Plumbing questions, answered by Columbia, MD plumbers
Find answers about pricing, how soon we can get there, and what you might be able to fix yourself. And if your question isn't here, call and ask. We'd love to help.
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Virtual Estimate
Pricing, Estimates & Warranty
Scheduling & Service Areas
Virtual Estimates
Condo Owners & Associations
Good to Know Around the House
The Questions We Get Asked Most
Pricing, Estimates & Warranty
It depends on what's wrong. For some jobs, a virtual estimate is available if you provide the required photos. Either way, a licensed plumber will tell you what the job costs before he starts any work.
Yes. There's a dispatch fee to send a licensed plumber to your door, and our office will tell you exactly what it is when you call.
Water heater estimates are free. Send us pictures and a description, and we'll give you a free estimate minus the dispatch fee. For other plumbing issues that require a licensed plumber on-site to diagnose, estimates come with a dispatch fee.
Yes. We stand behind what we repair and install with a 1-year warranty.
Scheduling & Service Areas
Call us and you'll get an honest arrival window. We're a family-owned shop with a handful of licensed plumbers, not a call center with thirty trucks — so sometimes the honest answer is Thursday. We'd rather tell you Thursday and show up Thursday than promise this afternoon and not keep our promise.
If water is coming in — a burst pipe or a leak — shut it off at the fixture valve, or at the main shut-off near the meter if you can't find the source.
If water is coming up — a backed-up toilet or drain — do the opposite: stop using water anywhere in the house. No flushing, no washer, no dishwasher. It all runs out the same line, and if that line is blocked it comes back up somewhere.
Then call us at 410-997-8414, and we'll tell you honestly what we can get to and when.
We serve Columbia and all of Howard County, including Ellicott City, Elkridge, Laurel, Clarksville, Jessup, Savage and Fulton.
Virtual Estimates
Yes! Send us photos of your existing water heater through our virtual estimate form, and we'll be able to price it for you. Seeing the unit and the space around it tells us more than a phone call does: we can spot the obstacles, the clearances, and the code items before we quote.
If possible, send the following:
- The plate or sticker on your water heater with the model and serial number
- The whole unit in its space, including the top and the bottom
- The area around it — walls, clearances, whatever else is crowded in there
- The path in and out of your home
No. A plumber looks at your photos, and you get a price back. If you decide to move forward, you call us.
Then we'll say so, and we'll come look. That happens occasionally with an unusual setup or a conversion. You'll hear that before anyone gets scheduled, not after.
Of course. You can reach us at 410-997-8414. The form is for your convenience.
Condo Owners & Associations
Yes, and we do a lot of it. Utility closets in condos are tight, and a standard tank doesn't always fit where the old one came out — sometimes the answer is a shorter, wider unit or a tankless. Send photos through the virtual estimate form and we'll tell you what actually fits before anyone talks about price.
There is. Contact us for pricing.
Your building's governing documents decide, and they vary. In most declarations a water heater inside the unit belongs to the owner, while shared equipment and the lines running between units belong to the association — but “most” isn't “yours.” What we can do is tell you exactly where the problem is and bill whoever your documents say is responsible.
Good to Know Around the House
Yes — and not only because code now requires it in every county around here. Most homes in this area have a closed plumbing system, meaning water can't flow back out the way it came in. When water heats up it expands, and that extra volume has to go somewhere. The expansion tank gives it somewhere to go. Without one, that pressure works on everything else in the house instead: faucets that drip, pipes that bang, a toilet that keeps running, appliances that don't last as long as they should. It's a small part that protects the expensive ones. Read our blog to learn more about when to consider replacing your water heater.
This is typically due to the flapper — the rubber seal at the bottom of the tank. When it doesn't close all the way, water keeps slipping past it and the tank keeps refilling. Jiggle the handle gently and see if the running stops. If it does, that's your answer, and a new flapper is a few dollars at any hardware store. They wear out, they get stuck, and the cleaning tablets a lot of us drop in the tank eat them up faster. If a new flapper doesn't do it, or the tank won't fill properly afterward, give us a call. Read our blog for more essential plumbing tips for homeowners.
We'd rather you didn't. They often don't clear the blockage, they sit in the pipe corroding it, and whoever opens that trap is reaching into it. If it's already in there, just tell us when you call.
Maybe. If your usage hasn't changed, a sudden jump usually means there might be a leak somewhere. Sometimes, a continuously running toilet can be the cause. Read Why is My Water Bill So High to learn more.
Any line running along an outside wall, through a crawlspace, or into an unheated garage is the one that's at risk. In thirty years around here we've seen a lot of burst pipes, and nearly all of them were preventable. Read How Can I Stop My Pipes From Freezing This Winter to learn more.
If your basement has ever taken on water, or you're somewhere that floods in heavy rain, it’s worth looking into. Read our blog on how sump pumps can protect your home from flooding.
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