Plumbing and drain services for Philadelphia homes
Find the job by where the problem is in the house. Each page explains what the work involves, what drives the price and what to do before we arrive.
For most Philadelphia plumbing problems, the right service depends on where the water is and how many fixtures are affected. One slow drain is a fixture clog; every basement drain backing up at once is the house trap or the lateral; water near the tank is the heater. Use the chooser below or call and describe it.
Which plumbing service do I actually need?
Match the symptom to the job. If two rows fit, call: the order things failed in usually tells us which comes first.
| What you are seeing | Start with |
|---|---|
| Every basement drain backs up at once | House Trap Repair |
| One sink or tub drains slowly | Drain Cleaning |
| Floor drain overflows in heavy rain | Backwater Valve Installation |
| Water in the basement after rain, not from drains | Sump Pump Installation |
| No hot water, or rusty hot water | Water Heater Repair |
| Puddle under the water heater | Water Heater Replacement |
| Weak pressure all over the house | Water Pressure Repair |
| Meter leak indicator spins with everything off | Leak Detection |
| Sewer smell in the basement | House Trap Repair |
| Gas smell | Gas Leak Repair |
| Radiators cold, boiler running | Boiler Repair |
| Buying an older home | Sewer Camera Inspection |
Leaks & Emergencies
Most emergency calls start with water somewhere it should not be. The first job is always the same: find the shutoff and stop it. After that we trace where it came from, which in older Philadelphia homes is often a split or corroded pipe in an outside wall, a ceiling or a back addition.
Emergency Plumber
Water coming through a ceiling, a backup in the basement or no water at all, any hour.
Burst Pipe Repair
Split pipes and blown fittings cut out and replaced, then pressure checked.
Frozen Pipe Thawing
Lines in outside walls, crawlspaces and back additions thawed safely and checked for cracks.
Leak Detection
Hidden leaks traced with the meter, pressure tests and thermal imaging before anything is opened.
Pipe Leak Repair
Pinhole leaks, weeping joints and dripping drain pipes repaired at the source.
Shutoff Valve Replacement
Seized gate valves at the meter and stuck fixture stops swapped for quarter-turn ball valves.
Drains & Sewer
One cast iron stack, one house trap and one lateral carry everything out of a typical Philadelphia rowhome. When a fixture drains slowly the problem is usually close to it; when every basement drain backs up together, it is the trap or the lateral, and a camera settles which.
Drain Cleaning
Kitchen, bathroom, tub and floor drains cleared with the right size cable, not acid.
Main Sewer Line Cleaning
Main line backups opened from the cleanout or house trap and the cause found on camera.
Hydro Jetting
High-pressure water scours grease, scale and roots off the pipe wall where a cable only punches a hole.
Sewer Camera Inspection
A camera run from the house to the city main, recorded, with the depth and distance of every defect.
Sewer Lateral Repair
Broken, sagging or root-filled laterals repaired between the house and the sewer in the street.
Sewer Line Replacement
Full lateral replacement by open trench, pipe bursting or lining, with permits handled.
House Trap Repair
Clogged, cracked or capless house traps at the front wall repaired or replaced.
Cast Iron Stack Replacement
Cracked, rotted cast iron stacks replaced floor by floor in rowhomes and twins.
Storm Drain Cleaning
Downspout lines, area drains and storm laterals cleared before the next heavy rain.
Basement Water
Basements flood two ways: groundwater coming through the walls and floor, and sewer water pushing back up through the floor drain in a hard storm. Sump pumps handle the first. Backwater valves handle the second. Many basements need both.
Backwater Valve Installation
A one-way valve on the basement drain line so a surcharged city sewer cannot push into the house.
Sump Pump Installation
New pits and pumps set, with a check valve and a discharge that does not dump back at the wall.
Sump Pump Repair
Pumps that run nonstop, never kick on or hum without moving water, fixed or replaced.
Battery Backup Sump Pump
A second pump and battery that keep the basement dry when a storm takes the power with it.
Sewage Ejector Pump
Ejector pumps for basement bathrooms and laundries installed, repaired and replaced.
Water Heaters
Tank heaters, tankless units and heat pump water heaters all fail differently. We repair what is worth repairing and size replacements to the household, the venting and the space in the basement rather than to the old nameplate.
Water Heater Repair
No hot water, short showers or a pilot that will not stay lit, diagnosed and repaired.
Water Heater Replacement
Leaking or worn-out tanks replaced with the right size unit, venting and expansion tank.
Water Heater Maintenance
Tank flush, anode rod check and relief valve test to stretch a heater's life.
Tankless Water Heater Installation
Wall-hung tankless units sized for your fixtures, with gas line and venting done right.
Tankless Water Heater Service
Descaling, filter cleaning and error-code repair for tankless heaters that cut out mid-shower.
Heat Pump Water Heater Installation
Hybrid heat pump water heaters fitted where the basement has the room and air they need.
Pipes & Water Lines
In Philadelphia the pipe from the curb to your meter belongs to you, and so does every pipe after it. This is where lead and galvanized lines, old supply piping, low pressure and water quality work live.
Water Service Line Replacement
The pipe from the curb stop to your meter replaced when it is lead, galvanized or leaking.
Whole House Repiping
Old galvanized and patched supply piping replaced with copper or PEX, room by room.
Water Pressure Repair
Weak showers and banging pipes traced to clogged piping, failed regulators or bad valves.
Backflow Testing
Backflow preventers tested, repaired and reported for buildings that are required to keep them.
Water Filtration System Installation
Whole-house filters and under-sink reverse osmosis systems installed and plumbed.
Water Softener Installation
Softeners sized to your water and household, with a bypass and drain line.
Outdoor Faucet Repair
Leaking or freeze-split hose bibs replaced with frost-free sillcocks.
Fixtures & Bathrooms
Toilets, faucets, sinks, shower valves, disposals and appliance connections. Small jobs, but the ones you notice every day, and in older homes they often hide a worn valve or a rotted flange underneath.
Toilet Repair
Running, leaking, rocking or weak-flushing toilets fixed with the right parts.
Toilet Installation
New toilets set on a sound flange with fresh supply lines and a level, tight base.
Faucet Repair
Dripping, leaking and stiff faucets rebuilt or replaced in kitchens and baths.
Sink Installation
Kitchen, bathroom and laundry sinks set, trapped and connected.
Garbage Disposal Repair
Jammed, humming or leaking disposals freed, repaired or replaced.
Shower Valve Repair
Shower valves that drip, scald or will not hold temperature rebuilt or replaced behind the tile.
Bathroom Remodel Plumbing
Rough-in and finish plumbing for bathroom remodels, with drains, vents and valves moved to code.
Appliance Hookups
Dishwashers, ice makers, washers and laundry boxes connected with proper valves and drains.
Gas & Heating
Gas piping for ranges, dryers and grills, leak repair, and the steam and hot water boilers that still heat a large share of the city's older homes, along with their radiators and baseboard loops.
Gas Line Installation
Gas piping run for ranges, dryers, grills and heaters, pressure tested before it is turned on.
Gas Leak Repair
Leaking gas fittings and corroded lines located, repaired and pressure tested.
Boiler Repair
Hot water and steam boilers that will not fire, leak or bang, repaired.
Boiler Replacement
Old boilers replaced with units sized to the radiation in the house, not the old nameplate.
Radiator & Baseboard Repair
Leaking radiator valves, dead air vents and cold baseboard loops repaired.
Commercial & Property
Storefronts, restaurants, landlords and buyers. The work is the same trade with different priorities: keeping a business open, keeping units rentable, or knowing what you are buying.
Commercial Plumbing
Restrooms, water heaters, drains and gas for storefronts, offices and small buildings.
Rental Property Plumbing
Repairs, violation fixes and unit turnovers for landlords and multi-unit buildings.
Grease Trap Installation
Grease interceptors installed and replaced for restaurant and commercial kitchens.
Plumbing Inspection
A full walk-through of supply, drain, gas and water heater, written up in plain words.
Choosing the right plumbing service
Call and describe what you see. We ask where the water is, which fixtures are affected and when it started, and that usually narrows it to one job before anyone arrives.
Yes. Most of our work is in homes, but we also handle storefronts, offices, restaurants and rental buildings. See commercial plumbing and rental property plumbing.
Yes. We repair and replace steam and hot water boilers and fix the radiators and baseboard loops they feed.
Inside Philadelphia it is: the water service line and the sewer laterals belong to the property owner. Our lateral guide explains where the city's part ends.
Yes. You hear what failed, what the fix is and what it costs before any work starts.
Rather describe it than pick from a list?
Call any hour and tell us what you see. We will tell you what to shut off and which job it is.