech as my only line of defense. Even the best sensors can’t clear a clog or replace a cracked fitting. And when you’re dealing with older homes (which is most of what I see), half the time the “smart” gear doesn’t even fit right without some creative workarounds.
Not saying tech’s useless—it can buy you some time or give you a heads-up before things get ugly. But if you’re relying on it 100%, you’re rolling the dice. I’d rather have a number saved for someone who’ll actually show up with tools and know-how when things go sideways.
Funny thing is, most of my emergency calls come from folks who thought their gadgets would handle it all... until they didn’t.
I get where you’re coming from, but I think there’s a bit more to the tech side than just “gadgets fail when you need them.” I’ve had a smart leak detector under my kitchen sink for a couple years now, and it actually caught a slow drip before it turned into anything major. Sure, if the power goes out or WiFi drops, it’s not perfect—but neither is waiting for a plumber to show up in the middle of the night.
Honestly, I see tech as more of an early warning system. It’s not about replacing plumbers, but giving you a heads-up so you can shut off the water or at least limit the damage before things get wild. Plus, some of these newer systems run on batteries and have cellular backup, so they’re not totally dead if your router hiccups.
I’m all for having a pro’s number handy (especially with old pipes), but I’d rather have both options than just one. If tech can help me avoid wasting water or prevent a bigger mess, that’s worth it—even if it’s not foolproof.
Here’s the thing—tech is cool until your tenant calls at 2am because the “smart” sensor went off for a spilled cup of water. I’ve had more false alarms than real ones. Still keep a plumber’s number taped to my fridge... just in case.
