Ask around. Ask your friends, ask your neighbors and get referrals. Nothing is more powerful than the testament of someone who has had a local plumber in their home and can speak to his/her capabilities.
Do independent research using the Yellow pages, search engines and local business listings. Beforehand, make a list of what you are seeking in a plumber on Long Island. For example, years of experience, what services they provide, whether or not they have emergency service, areas of expertise, types of jobs they perform (residential, commercial, industrial) etc. Look for local plumbing service companies that are a match.
Toilets have a shut off valve that is most often located on the pipe at the back of the toilet. In all cases look for a silver knob and turn it to shut off the water. A water conditioner professional can help you locate these valves if you encounter a problem finding the valve or want reassurance you are handling it correctly.
Ask for written quotes and compare the quality of their services and rates. Lower rates are not always the better choice. Sometimes, those plumbers who offer lower rates provide low quality services and materials, too. Written quotes are also important to give you an idea of what the Trustworthy plumber are going to do and how much are you going to pay for those services.
Third, if you dissemble things, do you know how to put it back and not cause further damage? This is something that commonly happens. Some people attempt to fix the problem and end up causing a lot more damage! Then they try to do something else, which causes even more problems and by the time they call the Local plumber, the problem is much worse and now, they not only have to pay for the service but may even to pay a higher amount for the double repair.
This around the clock availability leads to the second thing to look for in your rescue personnel. Are they available at all hours? Saying you are and actually picking up the telephone are two different matters. Do they offer at least two numbers, one for regular business hours and one for after hours? That is what you are looking for. And if they advertise dispatch vans, all the better for speedy replies.
Once you have become a master plumber you can start your own plumbing company or you can even work for the government. This may sound like it is going to take forever to become a master plumber and it is difficult to achieve this level but it is not. Yes, it is going to take several years but the prestige title at the end is worth it.