St. Albert Plumber Reveals The Secret to Avoiding Costly Plumbing Repairs
Trevor (Host):
Hey everybody, welcome back to Rhino Plumbing’s YouTube channel. I’m Trevor, and I’m here today with Ryan, the owner-operator of Rhino Plumbing out of Morinville, Alberta. They service all the areas local to Edmonton—Edmonton, Morinville, St. Albert—and do you go as far as Sherwood Park, or is that a bit too far?
Ryan (Rhino Plumbing):
Sherwood Park might be a little too far, depending on what we’re doing. For bigger installs, we’ll make the journey to Legal. We don’t mind Westlock jobs, and Onaway is fine as well. There are a lot of these small towns in central Alberta and north-central, north of Edmonton, centered around the Yellowhead Trail area.
Trevor:
Right, we mentioned St. Albert. St. Albert is a big one.
Ryan:
Yes, we love St. Albert. St. Albert and Morinville are in line with each other, and we go there often, same with Legal. Anywhere within 50 miles is a great area to work in.
Trevor:
Today, we’re going to be talking about what you should do before you run into a plumbing issue. Ryan, we were talking briefly before we started the video, and you told me something I’d never really thought of before: calling your plumber before you have a problem. Could you explain that?
Ryan:
It’s a good idea. People sometimes worry that as soon as they pick up the phone, either the plumber will be too busy to talk, or it’s going to cost money. That’s not true. Calling your plumber can actually save you money. Call the plumber before the problem starts. I’ve seen people with simple issues, like a plugged toilet, go out and buy a drain snake and try all sorts of things. Then the drain snake doesn’t work, and they run into more problems.
In a situation like that, you could just call me. I lend out a toilet auger for free. You just come by my house, grab it, take it, and go. You could save money instead of calling another plumbing company from out of town, where you might get a secretary who sends out a tech. Then you spend three to five hundred dollars on a job that could have been done easily on your own. Of course, some people don’t mind paying because they just want it fixed. That’s perfectly fine. We’re here for that too.
Trevor:
Right, and what other kinds of problems do people have that could be avoided, or they could save a service call on, if they just gave you a call first?
Ryan:
Home renovations are a big one. Let’s say you want to change your vanity or redo a bathroom. That’s fine. If you call us, it’s a two-step process:
- We come out and consult with you, then disconnect everything, cap the lines, and so on.
- You tear out your old vanity, toilet, or whatever else you’re replacing, and then install your new fixture. We return to put in new valves, tie in the drainage, install your new faucet, your new toilet, and then we’re done.
It’s just a quick call, plus we can guide you through by phone or text if you send pictures. Many issues can be solved over the phone. For example, sometimes people call a furnace tech, but the furnace is fine—it just needs a new air filter or a quick switch flipped. That’s easy to diagnose over the phone. I’m not trying to give away work. If you call us, you can save that money, and then you’ll have a better budget when you actually need us for a significant job.
Trevor:
That’s a nice offer. People can save a few dollars here and there. Now, can you share some examples where people try something on their own, and it becomes a mess that costs them more money because you have to correct it?
Ryan:
Drain cleaning is a good one. People often pour Drano or other chemicals down the drain, which usually isn’t a good idea. It’s better to call right away. We have safer, more effective solutions. Renovations can also be problematic. One key piece of advice: get references. It’s your right to check references and read reviews, so make sure you hire the right people. Everyone has heard stories about renovations that went wrong, cost a fortune, and the contractor disappeared. Ideally, you want ticketed carpenters, electricians, plumbers—people who’ve been around and have formal education.
For furnaces, if yours breaks, call your heating and plumbing professional. We can talk you through basic troubleshooting. You don’t want to take your furnace apart on your own and risk burning out a control board or creating a bigger problem that costs a lot more money.
Trevor:
Exactly. Instead of searching online or using AI tools to figure out a DIY approach, if you’re not confident or comfortable, or if it’s something you definitely shouldn’t be touching, it’s best to call a professional. That said, there are still some basic things a homeowner can do. I’ve had the situation where my furnace died on the coldest day of the year last year. It turned out the control board was done.
Fortunately, I had a wood fireplace, so I kept the house warm with that. The heating guy came in the morning and replaced the control board. If I’d called someone out in the middle of the night, I would’ve been charged an after-hours fee, plus they would’ve had to open the wholesaler’s store, which costs money, and that could have run into the thousands. You don’t want pipes to freeze, but we had electric space heaters and other ways to stay warm.
Are there any other stories where you could have saved people money or grief, but they didn’t think to call you?
Ryan:
I don’t remember you calling me for that furnace, but that’s okay! One example that stands out is a fellow doing home renovations. A pipe stuck out of the wall, and he cut it right at the wall. He saw shark bite fittings and thought he could put them behind the wall. He did that for every fixture in his house—kitchen sinks, bathroom vanities, everywhere. Unfortunately, the pipes were moving, and the fittings didn’t connect properly.
If you don’t know exactly how to install those fittings, they can fail. I see shark bite connectors as more of an emergency fix. We should use PEX connectors or sweat copper, depending on the system. Anyway, about half of his fittings leaked, so he ended up with a massive insurance claim on top of his renovation costs. Eventually, he had to get professionals to come in and fix everything properly.
Trevor:
That’s exactly why I don’t do any plumbing myself. As an electrician, I handle my own electrical work, but water damage can be devastating. It can lead to mold and all sorts of issues if you don’t catch it in time.
Ryan:
That’s a smart approach. People who own buildings, apartment complexes, or who have done building maintenance might do a lot themselves, but when it comes to water, they call a plumber. It’s just not worth the risk of flooding or mold.
Trevor:
Exactly. Well, that’s all we have for today. Thank you so much for sharing these insights. If you’re in that position where you need a plumber and have an issue, don’t hesitate to call your local plumber first. You might be watching this from anywhere in Alberta, but if you’re in Legal, Morinville, Westlock, St. Albert, Edmonton, or the surrounding areas, definitely give Ryan a call. He’ll be happy to walk you through a few troubleshooting steps, and if it turns out you need a professional, he’s already on the line and ready to help.
Thanks so much for joining us today. I hope you learned something and found this valuable. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe if you’re so inclined. We appreciate it, and we’ll talk to you next time.
Ryan:
Thank you.