Plumbing in Staten Island From the street sewer to the top-floor bath
Most Staten Island homes are houses, so the pipes, the water heater and the sewer line under the yard belong to the owner. We fix every part of it.
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24/7 emergency service
Burst pipe or active leak
Frozen supply lines, failed fittings and corroded risers can dump a lot of water quickly. Shut the main, open a low faucet to drain the lines, and call. We repair the break and check for damage behind the wall.
Local know-how
Plumbing in Staten Island homes
Staten Island is the city's house borough. In the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey, 34.1 percent of its housing units were detached one-family houses, 25.5 percent attached one-family houses and 22.5 percent units in two-family buildings. Owners live in 67.7 percent of occupied homes, the highest share of any borough, so most Island plumbing is paid for by the family that lives with it.
The Island also has the youngest housing in the city, with a median build year of 1973 against 1942 in Brooklyn. In ZIP 10301 (St. George, Tompkinsville, New Brighton) the median home dates to 1953 and 38.8 percent predate 1940. In ZIP 10312 (Annadale, Arden Heights, Eltingville) the median is 1982 and only 5.0 percent predate 1940.
Common problems in Staten Island
Cast iron and galvanized on the North Shore
In ZIPs 10301, 10302 and 10310, which take in St. George, Port Richmond and West Brighton, the median home was built between 1950 and 1953. Original cast-iron stacks rust through from the inside and galvanized supply lines close up, which shows as weak pressure upstairs or a stained ceiling.
Septic tanks still waiting in Annadale and Arden Heights
DEP finished new sanitary sewers, storm sewers and catch basins in Annadale and Arden Heights in early 2015, so houses on those streets could connect to the city system and stop using septic tanks. A house that never switched still needs a lateral and its tank taken out of service.
First hook-ups after the Woodrow Bluebelt work
DEP's Woodrow project, announced in 2017 as the largest expansion of the Bluebelt, included about four miles of new sanitary sewers on the South Shore so homes near Woodrow could leave their septic tanks behind.
Water heaters lifted with the house
After Hurricane Sandy, Build It Back elevated or rebuilt homes in South Beach, Midland Beach, New Dorp, Oakwood Beach, Great Kills and Tottenville, and raised or protected domestic water equipment and sump pump power feeds where conditions allowed. Lifting a house lengthens every run between the living floor and the street.
Where we see it
- St. George, Tompkinsville and New Brighton The oldest houses on the Island, with original cast-iron stacks and galvanized supply lines.
- Annadale and Arden Heights Streets that gained sanitary sewers, and septic tanks still to retire.
- Woodrow, Prince's Bay and Rossville Bluebelt-era sewer hook-ups in some of the newest houses on the South Shore.
- Midland Beach and South Beach Raised houses where water heaters and lines were moved up off the ground floor.
- New Dorp Beach and Oakwood Beach Low blocks near the shore where a backwater valve on the house drain is worth a look.
Rules and paperwork
Backwater valves below street level
Rainfall Ready NYC advises owners with fixtures below street level to ask a plumber whether a backwater valve makes sense, and not to use basement fixtures while the valve is closed. On a raised East Shore house, the valve and its cleanout must stay reachable.
How a call works in Staten Island
Meter, main and cleanout
Knowing where the meter, the main shutoff and the sewer cleanout are lets the first visit start in the right place.
Raised houses
On a lifted house the water heater comes first, then the runs crossing the open level below, checked for insulation and support.
Estimates are free, and emergencies are answered 24/7.
What is included
The work itself is the same in every borough. See everything our plumbing service covers.
Plumbing questions from Staten Island
Who pays to fix the sewer pipe under my front yard?
The homeowner does. DEP treats the sewer service line from the house to the city main in the street as private, so roots or a break anywhere along it is the owner’s repair. A camera inspection shows where the trouble is before anyone digs.
Our street has new sewers. What does connecting the house involve?
A new lateral from the house to the street sewer, a cleanout you can reach, and the septic tank taken out of service, with city filings where the job requires them.
Our house was raised after Sandy. Where did the water heater go?
Build It Back raised or protected water equipment where conditions allowed, so it may now sit on a platform or an upper floor. It is serviced where it sits.
My 1950s North Shore house has weak water upstairs. What causes that?
Usually galvanized pipe that has narrowed inside, or an old main valve that no longer opens fully. Replacing the worst runs brings the flow back.
Free estimate
Get a free estimate in Staten Island
Whether it is a drip or a flood, one call brings a licensed plumber to your door.