How Seasonal Homeowners Can Use Tropical's VIP Home Protection Plan

The VIP Home Protection Plan from Tropical Plumbing Co. in Fort Myers costs $249 a year. It includes one annual inspection of the accessible plumbing in your home, one annual flush of a tank-style water heater, 10% off qualifying plumbing service and repair work, no trip charge, priority scheduling, and priority for a post-storm plumbing check after a hurricane or major tropical storm. It was built for seasonal Southwest Florida homeowners, but it works for anyone who wants a yearly check-up and a plumber already on call.

This page explains what each part means in practice and how to get the most out of it. For the plan itself and to sign up, see the VIP Home Protection Plan page.

What’s included, in plain terms

• One annual plumbing inspection. We look over the accessible plumbing in your home: toilets and fixtures, faucets and shutoff valves, visible supply and drain piping, kitchen and bathroom plumbing, washing machine connections, outdoor hose bibbs and the water heater. We’re looking for leaks, corrosion, wear and water damage.
• One annual water heater flush. We drain and flush a tank-style water heater to clear out sediment, and check it and the plumbing around it for corrosion or leaks.
• 10% off qualifying plumbing service and repair work all year.
• No trip charge. Members don’t pay our usual $59 service-call charge.
• Priority service. When the schedule is tight, members are booked ahead of non-members.
• Hurricane VIP priority. After a hurricane or major tropical storm hits Southwest Florida, members get priority for a post-storm plumbing check: leaks, water heater damage, damaged outdoor piping, sewer or drain problems and fixture damage.

It’s one yearly price: $249, which works out to less than $21 a month.

What it doesn’t include

Knowing the limits helps you plan.

• It is one inspection and one flush a year, not a visit before you leave and another when you return. You choose when that annual visit happens.
• The inspection covers plumbing we can see and reach. It doesn’t open walls or floors, and it isn’t remote monitoring while you’re away.
• The flush is for tank-style water heaters. If you have a tankless heater, ask us about flushing and descaling it as a separate service.
• Hurricane priority puts you ahead of non-members for a post-storm check. It can’t promise how soon anyone can reach your home after a major storm.
• If you’re current or retired military or a first responder, you already get 10% off your entire bill. Members get one 10% discount or the other, not both.

Should your inspection be before you leave or when you return?

It depends on what you want the visit to do for you.

Before you leave makes sense if your biggest worry is a problem developing while the house sits empty. The inspection can catch a weak supply line, a dripping valve or a corroded fitting while you’re still there to approve a repair. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the National Hurricane Center, so a spring visit happens before the season starts. See the National Hurricane Center’s season dates.

When you return makes sense if you want a check after the summer, when any problem that developed while you were away can be found and fixed before you settle back in.

Either way, tell us when you usually leave for the summer when you join, and we’ll plan your inspection around it.

Questions worth asking at your inspection

The annual visit is a good time to get answers that matter when you’re away:

• Where is my main water shutoff, and does it close properly?
• Should I shut the water off while I’m gone, and what would that mean for my irrigation and water heater?
• Are any supply lines, valves or fittings showing wear that’s worth replacing now?
• Is my water heater showing its age?

Write the answers down and leave them with whoever checks on your house.

Is it a fit for your home?

The plan tends to make the most sense if:

• You’re away for part of the year and want a plumber you already know.
• You have a tank-style water heater that you’d like flushed every year.
• You’d rather not pay a trip charge each time something comes up.
• You want to be on the list before a storm, not after.

If you’re here all year and rarely need a plumber, a single service call when something comes up may be all you need. Call us and we’ll talk it through.

How to join

Call the office at (239) 542-0787, or send your details from the VIP Home Protection Plan page and we’ll call you back to get you set up.

Author: Tropical Plumbing Co.. Qualified review: Nathan Lowmaster, owner, Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1431517.