AFFORDABLE PLUMBING SERVICE IN Manchester, NH

What Are the Most Common Plumbing Issues in Manchester?

We see folks here in Manchester run into just about every plumbing problem you can imagine, but there are definitely some problems that are more common than others for people who live in Manchester.

Our community’s been here a long time, and we find many of our residents running into problems with outdated and aging pipes and plumbing components. Updating the plumbing in these classic houses for the modern era means that we see a lot of fixture replacements and a lot of upgrades to entire sections of plumbing to replace aging pipes and fittings with modern materials.

Like any community, we also see our share of clogs and slow drains. The slow accumulation of hair and soaps in a drain can regularly constrict flow, so we often get calls to come to deal with the drains that just won’t drain.

How Does the Water in Manchester Affect Your Plumbing?

The water here in Manchester is pretty ideal, and you’d be hard-pressed to find many negative effects that it has on folks’ plumbing around here. While many New Hampshire communities have rather hard water, which can cause plumbing issues over time as sediment is deposited throughout pipes and fixtures, our water here is rather soft at only 19 PPM total hardness.

Our water source at Lake Massabesic has supplied this community with drinking water for over 145 years. We are pretty fortunate to have readily available water that is so pure and soft, and you won’t hear anyone around here complaining.

Our water is vigorously treated and tested by Manchester Waterworks on its way from Lake Massabesic. Year after year, our annual water report shows pristine water, free from any harmful contaminants.

How Much Does Plumbing Usually Cost in Manchester?

Plumbing services are usually very affordable in Manchester and well below the national average. Simple issues like minor repairs on pipes and de-clogging drains may be as low as $60-$120. However, the cost of plumbing service can cover a wide range of prices depending on the nature of the work and differ greatly depending on a few factors.

The Size of the Job Needed

One of the biggest factors and how much plumbing services cost in Manchester will always be how big of a job you need to be done. More materials, more work, and longer jobs always carry higher costs, but major plumbing services like remodels and significant plumbing overhauls may escalate in price drastically as the scope of the work expands. 

Your entire plumbing system is diligently engineered so that each piece of it works in concert with each other. Major changes to your plumbing may present issues that need to be addressed in how your updated plumbing system works in synergy. This means major plumbing work will take a lot more planning and may potentially have a lot more logistical hurdles than smaller jobs might. This extra effort put into planning and testing could potentially equate to extra cost for you on your invoice.

The Age of Your Home

A lot of folks in our community live in older homes. While a solidly built home with more than a few decades of mileage on it has its own appeal and shows that the home has been a quality investment over the long term, older houses could present many challenges to plumbing work.

Like any piece of infrastructure in your home, your plumbing isn’t designed to last forever. Even with the most durable materials, plumbing components can begin to degrade after around two decades. If your home has had the plumbing neglected for any significant amount of time, it’s probable that your pipes are hiding some problematic issues in your walls and beneath your floors.

Over time, piping begins to lose the protective coating that covers it, preventing it from damage and decay. This can leave pipes vulnerable to corrosion, damaging their structural integrity over time — potentially leading to leaks and costly flooding. Beyond this even, corroding pipes can release toxic chemicals like lead into your drinking water that could have detrimental effects on the health of anyone in your home. The water from Lake Massabesic supplied to us by the City of Manchester Waterworks is laboriously tested for any signs of lead contamination and has always yielded safe results. However, most cases of lead contamination and drinking water come from the very plumbing that takes the water throughout your home.

The Materials Required

Like most contractors, we plumbers will usually add the cost of any materials or components we need to use on your plumbing onto your final invoice. This will be a minimal additional cost for most jobs, but the small costs can add up as more materials and components are needed. If the plumbing work you require needs specialty parts that will have to be custom-made or ordered, this can further add to the cost. Typically, the materials involved in plumbing work will be a very modest portion of the overall cost of the service, but it will add to the price you pay, even if only incrementally.

Can Better Plumbing Save You Money Manchester?

Better plumbing solutions will always save you money in the long run throughout the life of your home. Just as with any part of your home, upgrading the permanent plumbing infrastructure of your home can add to its value over time and prevent costly repairs in the future. Ensuring you have updated and upgraded plumbing can help prevent unforeseen emergencies and the damages that could go with issues like leaks and flooding.

Even simple upgrades to your fixtures could potentially save you a lot of money. If you’re using older fixtures, chances are that they are using far more water far less efficiently than newer fixtures would. New technologies and manufacturing techniques have allowed for far more water-conservative sinks, showers, water heaters, or any other appliance without sacrificing any of the utility. Often newer fixtures will function noticeably better than your old ones after a replacement and still save you a significant amount of money on your water bill every month.

Just as with the maintenance and care of any other part of your home, the biggest key to saving money with better plumbing is in regular inspection, cleaning, and maintenance. Unexpected flooding can be one of the most costly disasters that could happen to a homeowner. Even for issues that don’t result in flooding, plumbing problems that have gone unnoticed can be more costly to fix than they originally would. Regular routine maintenance of your plumbing system ensures that you are always on top of any problems that need to be fixed before they can get out of hand. Over the lifetime of your home, avoiding these costly emergencies could save you a lot of money.

When Should You Call the Water Utility Company in Manchester vs Hire a Plumber?

The workers at Manchester Waterworks are extremely helpful and effective at maintaining the water grid and keeping clean and fresh water flowing to our homes and businesses. Once the water main connects to private property, however, the responsibility of the water utility ends. 

The water utility is limited, and the help they can provide to you in a plumbing issue. They can, however, usually tell you whether the issue is isolated to your home or is a problem within the city water grid. If the problem is on your side, usually they can give you an estimate on how long it will take to fix. Suppose you are experiencing low pressure from all the faucets and pictures within your home. In that case, a utility technician might also be able to come out and verify that the utility company is supplying you with the right amount of water. If the utility is supplying water to you as expected, though, that’s where we plumbers come in.

Any problem with the plumbing infrastructure within your home is handled by a plumber rather than the water utility company. While a quick call to the Manchester Waterworks to see if there is a known issue that they’re already working on may narrow down the problem, typically when you have problems with the water flow in your house, it’ll take a plumber to resolve it. Contact us quickly when plumbing issues arise. Procrastinating issues with your plumbing could result in much worse problems down the line.

When Do You Need Permits for Plumbing Service in Manchester?

Though there are certainly some simple issues like leaks or clogs that could be repaired without the need for permits from the city, most serious plumbing work will require us to apply for a permit through the Manchester Department of Planning and Development. Approved permits are required for any work that adds, removes, or replaces any materials or components within your plumbing system, so while some repairs may fall under this threshold, many services will require a permit.

Permit applications will require collaboration with a certified plumbing contractor like us. Permit applications can be confusing around here anyway, but we’re pretty well acquainted with the process for plumbing permits in Manchester. We can help ensure you get everything you need to be included with your application so that we can get approved right away to get to work on your plumbing faster.