# Whats a Fair Price?



## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Toilet clog with Auger
3/4 Prv installed
1/2 HP disposal Replacement: 
Drain cleaning, -
If roof vent required for cleaning-


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

ROCKSTARPLUMBER said:


> In my area, a fair price is the following:
> 
> Toilet clog with Auger:
> 3/4 Prv installed:
> ...


To me your rates seem very fair.


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## user823 (Feb 3, 2009)

ROCKSTARPLUMBER said:


> In my area, a fair price is the following:
> 
> Toilet clog with Auger:
> 3/4 Prv installed:
> ...



Seems like some good prices, for a 1/2hp is higher than what I charge. Though I am higher than you for drain cleaning.:thumbsup:


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## tnoisaw (Jun 16, 2009)

Much higher than the company I work for.


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

ROCKSTARPLUMBER said:


> In my area, a fair price is the following:
> 
> Toilet clog with Auger:
> 3/4 Prv installed:
> ...


How much for A holes?


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

I would try to avoid posting to much about pricing on the public forums. It only helps your competitors and potential customer price shop you and further devalue an already devalued trade.

You don’t see doctors, dentists, and engineers doing that crap.

Engineering forum:
“Say Bob, what are you charging to design a 2000sqft L-shaped hip roof truss system these days?”

Get my drift? Stop this guys you are just putting another nail in the coffin of the plumbing trade.


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## aero1 (Feb 13, 2009)

Protech said:


> I would try to avoid posting to much about pricing on the public forums. It only helps your competitors and potential customer price shop you and further devalue an already devalued trade.
> 
> You don’t see doctors, dentists, and engineers doing that crap.
> 
> ...


 i agree its the one topic other than politics religion what brand of beer you drink dog you like gun you own car you drive we can all disagree on. bottom line know your what your costs are and charge enough to put a smile on you face amen.:thumbsup:


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## Flyin Brian (Aug 22, 2009)

GREENPLUM said:


> How much for A holes?


ask your proctologist


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

Protech said:


> I would try to avoid posting to much about pricing on the public forums. It only helps your competitors and potential customer price shop you and further devalue an already devalued trade.


It can also be viewed as price fixing which is illegal although I know that _is not _Rockstars intent.

Back on topic. My definition of a "fair price" is a price that allows my business to grow while taking care of my family, paying my employees a wage and benifits that allow them to do the same, and keeps me in business to keep providing excellent service to the clients and community.

But the short version is "A fair price is _*any price*_ that is _*agreed*_ to by _*both*_ parties involved." :thumbsup:


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Damn man, I heard you were cheap but dang. Paying them /hr to clean drains? You must REALLY like your job. j/k



ROCKSTARPLUMBER said:


> In my area, a fair price is the following:
> 
> Toilet clog with Auger:
> 3/4 Prv installed:
> ...


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

RSP - the lounge is a great place for this info.


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

What about the fee to test a backflow prevention assembly? Assuming there is only one to test and no repairs are required. No confined space entry either. Any takers?


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

tree fity


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

Protech said:


> tree fity


How about a buck two-eighty?


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## Christina (Jul 14, 2009)

ROCKSTARPLUMBER said:


> PRICES...


Toilet clog with Auger 
3/4 Prv installed 
1/2 HP disposal Replacement: 
Drain cleaning 
If roof vent required for cleaning 
PITA: 
ACID CLEAN UP ON AUGER: 
ACID CLEANUP ON 3/8" CABLE 
OVERHEAD: 

... :jester:

AND TOMORROW WE CAN START A THREAD ON... HOW I DO MY BOOKS!! :thumbup:

WHATCHA THINK?

PLEASE READ FINE PRINT BELOW ON DAILY BASIS: SURE, I WILL GLADLY POST MY TRUE PRICES SO THEY CAN BE PUBLICLY VIEWED BY MY COMPETITION & CUSTOMERS TOMORROW.


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

*Basic Plumbing Solutions (Tallahassee, FL)*

Date: 2009-08-27, 9:11PM EDT
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]

Tired of dealing with that leaky faucet? Don't want to pay exorbitant fees to a large company for small plumbing issues? 

Hire a skilled, professional plumber with extensive experience in the trade. Able to assist with basic plumbing needs for an extremely inexpensive price. 

Free estimates. Call 850-321-2304 for additional information. 



 Location: Tallahassee, FL
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

*License info: Unlicensed*
Puh lease, that is just awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

Pricing depends on the area you are in. If I charged as much as you do for a toilet stoppage I would never get any work. But if I went to st louis it would be a fair price. So bottom line if you are competitive in your area and you are getting plenty of work then its working for you.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

al said:


> Pricing depends on the area you are in. If I charged as much as you do for a toilet stoppage I would never get any work. But if I went to st louis it would be a fair price. So bottom line if you are competitive in your area and you are getting plenty of work then its working for you.


 

Living in those little gray areas sucks sometimes. If I took my total call volume and changed all the prices to what I would have charged in the city. :thumbsup: Big difference.
Could never get $150 for an auger here get run out of town with torches and pitch forks.
In the city I could make that. But can't afford to advertise there. 
That's why they get 150 for a toilet auger.


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## Miguel (Aug 10, 2009)

Regulator said:


> What about the fee to test a backflow prevention assembly? Assuming there is only one to test and no repairs are required. No confined space entry either. Any takers?


What does it cost to get certified where you are?
How much does the appropriate equipment to perform the task cost?
How much are you liable for if you sign the test certificate and a BF issue *does* occur?
Does the amount of BFP test calls warrant high or low margin calculations. ie: owning and maintaining test apparatus and keeping certification current. (*note: if you have to consult the manuals when you pull out your guages and whatnot, it's prolly a high margin task. )

These are the variables you need to add to the fixed figures in your "how much" equation.


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## Lee in Texas (Jun 24, 2009)

Pipedoc said:


> ...
> 
> But the short version is "A fair price is _*any price*_ that is _*agreed*_ to by _*both*_ parties involved." :thumbsup:


Or the way I say it; "It's worth whatever I say it's worth, as long as the customer agrees". Sometimes it's worth "X", sometimes it's worth "Y".


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Regulator said:


> What about the fee to test a backflow prevention assembly? Assuming there is only one to test and no repairs are required. No confined space entry either. Any takers?


Well there should not be any confined space entry or any that needs a ladder, the plumbing code is pretty clear that they most be easy accessible for the tester to be able to certify and or repair them.

Now as it comes to pricing, we are not the cheapest, but we are not the most expensive either. There are morons out there doing the test for $40 bucks a pop, and even the Home Cheopo is getting in the act at $99 a pop. I will not lower my price to meet up with them. I do offer a coupon for testing during the season when all the home owners get the letter to test their lawn sprinkler RPZ, it still does not make me cheaper than the two guys I just mentioned.


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> Well there should not be any confined space entry or any that needs a ladder, the plumbing code is pretty clear that they most be easy accessible for the tester to be able to certify and or repair them.
> 
> Now as it comes to pricing, we are not the cheapest, but we are not the most expensive either. There are morons out there doing the test for $40 bucks a pop, and even the Home Cheopo is getting in the act at $99 a pop. I will not lower my price to meet up with them. I do offer a coupon for testing during the season when all the home owners get the letter to test their lawn sprinkler RPZ, it still does not make me cheaper than the two guys I just mentioned.


Confined space entry for testing backflow preventers is common here. In this neck of the woods there are thousands of DCVA and DCDA in buried chambers. These are the installations providing premise isolation and fire service isolation (fire line). 
The Pacific Northwest section of the AWWA CCC Manual (1996) also allowed RPBA and RPDA installations in this manner (semi-buried) provided there was also a bore-sighted daylight drain of sufficient size to handle the flow of a fully open relief valve.


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

I understand the customer's cost of confined space entry is anywhere between $300 - $400. The cost of tests ranges from $85 per test to $150. Some companies use a sliding scale that takes into account the number and size of the backflow preventers tested.


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

Miguel said:


> What does it cost to get certified where you are?
> How much does the appropriate equipment to perform the task cost?
> How much are you liable for if you sign the test certificate and a BF issue *does* occur?
> Does the amount of BFP test calls warrant high or low margin calculations. ie: owning and maintaining test apparatus and keeping certification current. (*note: if you have to consult the manuals when you pull out your guages and whatnot, it's prolly a high margin task. )
> ...


In BC the cost of the course is included with your 3rd year apprenticeship schooling for:
Plumbing
Sprinkler Fitting
Steam Fitting
If you're a hack off the street, it's roughly $650. The cost of the examination is now $100 (increased from $45 as of 1-Jan-09).
The equipment/tools required any of the above mentioned trades will already have except the differential pressure gauge/test kit & accessories. This costs anywhere from $900 to $1500 depending on the quality of the kit. Add to this cost another $80 annually for accuracy verification (calibration) with a recognized instrumentation company.
There is no regulated requirement for insurance.
You need a business license.
Probability of a backflow incident occurrence through a backflow preventer that is properly installed and maintained is extremely low, however, a DCVA may meet all minimum performance requirements and fail the next day due to fouling from foreign material (sand, pebbles etc.) in the water. 
Miguel, I understand your point, and well taken. But my question was directed to those that are already providing the service. I did not expect a direct quote but something ballpark. My intent is get an understanding of the ranges of costs across the continent.


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## Miguel (Aug 10, 2009)

Regulator said:


> In BC the cost of the course is included with your 3rd year apprenticeship schooling for:
> Plumbing
> Sprinkler Fitting
> Steam Fitting


That's interesting, Reg. ASAIK it's still a separate certification here in Ont. At least that's what I was told when during my last year of trade school we were apprised of the "new" BFP requirements and how the curriculum was changing to accomodate the new rules.
Myself and two others were recruited to help build the new BFP testing lab at Sioux College and although we were missing some aspects of our schooling (I think portions of math, english and welding were cut into. Our marks in these were good enuff (_we were told_) that we could miss the bits that we did and still manage the exams later) we benefitted from extra training in backflow prevention. We also wrote separate exams than the rest of our class for BFP testing and later received wallet cards that stated we were certified in BFP testing.
As it turned out, it seems that we were never properly registered in the province of Ontario and as such never received any updates so I lost my certification upon expiry of my card. At that time it was administered by the ministry of health, whereas, now it's goverened by the Ont. Waterworks Association.
To this date I believe that a journeyman plumbers ticket only covers BFP equipment _installations_ in Ontario and testing is governed by OWWA.

But to stray more on topic, during the 90's my rates for testing ranged from $105 to $225 for most RPZ devices. My test apparatus cost $1200 and I had another smaller set that was about $700. Maintenance and replacement parts prolly cost about $500 over the years. I don't recall how many tests were performed not counting tests performed on new installs, but it wasn't a great amount. At least not enough to specialise in that field alone.


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## Plumbing Tampa (Sep 16, 2009)

Give discount of 10% on each of them I think that would be fair precises.


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

way too low even for the retired guy


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

Interesting topic ... I scanned through the replies. Some said high,
some said low, others said about right. What if everbody was wrong?

What's a fair price? Is ... All the labor used was charged for. That the burden on that labor was included in the cost. That all materials + tax if applicable was included and any other costs (like consumables) were included. Now we have total cost. To get a fair price we must add overhead and profit. 

Assume 25% profit wanted
Assume 31% overhead

(1.00 minus profit % wanted minus Overhead %)

1.00 -.25 -.31 = .44 Cost divided by .44 in this case is a FAIR PRICE!

IMHO


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## user2091 (Sep 27, 2009)

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Pipedoc said:


> It can also be viewed as price fixing which is illegal although I know that _is not _Rockstars intent.
> 
> Back on topic. My definition of a "fair price" is a price that allows my business to grow while taking care of my family, paying my employees a wage and benifits that allow them to do the same, and keeps me in business to keep providing excellent service to the clients and community.
> 
> But the short version is "A fair price is _*any price*_ that is _*agreed*_ to by _*both*_ parties involved." :thumbsup:


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

I am not a crook


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## Ashleymc (Nov 14, 2009)

*Disagree with posting prices on site..*

I am for posting prices mainly to get the lowballers up to speed..So we can ALL make money..
As for doctors/lawyers fees etc..They have CONVENTIONS to swap pricing info..Ask my Atty wife!
Dont think its not done..although its done on the QT

This site should be for state liscenced plumbers only having to submit copys of liscences or even just the numbers to the webmaster.

We should discuss what the our going rates are..and this should be a closed forum to do it in..but i know its not.

Dont want to pee anyone off but thats my .02 :yes:


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

Ashleymc said:


> I am for posting prices mainly to get the lowballers up to speed..So we can ALL make money..
> As for doctors/lawyers fees etc..They have CONVENTIONS to swap pricing info..Ask my Atty wife!
> Dont think its not done..although its done on the QT
> 
> ...


 I like THIS site the way it is, but the thought of a site where you had to prove your a licensed plumber and could only be viewed by licensed plumbers would definitely interest me. Maybe there could be some type of system where the more you post and contribute the more you can view to help deter lurkers. Just a thought....


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## Ashleymc (Nov 14, 2009)

pauliplumber said:


> I like THIS site the way it is, but the thought of a site where you had to prove your a licensed plumber and could only be viewed by licensed plumbers would definitely interest me. Maybe there could be some type of system where the more you post and contribute the more you can view to help deter lurkers. Just a thought....


Yeah cause you know civilians are looking here probrably for no other reason than to price check their last plumbing service work that was just done..
Guess it goes both ways..
Sometimes i think im highballing customers and then hear from competitors!..I make a good living,like what i do but still would like to know others rates..:whistling2:


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

pricing discussions should be in the private area of the board.


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## grandpa (Jul 13, 2008)

It is qiote unsettling that on the subject of plumbing work, the discussion often rolls around to what is "fair". I recently took my '96 Ford Contour in for some routine work. Oil change, overdue radiator flush, replace 2 exterior lamps, replace temperature sender, yadda yadda other small stuff. There was no discussion of what was a "fair price". What it all was, was $850. I have trusted my mechanic for about 20 years. If he says it needs "X" then we do "X". The price is what it is, and I am happy to pay it.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

Ashleymc said:


> I am for posting prices mainly to get the lowballers up to speed..So we can ALL make money..
> As for doctors/lawyers fees etc..They have CONVENTIONS to swap pricing info..Ask my Atty wife!
> Dont think its not done..although its done on the QT
> 
> ...


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## hulihan (Aug 11, 2009)

If you get a section for licensed plumbers  can we have a porn section  Not to porny, just hard R


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

hulihan said:


> If you get a section for licensed plumbers  can we have a porn section  Not to porny, just hard R


 
The chances of that happening are zero point zero.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

ILPlumber said:


> The chances of that happening are zero point zero.


 I don't want to see a bunch of naked plumbers anyway:whistling2:


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## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

pricing theory is one thing but everyone's costs and overhead are different. here in NYC everything costs more location matters but here its not discussed. you cant throw around prices people will just see the numbers and want you to compete with out of state\city prices. And price fixing is a big no no even in private chat your breaking many anti trust laws. I think an all licensed community would be cool just like when only licensed plumbers could buy pipe & fittings


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Just charge everybody up the rear...... they expect it anyway...

Who cares if they call you back :whistling2:


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Hmm, this thread is still open?


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

ROCKSTARPLUMBER said:


> Hmm, this thread is still open?


Threads never completely die on PZ. :no:


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Oh yea?


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

OP asked for this thread to be closed.


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