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Business Marketing

Examples of plumbing truck wraps

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Van wraps are great for building brand awareness to new potential customers in your service area. With a memorable design, you’ll be top-of-mind when plumbing needs arise.

There are multiple options: full van wraps, partial wraps, and simple decals — all of which can stand out and work well with a high-quality design.

In this piece, we’ll show you some examples of van and truck wraps on plumbing vehicles and offer tips about why they work. We’ll also give some tips about how to prepare your service van for the wrap install. 

Examples of fleet branding we love

1. Enviro Plumbing

This fleet wrap from Enviro Plumbing is easy to read and memorable. The small list of services on the back makes it clear just what you should contact this company about — ideal for your most popular service calls. The A+ BBB rating builds trust, as well. Overall, some great details here.

Another thing we love, Enviro makes their design work for them on social media, as well.

Once you have a wrap you love, make use of it however you can as a backdrop for company pictures, new Facebook posts, etc

2. Patriot Plumbing Company

This wrap from Patriot Plumbing Company makes great use of white space (or empty space) so that the design isn’t overwhelming. It calls attention to a few specific details and really catches your eye. The phone number is easy to read, although the website could be clearer. Red isn’t the easiest color to read from a distance.

Once again, this company explains what they’re best at: kitchen and bathroom remodeling. If a homeowner is ready for a remodel, this will stand out

3. Five Star Plumbing

As Five Star Plumbing demonstrates, van graphics don’t need to be overly complicated, and you don’t need a complete wrap to stand out. They show only what’s important, and it’s memorable.  

4. Schitt’s Plumbing

Schitt’s Plumbing makes their name work for them with their catchy tagline. Other plusses in this box truck wrap are the bold colors, the unique logo, and the easy-to-read contact information. Overall, this is a solid design that catches the eye.

Two things to keep in mind about truck wraps: with more surface area, truck graphics are easier to do well, but they’re also more expensive wraps. 

What to consider when wrapping your plumbing trucks:

Based on these examples, you can see what’s important to each company. You don’t need to include everything (and you shouldn’t). Choose two or three important details that are important to you and your customers. This is the first step in planning your van or truck wrap design. 

  • Contact information (website, phone number)
  • List of most popular plumbing services
  • Answer to your most common question (like do you offer same day services?)
  • Something that builds trust
  • Logo (if you don’t have a solid logo, start here)
  • Tagline that shows values or a catchy way that sums up your company
  • Business license number (some states require this)

When working with a vehicle graphics design company for the first time, make sure they have solid samples to show you of other service vehicles they’ve designed. We also recommend checking local prices with other businesses in your area to see what they paid on their custom vehicle wrap.

Preparing your vehicles:

Make sure the vehicle is ready for the installer. In a private Facebook group, one pro recommends sanding and priming the vehicle first and washing it with an alcohol cleaner and a no brush car wash.

If your van is already wrapped and you’re starting over, check out our guide on removing a van wrap.


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Last Posted July, 2025
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Business Marketing

Examples of HVAC business van wraps

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Home » 2020

Van wraps are the perfect form of advertising tool for heating and air conditioning businesses. They let homeowners or business owners know you serve their area, and they’ll be more likely to remember your name when they have a heating or cooling need.

There are several types of vehicle wraps, such as full and partial wraps, and simple decals — all of which can stand out and work well with a high-quality design.

In this piece, we’ll show you some examples of van and truck wraps on HVAC vehicles and offer tips about why they work and offer other tips from our pros about how to score a great vehicle wrap.

ENER-G COOL

The color of ENER-G COOL’s van wrap really pops, and it’s simple, drawing your eye to what matters: the website and phone number. From the picture, what they do is a little hard to read” air conditioning and heating,” but in person, the blue lettering should be more visible.

For potential customers who aren’t fond of the phone, this van wrap lets people know they have the choice to book online. This simple addition can earn them new customers who wouldn’t be as likely to choose them otherwise.

Julian Heat & Air

This is a winning tagline. It’s memorable and speaks directly to people’s main reason for needing HVAC services: they’re uncomfortable. This wrap also includes some important details for folks that are already drawn in: the company offers free estimates and financing. 

A plain white van may not be right for every company, but for Julian Heat and Air, it allows them to get their point across without any design distractions. Decals, as opposed to full wraps, can be a cheaper, still effective way to advertise using your company vehicle.

Plunk Heating and Air

Plunk Heating and Air also went super simple with their design, featured on both their service vans and trucks. It goes to show that very simple vehicle graphics can go a long way. We’d like to see the number a little higher up to make it easier to spot, but the 24/7 service message is a nice touch.

The truck wrap follows the theme, bringing together the entire fleet in a cost-efficient way. It’s easy to tell what they do, remember their name, and know how to contact them. Mission accomplished.

Air Now

Air Now, an HVAC company in Texarcana, Texas, goes in a completely different direction than Julian Heat and Air. With this fleet wrap, you’re not going to miss this van from a mile away! Bold van wraps like this give a memorable first impression.

Once again, the business calls attention to something important to their customers: no overtime fees. 

They also focus on the phone number, instead of giving out multiple pieces of contact information. While there are strengths and weaknesses to both approaches, focusing on one call-to-action (in this case, take down the phone number) can make it easy for people to know exactly what to do in a hurry.

Smart Home Comfort

Whatever design you choose, make sure it will work on your entire fleet like we see with Smart Home Comfort. For instance, if you’re considering investing in a box truck or a pickup at some point in the future, let your designer know so that they can factor that into the design. 

We love the placement of the website and phone number here along with the double use of the word smart. When your tagline shares the same wording as your business, it can help potential customers remember it.

What to consider when designing the wrap for your work truck

Based on these examples, you can see what’s important to each company. You don’t need to include everything (and you shouldn’t). Choose two or three important details that are important to you and your customers. This is the first step in planning your design. 

  • Contact information (website, phone number)
  • List of most popular HVAC services
  • Answer to your most common question (like do you offer same day services?)
  • Something that builds trust
  • A tagline that shows values or a catchy way that sums up your company
  • Business license number (some states require this)

Tips from on wrapping your work van

Ready to wrap your company vehicle? Here are some tips from our pros.

Consider double laminating

In a private Facebook group, one pro recommends double laminating your wrap to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

Questions to ask vendors

Another HVAC pro offers useful questions to ask installers during your initial consultation:

  • Which colors fade the quickest?
  • How long is the wrap guaranteed?
  • How long does it take to install?
  • Where does the wrap take place?
  • What payments does the vendor take?
  • Do they have examples of their work?

All important things to know before choosing a vendor and working on a design.

More resources about van wraps

Ready to get started? Check out our list of five car and van wrap companies recommended by our pros. Need to start over? We wrote a guide about removing a van wrap.


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Last Posted July, 2025
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Best/Top Lists

Best plumbing tools as recommended by home services experts

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Home » 2020

Whether you’re just getting started in the plumbing industry or are a seasoned plumber looking to up your toolbox, we’ve got recommendations for you. We’ve put together a list of hand tools, specialty tools, and business tools that were recommended by other plumbers and home service experts.

Looking for something specific? Jump to the section of interest:

Plumbing Hand Tool Recommendations 

Plumbers need some heavy-duty tools made for daily use on the job site. Here are recommendations from other plumbing and home service pros about tools that will last you years with features that make your job easier.

Channellock Adjustable Pliers

Recommended by The Plumbing Gurus.

Sturdy and long-lasting, Channellock’s adjustable pliers are a classic. They’ve been around for decades and are trusted by pros. According to the Plumbing Gurus, they’re “by far the best you can get on the market … We’ve tried them all.”

Channellock GS-3 3 Piece Straight Jaw Tongue and Groove Pliers Set – 12-Inch, 9.5-Inch, 6.5-Inch | $29.95 | 5 stars

Crescent K9 Angle-Access Jaws Pipe Wrenches

Recommended by Chris Boli, Pro Tool Reviews

According to Chris, Crescent’s K9 set of pipe wrenches are a better fit in tight spaces than many other pipe wrenches on the market thanks to their 30 degree arc bite. 

“Plumbers usually have to look for the leverage they need from harsh angles, which often results in the wrench slipping off the pipe repeatedly, and the job taking longer than it would otherwise need to,” Chris explained. “Crescent has an answer.” 

See Chris’s full review.

Proferred Adjustable Plumbing Wrench

Recommended by Scott Strollo, Pro Tool Reviews

Proferred’s adjustable plumbing wrench is “thinner, deeper, and shorter” than many other pipe wrenches on the market. It can also open to about 1.5” — a significant reach for an adjustable wrench. 

“There’s a lot to like about this little wrench – lots of capacity and the ability to get into spaces other adjustable wrenches can only dream about!” 

See Scott’s full review

  • Proferred Plumbing Adjustable Wrench, 6 in | $24.07 | 4.5 stars
  • Proferred Plumbing Adjustable Wrench, 8 in | $25.05 | 4.5 stars
  • Proferred Plumbing Adjustable Wrench, 10 in | $31.06 | 4.5 stars
  • Proferred Plumbing Adjustable Wrench, 12 in | $29.99 | 4.5 stars

RIDGID 23498 RC-1625 Plastic Pipe and Tubing Cutter

Recommended by Chris, GarageTool Advisor

RIDGID’s pipe and tubing cutter comes packed with features, like a quick change blade and a 1/8 to 1-5/8 inch outer diameter cutting capacity. It also comes with a lifetime warranty. 

Chris from GarageTool Advisor, had great things to say about it:

“As one of the most widely used PVC pipe cutters for plumbers, contractors, and other professionals, the Ridgid RC-1625 is designed to handle a wide range of materials, including ABS, CPVC, PE, PEX, PP, PVC, rubber hose, and multilayer tubing.”

See Chris’s full review.

 Ridgid 23498 RC-1625 Plastic Pipe and Tube Cutter | $59.90 | 4.5 stars

RIDGID Telescoping Basin Wrench 

Recommended by Brad Casebier, Owner of Radiant Plumbing. 

RIDGID Basin wrench is a classic. The wrench features a removable180-degree pivoting T-handle as well as a 3/8-inch drive adapter. Combined, it allows you to get into tight spaces with more leverage and maximum torque. According to Brad, the built-in light can come in handy, as well. He sums up his review with: “I think you should go get one of these.” 

See Brad’s full review.

RIDGID 46753 Model 2017 Telescoping Basin Wrench with LED Light, 10-inch to 17-inch Adjustable Basin Wrench | $49.95 | 4.5 stars

LENOX High-Tension Hacksaw

Recommended by the Plumbing Gurus and Garage Tool Advisor

You’ll find this LENOX hacksaw in the Plumbing Gurus toolbag.  It’s also one of the top 5 hacksaws according to Garage Tool Advisor who finds the saw lightweight and durable. “The handle is rubberized for improved use in cold and wet environments. A reciprocating blade can be attached to the front to turn it into a jab saw, and 5 additional 12-inch blades can be stored in the I-beam for quick replacements on the job” 

See Chris’s full review.

LENOX Tools High-Tension Hacksaw, 12-inch | $25.98 | 5 stars

What else should be on your plumbing tools list? Don’t forget about the basics:

(Links to the highest-rated items on Amazon)

Power & Specialty Tool Recommendations

Plumbers require power tools designed to get around tight spaces and hard-to-reach places and specialty tools designed for specific services like drain cleaning, toilet and faucet installs.

TurboTorch Extreme (for Soldering)

Recommended by the Plumbing Gurus.

The TurboTorch generates a high amount of heat and features a swivel head. “The reason I like it the best … the head swivels, the striker is still working four years later, first try … you can also change the tip heads.” 

See the full review.

TurboTorch 0386-1293 Turbo Extreme Tx504 | $85 | 4 stars

RIDGID Power Spin with Bulb Drain Auger (Best for Drains)

Recommended by Bob Vila

The RIDGID Power Spin is a versatile tool that works on clogs you’ll find just about anywhere (besides the toilet). It can be used manually or in conjunction with a power drill.

According to bobvila.com, “its manual crank sends the 25-foot, 1/4-inch cable twisting and turning its way down your pipes, while the screw-shaped head chews through semi-solid clogs and also catches and retrieves hair, paper, or other fibrous gunk.” 

See the full review.

Ridgid GIDDS-813340 41408 Power Spin | $62.99 | 4.5 stars

RIDGID 59787 K-3 (Best Drain Snake for Toilets)

Recommended by Plumbing Lab

This half-inch auger reaches three feet with a vinyl guard to protect the porcelain. It has a corrosion-resistant tube and ergonomic handles. “The RIDGID 59787 K-3 Toilet Auger [is] easily the best plumbing snake for toilets,” according to plumbinglab.com. 

Read the full review.

RIDGID 59787 K-3 Toilet Auger, 3-Foot Toilet Auger Snake with Bulb Head | $41.99 | 4.5 stars

DEPSTECH WIFI BORESCOPE INSPECTION CAMERA 2.0 MEGAPIXELS

Recommended by Devon Hillsworth, Plumbing Love

The Depstech WiFi camera complete with an LED light has a 3.5 mm diameter which makes it easy to insert into pipes and other small spaces. It can be used underwater, as well. The camera comes with a mirror, USB driver, and magnet tools. “What makes this particular camera so impressive,” Hillsworth explains, “is its compatibility with just about every device. There are plenty of cameras that can connect to Android devices, but not many that will work with your iPhone as well.” 

Read the full review.

DEPSTECH Wireless Endoscope, IP67 Waterproof WiFi Borescope Inspection 2.0 Megapixels HD Snake Camera | $35.99 | 4.5 stars

Milwaukee ½ Inch 18V Hammer Drill

Recommended by Kenny Koehler, Pro Tool Reviews

Pro Tool Reviews chose the Milwaukee 2806 hammer drill as the best cordless drill for plumbers because of its “great combination of power, size, and weight.” They were also impressed with the five-year warranty and ability to find local dealers. “Great support experience. Not having to package and mail your tools for warranty support adds up in our book—particularly when you’re out there trying to make a living.” 

Read the full review.

M18™ FUEL™ 1/2 in. Hammer Drill with One Key | $199 | 4 stars

Business Tools Recommendations

Since technology solutions for home service industries (such as plumbing) are our specialty, we wanted to end this piece with suggestions of business tools you might not have thought of. These suggestions are all pieces of software we’ve seen our own customers use and recommend — so much so that we’ve built integrations to help them more easily use these tools alongside Housecall Pro.

Dedicated Phone Line and Phone Tracking: CallRail

Many plumbers that start out on their own use their personal number as their business line. But there comes a time when you’ll want to hand off calls to office staff or even route phone calls to sales pros and techs in the field. Tools like CallRail helps you do more with your dedicated business line. 

For instance, CallRail includes call tracking capabilities to track data related to your business, such as analyzing your marketing spend, where your calls are coming from, and the number of calls that turn into paid jobs. We also have an integration with CallRail that allows home service companies to automatically pull up customer info when they call.

Learn more at callrail.com.

Email Marketing System: Mailchimp

Want to keep the customers you already have? That’s where email marketing comes in. Send your customers seasonal promotions, company news like new service offerings, and educational resources that remind homeowners and commercial customers alike just how much you know about your industry. 

Email marketing systems like Mailchimp help you easily create promotional messages to your email list and track statistics around those emails, like open and click-through rate. Our integration allows Housecall Pro users to automatically add new customers to their email campaigns.

Learn more about Mailchimp.

Accounting: QuickBooks Online (QBO)

We strongly recommend Quickbooks Online for any small to medium-sized plumbing company. Its robust feature set will help you create profit and loss reports, organize your payroll and tax information, and more. Our integration automatically syncs data between the two platforms, such as your invoices, customer information, line items, and payments.

Learn more about Quickbooks Online.

Virtual Assistant: Alexa

You and/or your techs are running between jobs all day, pulling up customer information, driving directions, and more on the go. Voice-activated tools like Alexa can help you do it faster and safer. With our integration, you can now ask Alexa what your next job is and bring up driving directions all without taking your hands off the wheel. Best of all, it’s free.

Mobile Card Reader: Housecall Pro

Why wait to invoice if your customers are ready to pay immediately? Mobile card readers allow you to process credit card payments in the field. Housecall Pro has designed a card reader specifically for home service businesses. With it, can access credit card rates as low as 2.59% and process cards by chip, tap, or swipe. The turnaround time for payments is about 30 minutes using our Instapay system.

Learn more about our card reader.


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Last Posted July, 2025
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How to

6 Steps to a Memorable HVAC Customer Service Experience

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Home » 2020

Whether or not they realize it, customers expect more from an HVAC company than just a technical fix. They’re looking for a respectful and smooth experience from start to finish, advice and answers to their questions. Many customers are also looking for an ongoing relationship — a company they can trust for any future issue.

Increasing customer satisfaction levels through features like chat offers a slew of benefits for your business. According to our survey of over 400 homeowners, after a good experience with a home service company, 97% of those polled would be likely to recommend the company to friends and family and 82% would be likely to write an online review. 

Sounds like a win/win, right?

So what does an amazing customer experience look like? More importantly, how do you provide that experience to your customers consistently?

From the first call for service to the final follow-up and beyond, these are the six critical steps to make your customer’s journey a rewarding one and improve your team’s customer service skills.

6 Steps for Amazing Customer Service
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All the tools you need to run your business, in one place

Housecall Pro makes it simple to run your business. Through our software, you can dispatch techs, schedule appointments, create estimates and invoices, take payments, manage reviews and so much more – all on one platform.

1. Win Them Over On the Phone

The first impression is one that lasts. That very first call, email, or other inquiry you receive from a prospect sets the tone for the relationship the customer has with your company. And you rarely get an opportunity to correct a poor first impression.

If you can’t respond to missed calls and emails within 12 business hours, it’s time to hire.

How many customers tell a business that they went with them simply because they called back. If you can’t respond quickly, you’re missing out on work and you’re creating a bad impression for your company.

If you have to hire another sales or customer service representative to be more responsive, consider the number of jobs you could gain from these missed opportunities. Other ways to use a bigger staff that can turn into more jobs:

  • Following up after estimates.
  • Attending networking events and calling commercial leads like realtors or property managers.
  • Being more active on social media and responding to social media inquiries you might’ve otherwise missed. 

Educate your office staff on the trade. 

Anyone answering calls should know enough about your services to be able to ask the right questions and answer customer’s questions in useful ways. 

Be ready with existing customer info

You have histories with some of the people that call your business — knowing that history can make a huge difference.

We integrate with Callrail so that anytime you pick up the phone and it’s a number associated with a customer, Housecall Pro will automatically show you information about their account.

Review phone calls

Services like Callrail can also help you record calls and check in on how your CSRs are managing phone calls. Every few weeks or months review a few random calls and look for places that can be improved.

Regardless of how you structure your first line of contact, the key to growing your business is the ability to respond to it. 

2. Be Transparent About Your Schedule

Ideally, you offer customers a small appointment window and you’re always on time. But life doesn’t work that way. Automatic reminders and messages can help your business feel responsive and courteous even when things get a little messy.

On your way? Let the individual know when you’re coming. If a job takes longer than anticipated, let the next appointment know. A lot of overheated clients can be cooled off if someone keeps them aware of their place in line.

3. Be an Educational Resource

Your customers usually don’t know much about air conditioners or other HVAC systems. They rely on you as the expert, but you shouldn’t guard information like secret intel.

Teach Your HVAC Techs to Be Educators

Schedule practice time and specific training tips about how to be better educators. HVAC technicians have to learn how to “dumb down” information and make it accessible to people that don’t know anything about the trade.

Make the Walk-Through as Informative As Possible

Never let a tech leave a job without walking through the final repairs with the customer, an explanation of any warranties offered, and advice about how to keep systems running smoothly.

Your website is the perfect medium for this.

With informative blog posts about all things HVAC and videos that present heating and cooling how-tos or product demonstrations, you can extend your brand beyond its primary service function.

Many companies worry that if they give away too much information, then customers will try and fix things themselves next time. But when things get too complicated, who are they going to call? The people that seemed to know what they were talking about and were generous with what they knew.

4. Make Doing Business With You As Easy As Possible

Customers are used to modern conveniences like paying and scheduling appointments online. They’re coming to expect it even from the HVAC industry. Ten years ago, these kinds of tech solutions were only available from bigger businesses with major tech budgets.

Now, through software like ours, even small businesses can offer those online services that customers have come to expect.

HVAC Customer Service Technology Infographic

If you hope to generate and convert leads or keep customers coming back, you must offer tools that uncomplicated how they engage your company.

Of course, there will be customers that prefer the old school methods. But more and more, homeowners are learning to expect the same experience from a small local business that they get from a large corporation. Start offering these amenities now before your competition gains an upper hand.

5. Follow-Up

When you finish a job, it’s easy to forget it and move on to the next one. But every time you break contact with a customer, you’re missing out on the possibility of future work. 

Follow-Up Quickly To Ask for Feedback And Reviews

Whether it be a call or an email, touch base with the client between 24 and 48 hours after service (never let it linger more than that). 

Housecall Pro helps facilitate this with automated postcards and emails. Thank them for the opportunity to serve them, ask for a review or feedback.

Keep In Touch With Value-Driven Content

More than just an immediate check-in following a service call, keep touch with your clients throughout the year. Information-packed newsletters or promotional mailers (with discounts for valued clients) keep your company and the homeowner’s needs front and center.

Consider content like updates on a guide to buying a new air conditioning system or showcase local electricians you trust (a great way to form alliances with other local businesses).

Offer Recurring Service Agreements

If you haven’t yet, we also recommend offering recurring service agreements with monthly or quarterly preventative maintenance tasks and safety checks. This is one of the easiest ways to offer value to your customers and keep them loyal while increasing your monthly revenue.

6. Train, Train, Train

Great customer service involves skills that your team may need to be taught or practice. 

Offer Consistent Communication Skills Training

Whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, include quick training sessions into your company meetings. Work on skills like empathy, reflective listening, learning how to read body language, etc.

Practice What You Preach

Make sure your employees’ experience with your company is as positive as your customers’. Making sure your team has a chance to offer feedback and raise concerns is important to keep company morale high — something that trickles down to your customers.

Final Thoughts

It’s helpful to remember that how your HVAC company presents itself to customers is a collective experience of all the interactions your customers have with your team, as well as your website, texts, and emails, etc. 

We’re here to help with technical solutions that improve your customer experience and guarantee more repeat business. 


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Spending too much time on admin work?

Automate your daily tasks and save time with our home service software.

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Industry News

The most common HVAC problem in every state

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Home » 2020

At its core, running a business fundamentally boils down to two things. First, you need to know and understand the problems your customers are facing. Second, you need to be able to provide effective solutions for those problems. If you can accomplish those two things, you have a solid foundation for a successful business. The more knowledge you have regarding your customers’ problems, the more you can create custom solutions to solve those problems. This, in turn, leads to happier customers, more referrals, and more revenue. 

But it’s not always easy to know exactly what problems your customers are encountering on a regular basis. Based on your experience, you may be able to make some educated guesses, but having more concrete data can be helpful. 

That’s where we come in. We surveyed 1,151 people across the United States, asking them about the most common HVAC problems they encountered. We gathered and sorted the data by state and now present it here for your analysis. 

Ready? 

Let’s dive in.

The most common HVAC problems in every state

A few observations about the data below. 

First, the biggest problem by far reported across the United States is a lack of air conditioning. This presents a significant opportunity for you. If you can provide cost-effective air conditioning solutions, you may be able to significantly increase your customer base. This is probably even more the case in Southern states where the heat is much more intense and lasts significantly longer. 

Second, consider taking advantage of seasonality. In the spring and early summer, as the weather is getting warmer, people will start about the need for air conditioning. By offering discounts or specials on air conditioning services, you may be able to secure more customers and increase your revenue. During the fall and early winter, people are dealing with heating issues. Consider offering discounts and specials on furnace repair and maintenance. 

Third, be sure to shape your marketing efforts so that they reflect the most common problems your customers are facing. If your customers lack air conditioning, speak to that problem (**Tip – use our automated marketing feature built into our HVAC software to help with this). Talk specifically about how you can solve it and how much better people’s lives will be once the problem is solved. The best marketing highlights the pain points that customers feel and offers a solution for those pain points. The more you speak to the challenges your customers are actually facing, the more your marketing will resonate with them. 

Final Thoughts

Knowing the problems your customers are dealing with is one-half of running a successful business. The data above certainly isn’t exhaustive by any means. But it does give you a glimpse into the common HVAC struggles that people are dealing with. It allows you to see things through their eyes. 

Use the data to shape the services you offer, as well as your marketing efforts. 


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Essential plumbing safety tips

Posted on by Housecall Pro

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Home » 2020

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, maintenance workers — including plumbers — experience more injuries and illnesses than almost any other occupation. Fortunately, responsible plumbers can avoid the vast majority of these threats by adhering to plumbing safety tips and using proper protective gear. 

Plumber safety tips and how to ensure safety during the pandemic

The ongoing threat of the coronavirus has added new safety risks to the profession and new precautions to take to keep yourself, your team, your customers and your family members safe during this time. We’ll cover the recommendations from the CDC and OSHA concerning safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We’ve also included recommendations from our super pros on their favorite personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety glasses and boots.

But if you’re newer to the industry or looking for a refresher, we recommend reading through our overview of the common hazards and basic safety measures. Make sure everything is covered in your operations manual or employee handbook.

Common hazards and basic safety measures for plumbers

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), most injuries — and fatalities — in the plumbing industry result from falling off of ladders and other high locations. If you’ve ever thought such accidents could never happen to you, take a look at this list of recent injuries affecting plumbers, and see if that doesn’t serve as a wake-up call.

Another common hazard plumbers face is the loss of access to adequate levels of oxygen while working in confined spaces. Eye injuries also occur relatively frequently in the plumbing profession, as do illnesses that develop following exposure to mold, asbestos, and raw sewage among other pathogens. 

To help you stay out of harm’s way, here are some safety precautions to keep in mind during each stage of a plumbing project. 

Before a job

Prior to beginning any job, it’s imperative for plumbing technicians to assess the risks they could potentially confront — regardless of how remote the likelihood of an injury may seem. During this risk assessment, be sure to abide by the following practices.

  • Once you’re aware of the job site’s address, look up the appropriate plumbing and building codes to discover more details about the location and what the task entails.
  • Do your due diligence to find out if the job site contains mold, asbestos, or lead paint. If any of these hazards are present, ensure to the area is cleaned as best as possible prior to tackling the plumbing problem.
  • If you think you’re likely to encounter obstacles you’ve never confronted before, complete any training or certification programs before attempting to resolve the issue. 

During a job

Upon arriving at the job site, there may be some serious health concerns that plumbers need to pay attention to. Here are a few such items.

  • Given that plumbing systems are generally out of sight, plumbing technicians are often required to operate in confined spaces in awkward positions with little airflow. To make sure you’re not entering an area with toxic fumes or insufficient oxygen, use a portable air monitor to find out if the ambient air is safe.
  • Considering that slips and falls are the most common cause of accidents that affect plumbers, use attachment points, harnesses, and certified scaffolding for support when working from high locations, and never attempt an outdoor project if the weather conditions are less than favorable.
  • Plumbers are exposed to raw sewage, rodent droppings, and an array of other unpleasant substances on a near-daily basis. Refrain from touching your face while working on such projects, and wash your hands immediately after coming into contact with any substance that seems suspicious.

After a job

Once a plumbing issue is resolved, that doesn’t necessarily mean the job is complete. Before leaving the worksite and returning home, there are a few more precautions responsible plumbers should take to ensure their safety

  • Clean up any spills or puddles as soon as possible, and use industrial-grade cleaners and disinfectants to sanitize the space.
  • Dispose of any dirty rags rather than reusing them, and wash your work clothes separately than your regular laundry to avoid cross-contamination. If you drive to work, change out of your dirty clothes before stepping back into your vehicle.
  • Use antiseptics to thoroughly clean your tools and equipment, and make sure your appliances are always in good working order before using them during any future plumbing projects.

CDC recommendations for PPE during the pandemic

The CDC recommends that employees working in the field should be equipped with alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60% alcohol for decontamination and cloth face masks containing two or more layers of fabric. The effectiveness of face shields is still in question.

According to the CDC, gloves are not necessary if you wash your hands frequently.

Van or truck interiors and door handles and any tools used on a job should be cleaned by a list of CDC-approved disinfectants. 

Learn more about:

Other PPE gear every pro should have

Here are some of the most popular types of PPE items along with product recommendations that might be right for you.

Gloves

Although some plumbers prefer not to use gloves because they can hinder dexterity, protecting your hands can keep you safe from cuts, burns, and an assortment of infections. Disposable gloves might be appropriate for certain projects, while fabric or animal-hide gloves generally provide greater protection.

Superpro Suggestion: DEX FIT Nitrile Work Gloves

Coveralls

Coveralls offer a greater level of protection from abrasions, heavy machinery, and caustic chemicals. We also recommend wearing long sleeves which can further prevent your arms from burns and lacerations.

Superpro Suggestion: Tough Duck Overalls

Disinfectant

Rather than relying on everyday household cleaners, industrial disinfectants that target bloodborne pathogens offer a far greater level of protection against various forms of fungi, viruses, and bacteria. Such disinfectants can also be used to decontaminate tools and equipment.

Superpro Suggestion: Cavicide Disintectant

Hard Hat

Although the majority of residential plumbing projects don’t require head protection, falling debris is common during industrial or commercial jobs. A hard hat can save your life if you’re suddenly struck by an object from above.

Superpro Suggestion: Jorestech HDPE Adjustable Hard Hat

Eye Protection

Safety glasses that are fog-resistant and easy to put on and take off dramatically reduce the risk of eye injury from flying projectiles and caustic chemical splashes. Look for eyewear that is durable enough to withstand a significant impact and which won’t shatter when struck by a sharp object.

Superpro Suggestion: NoCry Safety Glasses

Hand Sanitizer

Given that many plumbers are exposed to raw sewage on a regular basis, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of keeping your hands clean. An industrial-grade antiseptic can instantly eliminate any viruses and bacteria you may come into contact with.

Superpro Suggestion: 3M Avagard D Sanitizer Hand Gel

Air Monitors

Not all threats are visible with the naked eye, which is why an air monitor can be a literal lifesaver for plumbing professionals. Avoid oxygen-deficient atmospheres by testing for hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide, which tend to reach unhealthy levels in areas with little to no ventilation.

Superpro Suggestion: Techamor Y201 Portable Air Monitor

Boots

Puddles and standing water can be treacherous, which is why slip-resistant footwear is a must-have for every plumber. Furthermore, caution plumbers can avoid injuries from punctures and falling tools by wearing shoes or boots that have impact-resistant toes and metal insoles.

Superpro Suggestion: Keen Utility Pittsburgh Steel Toe Work Boot

Ear Protection

A report by the World Health Organization found that 48 percent of plumbers experienced hearing loss as a result of working with power tools (such as saws and drills) that create sharp noises and can damage eardrums over time. Earplugs are recommended for any technicians who are exposed to noise levels that exceed 90 decibels for an extended amount of time, while ear muffs offer an even greater level of protection. 

Superpro Suggestion: Pro for Sho 34dB Ear Muffs

Respirator

Inhalation mold, dust, and asbestos can lead to debilitating diseases that may drastically reduce your life span. For that reason, respirators that filter out such contaminants are recommended when working in old buildings with unknown histories.

Superpro Suggestion: Disposable Dust Mask with Valve N95 Respirator

What to do if an injury occurs

Even plumbers who abide by the industry’s best practices and who wear use appropriate PPE at all times may still fall victim to an on-the-job injury. If the unexpected happens and you find yourself in trouble, obviously it’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. However, it’s also important to understand your financial options and know what you’re entitled to in terms of workers’ compensation benefits.

Depending on whether an accident is the result of your own recklessness, your employer’s negligence, or the actions of a third party, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your pain and suffering by filing a civil lawsuit. Plumbing injuries can be exceedingly costly, not to mention they can greatly diminish your quality of life for months, years, or decades to come. If you fall victim to an on-the-job injury, don’t hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney or a lawyer who specializes in workers’ compensation cases to collect what you’re rightfully entitled to.

OSHA plumbing safety manual

Many plumbers who are new to the industry may receive numerous emails or phone calls from salespeople selling OSHA-approved plumbing safety manuals. Oftentimes, such solicitors state that plumbers are required to read and carry these manuals at all times or they could face severe fines. This isn’t entirely true. Many times, plumbers who do purchase such manuals are falling for a scam that’s been around for years. Rather, use safety data sheets (SDS) to stay knowledgeable about health hazards, chemical properties, and PPE recommended for plumbing jobs.   


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Housecall Pro

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Last Posted July, 2025
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Software Advice

How Your Plumbing Business Can Benefit From Using QuickBooks Online

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Home » 2020

As the owner of a plumbing company, sometimes you get to come in and save the day, whether it’s a simple fix like a leaky faucet or a major repair like remedying a botched DIY pipe installation. But we’re guessing you don’t always feel like Superman. For example, sorting out your bookkeeping back at HQ can feel like the kryptonite that takes you hours to fix every week.

If you’re looking for a way to simplify your accounting process, you may want to consider QuickBooks Online (QBO). For many plumbing contractors, it’s the perfect solution to streamline the financial aspects of your plumbing business.

QuickBooks for Plumbers – What You Need to Know

In this piece, we’ll look at:

The Benefits of Using QBO For Your Plumbing Business

QuickBooks (QB) is a great financial tool for business owners who are ready to say goodbye to stacks of papers and manual calculations. We get it; you’re a plumber, not an accountant, but QB allows you to easily track where your money is going among tons of other features. Even if you don’t consider yourself a financial expert, it’s critical that you have insight into your company’s profit margins, losses, labor costs, and other factors that affect your bottom line.

Here are a few of the reasons why QuickBooks is a brilliant way to enhance your company and keep up with plumbing trends.

  1. Track Job/Project Profitability: Track project or larger job details such as overhead expenses and labor costs.
  2. Assess your pricing: Create more detailed and accurate P&L statements which, in turn, can help you assess the accuracy of your estimates and your job pricing.
  3. Manage your bills: Keep up to date on the status of your bills, record payments, and set up recurring payments. 
  4. Track miles: Reliably and automatically track miles with your phone. You can separate personal trips from business trips or add trips manually.
  5. Income and expenses: Import transactions from your bank, credit cards, PayPal, Square, and more. Automatically sort transactions into different tax categories so you can be as organized as possible when you’re ready to file your taxes. Take photos of all of your receipts and link them to expense categories. 
  6. Manage contractors: Pay all vendors and contractors and file 1099s.
  7. Payroll: Enjoy 24-hour direct deposit service, automated tax calculations on every paycheck, file and pay federal and state payroll taxes.
  8. Track time: Keep track of billable hours by employee or client. Or, manually enter hours yourself.
  9. Inventory: Keep track of products, cost of goods, and receive notifications when inventory is low. Import forms directly from Excel.
  10. Reporting: Run and export reports on your profits and losses. 
  11. Sales and sales tax: Accept credit cards anywhere with a mobile card reader or sync with apps. Connect to other e-commerce tools like Shopify and automatically calculate your taxes on invoices.
  12. Estimates: Customize estimates so they reflect your business needs, accept signatures via mobile and see estimate status in real-time. Easily convert an estimate into an invoice.
  13. Tax deductions: Tax season has never been easier! You can take pictures and store receipts so you don’t have to worry about keeping a shoebox crammed with an unorganized mess of receipts. Share your books with your accountant or just export tax-relevant documents. Sort business expenses into different tax categories so you can maximize your deductions.
  14. Get capital: If you need a loan, you can apply for one directly through QuickBooks or Housecall Pro. Having multiple options means more liquidity for your business.

Accounting Best Practices for Plumbing Companies

One of the most crucial accounting needs for plumbing businesses is keeping track of all of your expenses. You need to know where your money is going and why. Sure, you can do it manually with a spreadsheet but using software designed to be user-friendly can be a serious boon to your small business (and sanity).

Another pro tip is to keep your business expenses separate from your personal finances. Even though it seems like an extra step, it’s incredibly important for maintaining your cash flow records, keeping track of your taxable income, and making accurate forecasts of your long-term financial performance. Keep your ticket purchases for the big game on your personal credit card rather than your business card—you’ll be glad you did when it’s time to file your taxes and you don’t need to weed out your personal expenses.

You might also want to consider backing up your financial data to protect against the worst-case scenarios of a cyber attack or robbery. Make sure if one system goes down, you still have uncorrupted files or paperwork somewhere else.

  • Although you might want to manage your business finances yourself, consider hiring a professional to do so on your behalf instead. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have a hand in your bookkeeping but an expert who can handle more complex financial issues can be a lifesaver.

To stay organized with accurate records, it’s best to have some digital help. One of the best pieces of financial software to assist you with your accounting tasks is QuickBooks Online (QBO). It stores all of your information in the cloud, providing a secure, modern solution that makes it easy and convenient to stay on track of your expenses and payments. 

There’s also the more traditional version of this software, QuickBooks Desktop (QBD). However, some QuickBooks Desktop versions are in the process of having their support phased out. In addition, Intuit has emphasized and promoted the growth of the online version of QuickBooks over the Desktop iteration.

The Difference Between QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online

If you’re trying to decide between choosing the QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) versus the QuickBooks Online (QBO) version, there are a few differences you should be aware of before committing to one or the other. First, here a few offerings the QuickBooks Desktop version has the Online version currently doesn’t offer.

QuickBooks Desktop vs Online

Data entry features: 

  • Batch invoice creation
  • Billing rate levels
  • Batch enter transactions
  • Batch enter timesheets
  • Pay vendors online (ACH)

Job costing features:

  • Job costing estimates and actual reporting
  • Payroll job costing
  • Change orders on estimates
  • Markup column on estimates

Reporting features:

  • Multiple vendor ship to addresses 
  • Industry-specific reporting
  • Forecasting

Inventory features:

  • Average cost inventory valuation method
  • Receiving partially against a purchase order
  • Sales orders
  • Unit of measure

Accounting features:

  • Backup and restore feature
  • Condense file
  • Client data review tools

Can’t live without one or a few of those features? Then transferring over to the Online side of QuickBooks may not be the right decision in that case. 

When you consider the pros and cons of QuickBooks Online, you may find the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, however.

QuickBooks Online Key Features

  • Schedule and send transactions automatically
  • Attach documents like receipts, images, and signatures to transactions using your phone or computer
  • Use audit log to review actions and track changes
  • Track by location
  • Relabel your customers 
  • Bank transactions download automatically each night
  • Custom banking rules
  • Unlimited time tracking
  • Delayed charges and delayed credits to create non-posting transactions
  • Set up multiple budgets
  • Third-party app integration with QuickBooks-compatible plumbing business software

So, which do you choose? Unless you can’t live without the features QuickBooks Desktop offers, it’s a good idea to use the online version because it offers more flexibility and mobile capabilities to help you and your bookkeeper organize your financial data. It’s also simple to export and send data on the Online version so your accountant has convenient access to everything.

If you already have QuickBooks Desktop, you may want to consider transitioning your account to QuickBooks Online. Not sure how to do this? We’ve got your step-by-step guide below to help you export your data.

How to Export Data from QBD to QBO

Intuit is phasing out some versions of QuickBooks Desktop support in 2020, but you can easily convert QuickBooks Desktop to online with a few simple steps we’ll show you below. 

1. Check file requirements 

You’ll only be able to import your data from QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) to QuickBooks Online (QBO) within the first 60 days of the QBO subscription start date. If you’ve had your QBO subscription past the 60-day mark, however, you have some choices available to you for your next step:

  1. Find a QuickBooks ProAdvisor to help you.

A ProAdvisor can convert files within the first 180 days of the subscription start date. Set up a new QuickBooks Online subscription using a different email address. 

Double-check that the total target count in QuickBooks Desktop by opening the application and pressing F2. Total targets cannot be more than 350,000 for the import to work. 

FYI: If you have a ton of information and your file is more than 350,000 targets, you can still import your items—it will just transfer over account balances and product, customer, and vendor lists only. 

2. Get your QBD data prepped for transfer

Take the time to clean up your data so everything is updated (customer numbers or vendors’ addresses, for example) on your QuickBooks Desktop account. 

Try to time your data conversion at the end of the month or quarter. Make sure that all accounts are settled and payroll has been processed so you won’t have any issues that crop up or items that go missing during the conversion. Backup your data in case anything happens. To do so, simply go toFile>Back Up Company>Create Local Backup. This acts as a failsafe should anything go wrong when you’re exporting files to your online QuickBooks account.

3. Make a QuickBooks Online account 

To start up your account, you’ll need to enter in basic information like your email address, name, and phone number. After you set a strong password, you’re ready to get rolling. 

Provide basic company business information like the name of your company and how long you’ve been in business. 

Then, log out of your QBO account by clicking the gear icon and selecting Sign Out.

4. Open your QBD application

Remember, this is the account you’re converting data from your QuickBooks Desktop account. You’re ready to start exporting your data out of this account and into your online account.

5. From the Company menu, choose Export company file to QuickBooks Online 

Pro tip: 

If you can’t see the option to export company file to QuickBooks Online, you’ll have to download the most recent update first. To do so, navigate to the Help menu, choose Update QuickBooks. 

After the update is finished, close out of QuickBooks and log back in. At this point, you should be able to seamlessly export the data.

6. Sign back into your QuickBooks Online account

7. Choose if you want to bring over your inventory

If you are using QuickBooks Desktop to manage your inventory, know that QBD and QBO use different valuations (aka accounting methods) for inventory. QBD uses the average cost method while QBO uses the FIFO (first-in, first-out)  method. 

Explainer: FIFO is a cost-accounting method that more accurately reflects price changes over time; average cost is calculated by dividing the total cost of goods in your inventory by the total number of items available for sale.

This will affect the overall value of your inventory so make sure you consult with a financial professional before you bring over your inventory.

Note: You are required to report the change to your inventory recording method on your tax return. 

  • If YES, you want to import your inventory: The value of each item in your inventory will be converted through the FIFO method.
  • If NO, you don’t want to import your inventory: If you don’t want to import your inventory, choose NO. You can always go back and import from an Excel spreadsheet if you decide to do this later. 

8. Choose your QBO company

Click the QuickBooks Online company you’d like to transfer data from on the drop-down list. Forgot to set up your account? Just click on the create new QBO company button and follow the instructions provided.

9. Data File Copy

Almost there!

You will see a notification the files are being exported to your QBO account. Depending on how many files you have, this could take a few minutes to several hours. Once the files are safe in your QBO account, you’ll get an email message letting you know.

10. Final details

After you get your email announcing the files were successfully transferred, you will need to go back to your QBO account and click complete your setup. Remember to review your data to make sure everything was transferred over correctly.

Important note: There are a few features you can’t use on QuickBooks Online and if you need any of the following features below, consider consulting an outside expert before transferring your data if you’re not sure how the transfer will affect your business.

What isn’t brought over when you transfer your QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online? 

  • Bank/Credit Card Account Reconciliation Reports: You can still access past reports as long as you don’t delete the desktop version of your QuickBooks account. Otherwise, you can simply start from where you last left off.
  • Audit Trail: Remember to keep a copy from your Desktop QuickBooks with your old information. Your new Online QuickBooks will create a new Audit Trail for you.
  • Recurring Credit Card Charges: Unfortunately, you’ll have to cancel any recurring credit card charges in your Merchant Center. After that’s complete, you can reset them in your QBO account. 
  • Inventory from QuickBooks for Mac: Here’s a workaround if you need to transfer inventory information from a Mac to your OQB account. Access a Windows computer and transfer from there instead.

Reports: QBO features tons of different reports that can replace most of the ones available on the desktop version of the software. You’ll simply need to find one that works for your business and begin using it.

QuickBooks balance sheet example:

Why and How to Integrate QuickBooks and Housecall Pro

You can save tons of time in lost hours spent on paperwork or double-entry by pairing your QuickBooks Online account to the Housecall Pro app.

By integrating these two pieces of software, Housecall Pro’s hassle-free functionality will automatically sync data such as your invoices, customer information, line items, and payments to Quickbooks Online.

Housecall Pro also uses built-in error handling and de-duplication for easier operations.

New to Housecall Pro? Here are some other features you can take advantage of with Housecall Pro to make life a little easier:

  • Scheduling and dispatching: Create and edit schedules on the fly from your phone or computer. Employees will be notified with updates right on their phone.
  • Online booking: If you make it easy for customers to book your services, they’ll be more likely to actually schedule a service. Housecall Pro makes job bookings available 24/7 so you never miss a customer.
  • Estimates: Goodbye paper. All of your estimates are automated, easy to edit, and can save you up to 15 hours a week.
  • Dispatch team members: Set recurring projects, assign teams, and schedule arrival windows.
  • Text notifications: Send customers on-my-way notifications and other job-relevant messages
  • Live map GPS: See exactly where your team is at all times. Did a sudden job pop up? Use the live map to dispatch the closest employee.
  • Custom texts and emails: Keep your customers in the know about a job’s progress.
  • Invoicing: Send out custom or template invoices with one click.
  • Follow-up marketing: After a job is complete, follow up with customers thanking them for choosing your business and about their experience.
  • Payment processing: Check, cash, credit, or ACH payments? You can easily do it all.
  • Recurring payments: Set up scheduled payments on a monthly, seasonally, or yearly basis.
  • Instapay: Deposit payments into your account within 30 minutes.

Once you’re able to easily manage these tasks, you can get back to the matter at hand: running your business. 

How to Connect Your QuickBooks Online account to Housecall Pro

Ready to connect your QuickBooks Online and Housecall Pro accounts? Follow the steps below for seamless integration, or get more details from our online help center.

  1. Go to your dashboard and click My Apps.
  2. Click Get More Apps.
  3. Scroll down to productivity and click on QuickBooks Online.
  4. Press the connect button.
  5. After you press the connect button, you’ll have the option to create a new QuickBooks Online account or connect to an existing account.
  6. If you need to create an account, enter in your details and select your plan. If you already have an account, you’ll just need to enter in your password and username.

Housecall Pro Author

Housecall Pro

Official Corporate Communications
Contact | 
Last Posted July, 2025
About the Author Solutions for your business Whether you need to improve dispatching, reduce paperwork, increase workforce or grow revenue, we have a solution.
Learn More

Spending too much time on admin work?

Automate your daily tasks and save time with our home service software.

Want to win more jobs with less effort?

Grow your business and send quick quotes with our home service software.

Helpful articles about the field service industry, the latest news about the app, and downloadable templates you can use right now.

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ProTalks

How Matt Mauzy runs his $20M company and stays happy

Posted on by Housecall Pro

Spending too much time on admin work?

Automate your daily tasks and save time with our home service software.

Want to win more jobs with less effort?

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Home » 2020

Matt Mauzy took over an HVAC company in his early twenties. And he’s grown his business, Mauzy Heating, Air & Solar, to over $20 million a year in sales. On this special two-part Pro Talk episode, Alexa and Roland talked to Matt about how he got to where he is and what advice he has for other service business owners. 

Protalks: 3 steps to a successful home service company with Matt Mauzy

Highlights from Part One

In Part One, Roland and Alexa talk to Matt about his background and his overall philosophy on running a successful HVAC company. Here are some of the main strategies he employs.

A business owner’s top goal should be to empower eery employee

Over and over in this interview, Matt talked about the importance of empowering your  team. When asked what his superpower is, he responds, “Really the superpower is just picking good people, empowering those good people and taking care of them. And when you do that, they will take care of your customers and their coworkers around them. It just spreads from there.”

He ends the interview with similar wisdom:

Trust and empower the people around you, because you can’t do it yourself. I’m one person. There’s no way that I could come anywhere close to where I’m at today, unless I had an incredible group of people behind me in my personal life and in the business here. So trust those people and empower those people; keep the environment that they work in or live in fun, and you will be where I’m at in no time at all. That’s what it takes.

So how do you empower each employee? Like Matt says, it starts with picking the right people.

Hiring strategy: he takes his time [22:45]

When Matt is hiring he’s looking for two things: a good heart and a good work ethic, and he explains that those are difficult to discern in a 15 minute interview. His solution is to take more time.

Especially if he’s hiring for a key position, such as a customer service rep or a manager, he’ll do two interviews: a more formal interview in an office and a casual interview outside the office. He’ll take the person out to lunch to get a feel for them.

“By that second interview, when you’re walking away from that, back to your car, you’ll know. There’d be no doubt. You’ll know by then, is this going to be a great fit or is it not?”

Hiring strategy: he looks for good people everywhere 

Matt doesn’t wait until there’s a job opening to search for people who he think would be a good fit. If he has a good experience with someone outside of his industry, such as a customer service rep at a retail store, he’ll come back to observe them a second time. If he has two good experiences in a row, he’ll give them his business card: “I think I can provide an opportunity to somebody like that. I want to get them in an interview.”

Once you have the right people on the team, then the nurturing work begins. 

Empowerment strategy: get rid of the hierarchy [27:23]

Everyone that works at Mauzy might have a different set of responsibilities, but nobody is more important than anyone else. There are no titles and no hierarchy at the business.

“I don’t care if it’s Matt Mauzy or somebody that’s just starting with us, that’s maybe working for us for the summer sweep in the back parking lot. There’s no titles. We all are equals, and we all have a job to do. And if we all do our job and do it well as a company, we do well,” Matt says.

Empowerment strategy: create a fun work place [29:58]

Matt makes sure that his employees enjoy coming to work. For instance, he leads a meeting each morning with the installers and starts each meeting with a funny video to get people laughing and in a good mood.

“You’d be shocked if you create the environment and just how much gets done and how much people actually love their job and coming to work,” Matt explains. “And then that just carries through to what they do all day long which is which is helping customers.”

Strive for work/life balance [31:44]

Matt struggled with addictions in his late teens and early twenties. In fact, he was only a couple of years out of recovery when he had the opportunity to buy his company. Matt has had to learn new, better ways to de-stress.

He explains that the HVAC industry can be both physically and mentally demanding, and it can also appeal to folks with strong work ethics that push themselves really hard. And it can lead to feeling like the job isn’t going anywhere.

Matt encourages folks to take breaks and find healthy releases or rewards. But finding the right ones can take some trial and error:

You have to still have that reward system, because if you just think, ‘Hey, look, I’m just going to stop drinking completely. That’s it, I’m done … I’m gonna start working out. I’m going to eat healthy — that’s all I’m going to do.’ And we all know what eventually happens there. Right? it usually doesn’t work out. You usually do well for a couple of months, and you ride down the same road. So what you have to do though, is you still have to have the reward system in place, but you just have to replace it with healthy things, meaning going out and getting yourself a good meal. Going to Ruth Chris on Friday night.

Matt takes what he calls “Ferrari Fridays” where he drives his Ferrari into work. “Figure out what your Ferrari Fridays is and schedule into your calendar for yourself so you don’t just sweep it under the rug again and turn to something else.”

Highlights from Part Two

In the second half of this interview, found in Part Two, Roland and Alexa talk to Matt about three big “aha moments” that led to his business increasing revenue over $17 million a year.

Aim for lower volume, higher margin [0:00]

In the beginning, Matt cared about winning every bid. As a result, his team was spread thin working a high volume of jobs.  

His first aha moment came from a conversation with a territory manager in which the person pointed out that the company’s overhead did not change regardless of how many jobs he took. 

He took that advice to heart and started focusing more on the quality of work (and what quality would cost) than the quantity of bids they were winning.

That following year, they did 20% less volume, but raised their profit margin by 30%.

“That also helped to really build our brand too, because you gotta think about how you want to be known as a company when somebody hears your brand. What do you want the next thing to be that enters their mind? I think for us, it was really focusing on being a quality company: customer service and selling a quality product.

Focus on one thing you love [8:05]

On top of the high volume mentality, his company offered commercial and residential heating and air conditioning and refrigeration services. 

Matt thought that by being in both the commercial and residential spheres would bring more business, but as a result, they weren’t able to focus on anything and raise the quality:

  • The company’s resources were spread thin.
  • The team was being trained on too many things to learn any one thing well.

He realized if he wanted to create a quality product, they needed to reduce the amount of products they were selling. 

The first thing they cut was working with home remodelers and then commercial heating and air. They began to focus solely on residential heating and air. “It allowed us to become extremely efficient and build different processes,” Matt explains.

As a result, they grew from $9 million to $15 million in 12 months.

Matt’s advice to other business owners is to pick something you love doing and stick with it.

Don’t be afraid to spend $$$ on marketing [17:07]

Matt’s final aha moment was realizing that a business can only grow so much based off of referrals alone:

“Referrals are a huge part of our business — those loyal customers — but how do you get that customer to begin with? A lot of times it doesn’t come from a referral, you’ve got to market, and I would encourage people to develop a marketing plan and just get behind it, take that leap, take a loan out to put together a marketing program.”

One year, he decided to invest 7% of what he believed they would gross the following year on marketing. And the return was amazing, so they spent 7% the following year and then went up to 10% which Matt calls “aggressive growth mode.”

Now, you’ll find Mauzy marketing on local TV and radio stations and on billboards around San Diego. 

Before spending money on marketing, Matt suggests take a good look at your branding. “Today because of the pace that we operate at, simplicity in branding is everything.”

From truck wraps to billboards, make sure your designs are simple enough for people to see exactly what you do and one simple way to contact you in just a few seconds.


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Last Posted July, 2025
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Business Marketing

8 plumbing business marketing ideas that cost little-to-no money

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Home » 2020

Growing a plumbing business on a small budget can seem impossible, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can see serious growth. 

Here are eight plumbing marketing strategies, including a mix of traditional and digital marketing tactics, you can grow your plumbing business while spending little or no money. Think of these ways as free plumbing advertising. 

Low-cost plumbing business ideas

Make Your Website a Resource Center

Your website can be much more than just a place where customers find your contact information. There are ways to utilize your site to plant seeds into your customers’ minds that build trust and even give them new ideas for how they can use your plumbing services!

The best way to go about this is by prioritizing an education over a sales pitch.

Blog to Educate

Blogging about plumbing-related topics establishes your expertise in the field and educates potential customers. 

Writing DIY tutorials probably seems counterintuitive. Why would you teach customers how to do something you want them to pay you to do?

The thing is, people remember those who teach them. And when they run into a problem they can’t fix on their own, you’ll be the first business that comes to mind. So teach them to do the little things, and they’ll call you for the more complicated (and expensive) work.

Blog to Build Trust

Educational opportunities include more than just how-tos. Consider writing things like remodeling guides. They can help encourage your existing or potential customers to pull the trigger on big projects. And they can go a long way to show that you do, indeed, know what you’re talking about.

Blog to Be Found

When you write really relevant blog posts, it can attract a significant amount of search traffic, especially if you’re writing in-depth posts. When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), Google typically rewards longer posts with rich, relevant information.

How do you know what to write about? Start with questions that often arise on job sites. If customers are constantly asking you the same questions, chances are people are also searching for those same questions.

Learn more about whether starting a blog is the right course of action for you in our Ultimate Guide to Blogging and SEO for Plumbers.

Email Consistently

Once you’ve taken the time to write those educational resources, don’t stop at posting them online! Expand your marketing channels and share them with your current and new customers.

Plumbing email marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for home services companies. In fact, marketing emails earn an average of $40 for every one dollar spent. 

Sending monthly emails keeps your company top-of-mind and can increase the earnings you make from your existing customer base and get more plumbing jobs booked.

  • Those informative resources you’ve created.
  • Seasonal promotions that you’re offering. 
  • Company news such as new services you’re offering or employee news that helps personalize your company.

Go Live on Facebook

Want to get more out of your social media accounts and build your online presence? Try going live on Facebook. Live videos receive six times the amount of interactions as regular videos, giving you the opportunity to truly engage with your community.

We recommend going live for things like job walk-throughs (with the permission of the customer, of course), company news, and how-to videos. But we also encourage you to be creative. For instance, Transou’s Rooter and Plumbing, a plumbing company in North Carolina, maintains goes live weekly for their “The Plumb and Positive Show,” with each video receiving hundreds of views. The Transou’s team sets themselves apart by doing something unique and memorable.

Check them out for inspiration and follow our tutorial to learn how to go live and tips on doing it well.

Identify Older Homes

If you’re less of an internet marketing person, these next three ideas might be more up your alley. Strategy number four — direct mailing owners of older homes — is pretty straightforward. 

Most homes that are older than five years can have potential plumbing problems. So how do you identify homes older than five years? Many real-estate websites such as Zillow allow you to see specifically when a house was built. 

Granted, this isn’t the easiest technique, but it can certainly generate highly qualified leads. Once you’ve identified homes older than five years, send mailers to them that contain your contact information. You may even want to offer them a special deal on your services. 

Direct mail advertising is still a relatively effective way to generate plumbing leads. A recent Canada Post study found that more people notice and read direct mail (53%) than they do of their email messages (26%). After all, a promotional email might end up in someone’s junk folder or get deleted before they even open it. With physical mail, the recipient must collect and sort each item by hand.

If you don’t want to spend the money on mailing them, you can hand deliver them to different homes throughout your community and other targeted communities. 

Partner With A Builder

Strategic partnerships can really up your revenue in a big way. Typically, when a person builds a home, they seek out a builder first who then recommends or subcontracts a plumber. 

If you can create a good relationship with a builder, there’s a good chance they’ll send many customer referrals your way. To build such a referral relationship either contact local builders or join professional groups and network with builders. You’ll probably need to provide references so have those ready.  

Be Active In Your Local Community

Plumbing is a local business, and being active in your local community connects you to the residents in an authentic way that can lead to more word of mouth referrals. The key is visibility. The more people see you around, the more they’ll think of you when they need a plumber. 

How can you increase your visibility? Some simple ways include:

  • Introducing yourself to local small business owners
  • Joining the Chamber of Commerce and meeting business owners
  • Sponsoring a table or booth at local events
  • Partnering with local charities to host events
  • Sponsoring a local sports team
  • Take a day a month for your whole team to work together on a volunteer project.

When sponsoring events or working on volunteer projects, consider partnering up with other local service businesses like HVAC or electrical companies. These are good opportunities to start up referral relationships. 

If you’re at a local event, be sure to have a supply of business cards on hand to give to anyone who will take one. You want to get your contact information into the hands of as many people as possible. 

Automate Your Review Requests

Whenever you finish a job, as long as you believe the customer is satisfied, you should be asking for a review. Most customers are willing to leave a review, but it’s easy to forget to take the time. It’s also just as easy for business owners and office staff to forget to follow up. This is where automation comes in.

Housecall Pro automatically sends review requests after you complete a job and connects to your Google My Business account to help customers leave reviews where they’ll matter most. If you’re not currently a user, you can try this feature out during a two-week free trial.

You can also set up post-job follow-up campaigns through email management systems like Mailchimp and Constant Contact to remind customers to leave reviews and any post-job information they’d find valuable.

In your correspondence, make sure you link to multiple options where you accept reviews, such as Google, Yelp, and Facebook, so that people can leave reviews where they’re most comfortable.

Final Thoughts

Growing your plumbing business isn’t easy by any means. It takes creativity, diligence, and a whole lot of hard work. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can take your plumbing business to the next level. And the good news is that you don’t even need to spend a fortune on advertising. 

All of the plumbing marketing ideas we explored are low-cost strategies that can go into your results-driven marketing plan.  


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Last Posted July, 2025
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How to

How to offer a home maintenance subscription for a handyman business

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Home » 2020

From Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program to Netflix to monthly subscription boxes, customers are growing more used to the subscription model as a hassle-free way of saving money.

More home service businesses, including handyman and home maintenance companies, are using this growing trend to sell subscription-based service agreements and increase their monthly margin exponentially.

Home maintenance subscriptions: are they worth it?

Sometimes called service subscriptions or recurring service plans, these ongoing agreements can mean generating more reliable income while adding value to your existing customer base.

In this article, we’ll look at all the steps to create and sell a home maintenance service agreement for your handyman or general home repair business, including what a typical plan consists of and how to price them.

Choose a Model

Home maintenance subscription models are often based on two models.

Time-Based Model

Offer your customer a certain number of hours you’re available per month for whatever tasks they need. They’ll choose this option if they’re frequent customers and you’re offering a discounted rate in exchange for an annual commitment.

Package-Model

The other common option is a default set of tasks you offer in a package, such as common safety inspections, preventative maintenance or repair services, and basic home improvement requests.

This model will appeal to customers that are too busy to deal with all of the regular maintenance involved in homeownership.

For this model, brainstorm a list of the most common service requests you receive from homeowners and figure out which requests should go into your subscription plan and at what frequency. Also consider which services might be outside of the package as opt-in or as-needed. Offer a discount for extended services or hours for subscription customers.

Sample list items include:

  • Appliance repair 
  • Replacing light bulbs
  • Testing carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers.
  • Cleaning out the dryer vent.
  • Replacing air and furnace filters.
  • Fixing leaky faucets.
  • Gutter cleaning.

Set Multiple Prices For Your Subscription Plans

Subscription models often have tiers.  

Things to Factor Into Pricing

As lucrative as service agreements can be, you can also end up in the red depending on how the contract is written. Some things to factor in include: 

  • Your direct and indirect costs for service. Having more weekly or monthly home visits could mean hiring more staff and buying more equipment. You’ll also have to service your equipment more often. When you’re pricing your plans, make sure you can cover these additional costs. You may even want to require a nominal service call fee in addition to monthly dues. 
  • The traveling distance to the customer’s home. Don’t forget that more visits also means more gas to pay for and wear and tear on service vehicles. If you have a broad service area, your subscription fees should factor in travel costs. 
  • When limits should exist. At $20 per month, your customer won’t make up the cost for a $1,000 repair in the course of their annual contract. As this illustrates, it often makes sense to put limits on how much you’re willing to cover.

Put It All Together in a  Service Agreement Template

Here are some other things to consider when putting it all together: 

  • Contracts should outline covered services specifically with a detailed home inspection and maintenance schedule.
  • Include details about your performance standards and the consequences of not meeting them. This offers homeowners peace of mind about what to expect when they commit to a monthly, quarterly or annual plan.
  • Explain any reports you plan on providing to them about the state of their property, what work was done, and any recommendations for the future.
  • Include emergency contact information and what emergency services the plan offers.
  • Homeowners are warry of any hidden costs, so make sure that your pricing structure is as clear as possible.
  • Automatic renewal is key. You’ll need to make sure your payment processing system is reliable and up to the task of auto-payments. Your monthly fees will probably be collected one at a time (though you can also offer a discount for annual payments), so make sure you have a payment processor you can trust. 

You can check out our free service agreement template for a basic starting point. And if you want more help, Housecall Pro recurring service plan agreement support helps you set up new customers and manage their routine billing and scheduling. 

We recommend running your maintenance subscription plan and related contract by a lawyer before offering it to customers. The last thing you want is a legal battle based on vague language or misunderstandings. 

The bottom line: Secure a payment processor you can trust, write solid contracts, and have a robust service scheduling software program that can easily handle recurring visits. With those assets and a pricing plan in mind, you’re ready to plot out your subscription-based service plans.

Learn more:


Housecall Pro Author

Housecall Pro

Official Corporate Communications
Contact | 
Last Posted July, 2025
About the Author Solutions for your business Whether you need to improve dispatching, reduce paperwork, increase workforce or grow revenue, we have a solution.
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Automate your daily tasks and save time with our home service software.

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Helpful articles about the field service industry, the latest news about the app, and downloadable templates you can use right now.

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