60-minute guarantee · Coupon
Later than 60 minutes from call to door?
Here’s $60 off.
No code to remember: tell your plumber or our dispatcher and $60 comes off the invoice. Good 24/7 on emergency calls in our service areas. Guarantee terms
Open 24/7 · 60-minute guarantee
Pipe Repair
Most pipe leaks start small — a bead of water on a copper line, a rusty weep at a galvanized joint, a damp ring at the base of a cast-iron stack. Caught early, they’re straightforward repairs. We remove the damaged piece and put in new pipe, with the right fittings for the pipe you have.
At your location in 60 minutes or you save $60.
The short answer
If a pipe is dripping or weeping, shut the nearest valve that stops it — in an apartment, building staff may need to close the riser — and put a bucket and towels underneath. If it’s a drain pipe, stop using the fixtures that drain into it. Then call us: a plumber is at your location in 60 minutes or you save $60. We find what failed and replace the damaged section with the right pipe and fittings, priced before we start.
Is this an emergency?
Call now if…
- A pipe is spraying, or the drip keeps getting faster
- Water is reaching outlets, light fixtures or the ceiling below
- A cracked drain pipe or stack is leaking wastewater
- You can’t shut the water off at any valve
Can usually wait for a scheduled visit
- Cold pipes that only sweat on humid days
- A valve or union weeping a drop or two a day into a bucket
- Mild knocking when a tap shuts off
Not sure? Call anyway — we’ll tell you honestly.
Do this right now
- Shut the closest valve that stops the leak — if your apartment has no main of its own, building staff can close the riser.
- Stop using the sinks, tubs and toilets that drain through a leaking drain pipe.
- Put a bucket and towels under the leak and move anything that could be damaged.
- Don’t crank on an old galvanized joint or valve to stop a drip — corroded threads can snap.
Signs you need us
- A bead of water or green crust on a copper pipe
- Rust stains or a damp weep at a threaded joint
- A drip from a valve handle or union nut
- A wet spot under a drain pipe or at the base of a stack
- A crack or flaking rust on a cast-iron drain pipe
- Water in the sink cabinet every time the sink drains
- A bang in the walls when the washer or a tap snaps shut
- Cold pipes dripping on humid summer days
How we handle the call
- 01
Confirm it’s a leak
We check whether it’s a real leak or condensation, and whether the water is coming from a supply pipe, a drain or something above.
- 02
Isolate the line
Water off at the closest valve that works — and a seized valve gets replaced so you have one that does.
- 03
Cut out the damage
The failed section or fitting comes out and new pipe goes in, so the repair lasts. Clamps are only for getting through the night.
- 04
Join metals properly
Where copper meets steel, or new pipe meets old cast iron, we use the right transition fitting or coupling for that joint.
- 05
Test and check nearby
We test the repair under pressure or with running water, and tell you honestly how the pipe on either side looks.
Know your building
Pipe leaks in older homes and apartment buildings
Older homes, rowhouses and small apartment buildings often run on a patchwork of pipe: original galvanized steel or brass, copper added during renovations, and fittings of every age joining them. Where two metals meet without the right fitting, the joint corrodes faster, and those joints are a common source of slow leaks. Galvanized pipe also rusts from the inside, and the threads at each joint — where the pipe wall is thinnest — usually weep first. In a detached house, much of that pipe runs through the basement or crawlspace, where a slow weep can go unnoticed for months.
Drains in older buildings are mostly cast iron, and in an apartment building each stack carries waste from every apartment above it. Horizontal cast iron tends to corrode along the bottom, where the water runs, and a cracked stack is a building repair: the fixtures above can’t be used while it’s fixed, so the super or building manager has to be involved. Building staff also control the supply risers — many apartments have no main shut-off of their own — so we plan the repair with them and keep the water off for as short a time as we can. Co-ops and condos often limit work to set hours, and in restaurants, shops and offices we time the shutdown around opening hours.
One visit, whole job
Everything covered on the call
- Pinhole leaks in copper pipe
- Corroded galvanized joints and nipples
- Leaking unions, fittings and valves
- Cracked cast-iron drain pipe and stacks
- Leaking drain joints and traps under sinks
- Transition fittings between different metals
- Water hammer fixes for banging pipes
- Sweating pipes diagnosed and insulated
- Small access openings in finished walls
Upfront price, every time
What pipe repair costs
The price depends on the type of pipe, its size and where it is. A leaking trap or drain joint under a sink takes little time, and a pinhole in an exposed copper line in a basement isn’t much more. When the leak is behind finished plaster or tile, we have to open a section to reach it, and a cracked cast-iron stack takes more time, heavier material and coordination with the building.
Old pipe adds one more factor: a corroded galvanized fitting can crumble when it’s disturbed, and reaching sound pipe can mean replacing a few extra feet. We tell you upfront when that’s likely, and you have the full price before we begin.
Honest advice
Spot repair, or replace the run?
A single leak in otherwise healthy pipe — a failed fitting, a nail hole, one pinhole in copper — is a spot repair: replace the failed piece and the line is sound again.
When pinholes keep appearing along the same copper run, galvanized joints weep one after another, or a cast-iron drain is cracked in several places, the pipe is wearing out from the inside. Spot repairs then just chase the next leak down the line, and replacing the run — or repiping, if the whole system is the same age — is the better fix. We show you what the old pipe looks like inside and price both, so you can compare.
Mistakes that make it worse
- Leaving a repair clamp, tape or epoxy putty on for good — they’re a stopgap until the section is replaced
- Ignoring a weep because it’s only a drop — the cabinet, plaster or floor underneath rots quietly
- Writing off a wet pipe as condensation without checking — a slow leak looks the same at first
- Boxing in or painting over a pipe that weeps — the leak carries on where no one can see it
Keep it from happening again
- Look over exposed pipe in the basement and under sinks a few times a year for crust, rust stains or drips
- Insulate cold-water lines in damp basements and closets so condensation doesn’t drip — or hide a real leak
- Get water hammer fixed — arrestors or a pressure adjustment stop the shocks that work fittings loose
- Keep chemical drain cleaners out of old cast-iron and galvanized drains
The 60-minute guarantee
The clock starts when our dispatcher confirms your job. If we’re late, $60 comes off your invoice. No forms, no fine-print games. Read the terms
FAQ
Pipe Repair questions
Is my pipe leaking, or just sweating?
Sweating happens on cold-water pipes in humid weather, with beads of water along the whole length. A leak is wet at one spot — usually a joint, valve or pinhole — and stays wet when the air is dry. If you’re not sure, wipe the pipe dry and watch where the water comes back first.
What causes pinhole leaks in copper pipe?
Most are corrosion working through the pipe wall from the inside, often where water moves fast or near old soldered joints. One pinhole is a simple repair; several along the same run mean the pipe is wearing out.
Can you put a clamp on it instead of replacing the pipe?
A repair clamp is a good way to stop a leak until the proper repair can be done — say, when the riser can only be shut down at a set time. For a repair that lasts, we replace the damaged length of pipe.
Why do my pipes bang when a tap or the washer shuts off?
That’s water hammer: a fast-closing valve, often on a washing machine or dishwasher, stops the water suddenly and the shock runs back along the pipe. Arrestors near those valves, secure pipe straps or a pressure adjustment stop it before it loosens joints.
The leak is inside a finished wall. How much do you have to open?
Only as much as the repair needs — enough room to take out the damaged piece and make proper joints, placed where it’s easiest to patch. If there’s a closet or access panel on the other side, we often go in from there.
My cast-iron drain pipe is cracked. Does the whole stack need replacing?
Often not. A cracked section can often be cut out and replaced with new pipe joined to the old with the right couplings. If the stack is corroded along its length, replacing more of it is the better fix.
More we handle
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