Detroit Plumbing FAQ

We're open 8 AM to 10:30 PM, seven days a week. Call (313) 474-7729.

No. Plumbing is hard to price over the phone. We diagnose the problem on site and give you the price before any work starts.

Detroit and 28 nearby cities in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. See the service areas page for the full list.

Yes. Detroit requires a trade permit to replace a water heater. Clearing a clog doesn't need one.

The property owner is responsible for the private lateral from the house to the city sewer. DWSD maintains the public sewer.

Generally no. According to the City of Detroit's plumbing permit FAQ, clearing stoppages doesn't need a permit as long as existing piping and fixtures aren't altered. Replacing pipe does.

Most of Detroit is on a combined sewer, so heavy rain can surcharge the system. The floor drain is usually the lowest opening in the house. A clean main helps; a backwater valve is the device designed to stop water coming back from the street.

If several fixtures are slow at once, or water comes up in the floor drain or tub when the washer or toilet runs, the main line is the likely culprit.

It's better not to on old cast-iron or galvanized lines. If it doesn't clear the clog, it sits in the pipe and makes the repair more hazardous.

The City of Detroit says the property owner is responsible for the private sewer lateral from the house to its connection with the city sewer. DWSD maintains the public system.

Yes. We take calls from Detroit and the suburbs listed on our service area pages, from Dearborn and the downriver cities to the Grosse Pointes, south Macomb and south Oakland.

On sound pipe, yes, with the right pressure and nozzle. That's why we camera older lines first. Collapsed, cracked, badly corroded or Orangeburg pipe shouldn't be jetted.

For grease, scale, sludge and roots, jetting cleans the whole pipe wall, while a snake opens a path through the clog. For a single fixture clog or fragile pipe, a snake can be the better tool.

Many of our customers do it quarterly or every six months. Restaurants and lines with roots or recurring backups are usually on the shorter interval.

Yes. We jet through a cleanout. If your house doesn't have an accessible one, we'll tell you the options.

Per the City of Detroit, the homeowner is responsible for the private lateral from the house to its connection with the city sewer, often in the alley. DWSD maintains the public system.

Yes. Sewer pipe replacement requires a BSEED plumbing permit, applied for through the city's Accela portal. Clearing a stoppage doesn't.

The pipe material, roots, cracks, offsets, sags and collapsed sections, and roughly where they are, so the repair can target the right spot.

Sometimes. Trenchless lining or bursting suits some laterals, depending on condition, layout and access. A camera inspection is the first step to finding out.

Michigan law requires written notice to the government agency within 45 days of when you discovered, or should have discovered, the backup.

Some programs exist, with eligibility limits: the Alley Sewer Repair Program and the CDBG-DR Private Sewer Repair Program. Check the city's pages for current status.

Yes. Detroit requires trade permits for replacement of system components, and the city's plumbing FAQ says plumbing work can't start before a permit is issued.

A sound tank with a failed control, thermocouple or valve is usually worth repairing. A leaking tank isn't repairable and needs replacement.

It may be failing, or it may be doing its job because of high temperature or pressure. Either way it needs to be checked promptly.

Don't relight a gas heater whose burner or controls were under water. Have it inspected first.

Natural gas. ACS data shows 80% of occupied Detroit homes heat with utility gas, and most water heaters run on the same service.

It can be, but it usually needs new venting and sometimes a bigger gas line, and colder winter inlet water lowers output. Ask our plumber to price both options.

We answer 8 AM to 10:30 PM, every day. Call (313) 474-7729 and we'll tell you when we can be there.

Usually in the basement where the water service enters, on the street-facing wall near the meter. Turn it clockwise to close.

NOAA records for Detroit Metro Airport show an average of 111 freezing nights a winter (2015-2025), and a low of -14.0°F in the winter of 2018–19.

The National Weather Service suggests opening the faucet and using gentle heat like a hair dryer or warm towels. Never use an open flame, and be ready to shut off the water if it's split.

In Detroit, report it to DWSD using the contact on the city's water and sewer emergencies page. In the suburbs, call your city's water department.

Stopping a leak or clearing a stoppage doesn't alter the system. Replacing pipe does, and the permit can follow emergency work; our plumber will explain what applies.