A-00Residential plumbing, South Austin
We draw the problem before we fix it.
Leaks, drains, water heaters and repipes. We find the cause, write down the price, and only then pick up a wrench.
W-01Where it comes in
One valve stops the whole house.
Every drop starts at the main shutoff, where the city line enters. Most people only look for it when water is already on the floor. We show you where yours is on the first visit, and label it.
W-02Where it gets hot
The water heater does the heavy lifting.
Tank or tankless, gas or electric. A flush every year keeps sediment out. When a twelve year old tank is not worth another part, we say so before you pay for one.
- Flush and anode check
- $159
- Tank, 50 gal, installed
- from $1,450
- Tankless, installed
- from $3,200
W-03Where it drips
A small drip, a year long.
Count the drops under your kitchen tap, set the slider, and see what goes down the drain.
Count the drops for 15 seconds and multiply by four. That is close enough.
- Per day
- Per month
- Per year
Assumption: 20,000 drips make one gallon (about 0.19 ml per drip). Drop size depends on the faucet, so treat this as an estimate, not a measurement.
W-04Through the whole house
Tap a part of the house.
Water runs the way it does in your walls. Next to it: what usually goes wrong there, and who fixes it.
Main shutoff
Where the city line enters. If water is going where it should not, this is the valve that stops it.
What usually goes wrong
- Valve seized or stiff
- Drip at the stem
- Nobody knows where it is
Water heater
Cold water in at the bottom, hot water out at the top, on to every tap in the house.
What usually goes wrong
- Not enough hot water
- Rumbling from sediment
- Water at the base
Kitchen sink
The longest cold run in this house, and the one most likely to hide a slow leak under the cabinet.
What usually goes wrong
- Dripping faucet
- Slow drain
- Leak under the cabinet
Bathroom
Toilet, tub and vanity on one branch, with hot water coming over from the heater.
What usually goes wrong
- Running toilet
- Low shower pressure
- Water stain on the ceiling below
Drain and sewer
Everything that goes down falls to one line under the slab and leaves the house toward the street.
What usually goes wrong
- Gurgling drains
- Backup in the lowest drain
- Roots in the line
W-05Where it goes wrong
Is this an emergency?
Leave the house now.
Do not switch lights or appliances on or off. From outside, call your gas company or 911. Call us once the gas side is safe.
Shut off the water, then call.
- Find the main shutoff: usually where the line enters the house, in the garage, or at the meter box by the street.
- Lever valve: turn it a quarter turn, across the pipe. Round handle: turn clockwise until it stops.
- If water is near outlets or the panel, stay out of the water and switch off that circuit only if you can reach the panel dry.
Not an emergency. Book the next slot.
Nothing is flowing and nothing is dangerous. A normal appointment is fine, and usually cheaper than an after-hours visit.
S-00Services
Six kinds of work, one way of doing them.
“They found the leak with the thermal camera in twenty minutes and opened one tile, not the whole kitchen. The written price matched the invoice.”
“I asked for a new tankless unit. Mai flushed the old tank instead and said it had years left. Who does that?”
Written price before we start. Every time.
Tell us what you see, we call back with an arrival window of two hours.