Sarasota's top residential and commercial plumbing service and pipelining company is celebrating 40 years in business.

Family-owned and operated since 1985, Professional Plumbing & Design was founded by Ted Wittman with the help of his brother, Andy. Ted officially retired in 2013, handing the reins of the business to his sons, Matt and Ben, and Uncle Andy, who retired in 2023 - leaving another pair of Wittman brothers at the helm.

Over the past 40 years, their trucks have gotten bigger and the range of services broader, but the desire to be the area's best plumbing company that drove Ted and Andy to go out on their own hasn't changed. Of course, all companies want to be the best at what they do. What sets Professional Plumbing & Design apart from the rest is the family’s culture of treating their employees as well as they treat their customers.

With so many franchises coming into the area and local plumbing companies selling out to investment groups, Matt and Ben Wittman are proud of their company's long family history and the fact that their employees are not on commission so that customers can trust their professional advice.

1^st Sign: Your Water Heater Is Too Old

And how old is too old you ask? You really should replace electric water heaters after 10 years and gas water heaters after 8. But what if you don’t know how old your water heater is? Well, the year and month of production is on the serial number, but it’s not always obvious.

In the case of Bradford White Water Heaters, one of our favorites, the first two characters of the serial number represent the year and month of manufacture, but it’s coded as follows. Other brands, use different codes, but a quick online search will help you solve the puzzle.

2^nd Sign: The Tank is Rusted

If hot water comes out of the faucet rusty or you see rust around the water inlet or pressure relief valve on the water heater, there’s a good chance the inside of the tank is rusted. Rusty water, in and of itself, isn’t great, it’s also a harbinger of leaks which means you’ll need to replace your water heater soon.

3^rd Sign: The Water Heater is Making Noise

Like rust, noise is never a great sign. More often than not, the cause

Angie’s List offers “FREE access to ‘top-rated pros’, exclusive online deals and more than 12 million verified reviews from real people” so how can you go wrong with a recommendation from Angie’s List?

Well, for starters, only advertisers are described as “top-rated pros” and they’re listed ahead of other contractors. They’re also given special treatment when it comes to negative reviews and, when a consumer asks for a recommendation – they’re only given the names of advertisers.

In fact, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) warns “If you use Angie’s List, ignore their recommended companies.” CFA recommends that “When possible, consumers should rely on nonprofit organizations that evaluate businesses and are not funded by the companies they are evaluating.”, but Angie’s List isn’t a great deal for advertisers either…

When consumers are sent 4 or 5 recommendations, they tend to choose the lowest priced option. On top of that, advertisers are encouraged to offer discounted prices and onsite search results seem to favor businesses that offer coupons. For this reason, established contractors who are unwilling to sacrifice quality in order to offer bargain prices avoid Angie’s List.

Angie’s List started out as a subscription-based service in 1995. In 2017, IAC

Polybutylene is an inexpensive, flexible plastic that was used for residential piping from 1978 to 1995.

It was found to be extremely vulnerable to ruptures, which led to a class-action settlement and the material is no longer accepted by U.S. building codes.

Polybutylene pipes can be blue, black, white or gray, but they always have the letters “PB” on a printed label on the pipe. The easiest way to determine whether you have polybutylene pipes is to check the pipes near the water heater, the sink connections or at the main shut-off valve or water meter.

If you have polybutylene piping, we highly recommend that you replace it as soon as possible.

Professional Plumbing & Design has the experience and equipment needed to repipe water lines and drain lines under mobile homes, in crawlspace homes, overhead in slab home attics, and under the floors of multiple floor homes and condominiums.

For more information, call the professionals at 941-355-5400 or visit

If you are a Home Owners Association Manager, chances are you have all had that 5am call regarding water pouring through the ceiling from the unit above.

Neighbors are knocking on the door of the resident upstairs and there is no answer. He isn’t answering because he’s in the shower and doesn’t know his shower water is pouring thru three floors. And he can’t hear the neighbor’s urgent knocks on the door, or their phone calls.

By the time the shower is over, three floors of units are wet and need drying out. What happened? One of the cast iron pipes in the bathroom burst and flooded three units below. The resident getting out of the shower is blissfully unaware of the situation, until he checks his messages.

By now the neighbors have all used the emergency number to reach the manager. The manager has dispatched the crew to look at the problem. The building maintenance crew is on their way to the unit or already knocking on the door.

The plumber will be called to make the repair. The resident is instructed not to use the shower until the plumbing problem is fixed. A remediation company will be called