Imagine the following: you wake up in the middle of night to the sound and sight of gushing, rushing water. When you realize that the bathroom is flooded, panic begins to set in. Who do you call? You’re not calling Ghostbusters. Instead, you’re calling your plumber. These unsung heroes maintain the flow of our homes.

Plumbing is more than just fixing leaks or clearing drains. The plumbers have to get into some gruesome situations to ensure that our lives run smoothly. Imagine crawling around in the freezing cold to fix broken pipes or dealing with backed up sewage. This isn’t for the fainthearted.

Have you tried installing a sink or replacing a toilet on your own? Rubik’s Cubes can be difficult to solve with blindfolded eyes. The YouTube videos make it seem easy, but with one mistake you can find yourself in knee-deep water and have no idea what to do. Plumbing professionals are the ninjas when it comes to home repairs. With their arsenal of knowledge and tools, they can save the situation.

What about tools? Have you seen a plumbing toolkit before? It’s similar to Batman’s utility pouch, except for pipes. They have a variety of tools, each with a unique purpose. Their precision is enough to make any super hero jealous.

We must not forget that plumbing requires a lot of brainpower. Plumbing isn’t only manual labor. It also requires problem-solving capabilities that are on par with Sherlock Holmes. It is not easy to find problems that are hidden behind walls, or even under the floor. It’s not easy to calculate pipe angles or water pressure.

Now, let’s discuss something that everyone likes: money. The cost of hiring a plumber is high at first but you should consider the long-term benefits. The professional can stop small problems from becoming expensive catastrophes. It’s a leaky faucet. The leaky faucet may be wasting up to gallons per day.

Also, you can rest easy knowing that the work is done right. It’s time to stop second-guessing whether or not you have applied the correct sealant, or tightened the joint enough. (Spoiler alert: You probably haven’t). Plumbing professionals have seen and repaired it all.

Don’t overlook their important role in maintaining health standards for the general public! A good plumbing system will ensure clean drinking water, and efficient waste removal. We often take this aspect for granted until we experience a problem.

Have you ever chatted with a plumbing professional while they worked? Their stories are endless, ranging from clogged sewers to odd objects that have been found to block pipes (tennisballs and toy vehicles to name just a couple). Their anecdotes are what makes them good conversationalists. They’ve seen human nature at its most vulnerable.

Plumbing is often overlooked in a DIY-centric age. Thanks to Pinterest and Home Improvement shows, it can be easy to overlook what plumbers do to our sinks or bathtubs. If you find yourself tempted to do another “easy” repair, don’t forget that hiring an expert does not mean you’re giving up. It just means that the work is done right and your home doesn’t become a swimming-pool!

We raise a glass (of tap water that is clean) to all the unsung plumbers, who are keeping our homes dry and functional.