Plumbing Questions, Answered

Leave the building immediately with everyone inside, including pets. Do not touch anything on your way out. No light switches, no phones indoors, no unplugging anything, no starting a car in the garage. Do not try to shut off the gas valve. From a safe distance, call 911, then call Atmos Energy at 866-322-8667. Do not go back inside until the gas company says it is safe. Once Atmos has stabilized the scene, call us at 214-918-6109 for licensed inspection and repair.

Active flooding, a burst supply line, sewage backing up into the house, total loss of water, a leaking water heater tank, or water near electrical outlets or a panel. For any of those, shut off the main water valve if you can reach it safely and call 214-918-6109. Anything gas-related follows the gas protocol above first.

Calls received before noon Monday through Friday are typically scheduled the same day. After-hours, weekend, and holiday calls are accepted for a flat $199 dispatch fee. When you call, we will give you a realistic arrival window rather than a number designed to sound good.

Usually at the front of the house near the street, in a covered box at ground level, or on an exterior wall near the hose bib. It is worth finding it now and confirming you can turn it, because the moment you need it is not the moment to go looking. If yours is seized or you cannot locate it, we can find it and replace it if needed.

Every job is flat-rate quoted in writing after on-site inspection, before any work starts. The number you approve is the number you pay. We do not quote major work over the phone, because a phone estimate on a job nobody has looked at is a guess.

Yes, a flat $199 dispatch fee for after-hours, weekend, and holiday calls. It is stated before the truck rolls, not added to the invoice afterward.

It depends on the method the line needs. Cured-in-place pipe lining runs roughly $80 to $250 per foot depending on diameter and condition. Pipe bursting runs roughly $100 to $300 per foot. A traditional open-trench replacement runs $4,000 to $15,000 or more depending on length, depth, and access. A camera inspection to diagnose the line runs $150 to $400, and a hydrostatic test runs $300 to $500. Every job is quoted in writing after inspection.

Calls before noon Monday through Friday are typically same-day. Beyond that it depends on current demand and the urgency of the problem. Call 214-918-6109 and we will tell you honestly what the window looks like.

Yes. Owner James Armstrong holds a Texas Master Plumber license, number M-39428, with a gas endorsement. Master Plumber is the highest plumbing credential Texas issues, and certain work, including all gas line work, legally requires it. We carry liability and workers compensation coverage and will provide certificates on request.

Ask for the license number and verify it with the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, which anyone can do online for free. Ask for proof of liability and workers compensation insurance, and confirm it with the insurer rather than taking a copy at face value. Ask whether the person doing the work is an employee or a subcontractor. Ask whether they pull permits. And ask for the quote in writing before work starts. We are comfortable answering all five, and you should expect any plumber to be.

Our own people. We do not subcontract plumbing work, and Master Plumber James Armstrong oversees every job.

Yes, where the city requires one. That covers most gas line work, water heater replacements, sewer line work, and re-piping. Unpermitted work causes problems at resale and can complicate an insurance claim, so it is not worth skipping.

Rusty or discolored hot water, popping or rumbling from the tank, hot water running out faster than it used to, or any moisture around the base. A puddle at the base means call right away, because a corroded tank cannot be repaired and it gets worse quickly. If the unit is younger and the tank is sound, a failed thermostat, element, gas valve, or thermocouple is usually a repair rather than a replacement. We check your warranty status before quoting, since a unit still under manufacturer coverage may qualify for a replacement at much lower cost.

Tankless gives you hot water that does not run out and takes up wall space rather than floor space, but it needs adequate gas supply and correct venting, and the gas line feeding your old tank heater is frequently too small. Tank units cost less up front and install faster. We evaluate your gas capacity, venting path, and actual hot water usage before recommending either, and we tell you what the conversion would actually involve.

Yes. North Texas water is hard, and mineral scale builds up inside water heaters, on tankless heat exchangers, and in fixtures and valves. In a tank heater it settles on the bottom and insulates the burner from the water, which makes the unit work harder and fail sooner. An annual flush is the cheapest water heater work you will ever pay for.

A drain that clogs once is a clog. A drain that clogs every few weeks is telling you something structural: mineral buildup narrowing the line, a belly where water pools, tree roots at a joint, or a venting problem. We camera-inspect on repeat clogs rather than clearing the same blockage every month, so you can see what is actually happening.

We would not. It sits on the clog rather than clearing through it, it can damage older pipes and finishes, and it is still in the line when someone opens the drain to do the real repair. A plunger and hot water on a single slow drain is fine. Past that, call.

Often, yes. Cured-in-place pipe lining rebuilds the pipe from the inside, and pipe bursting pulls a new line through the old one. Both avoid a full trench. Whether your line qualifies depends on its condition, which is what the camera inspection tells us. When a full open-trench replacement is genuinely the right call, we explain why rather than defaulting to it.

Several drains running slow at once, gurgling toilets, sewage odor inside or in the yard, the lowest drain in the house backing up first, or unusually soggy ground along the line. Any of those is worth a camera inspection before it becomes a backup.

Check your water meter with every fixture in the house turned off. If it is still moving, water is escaping somewhere. Other signs are a bill that rose with no change in usage, a warm spot on the floor, damp or discolored flooring, a musty smell that will not clear, or low pressure throughout the house.

A slab leak is a water line failure underneath the concrete foundation. It matters in North Texas because our soil is expansive clay that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. A leak running under one part of the foundation creates uneven moisture, which creates uneven movement. That is how a plumbing problem becomes a foundation problem, and it is why sticking doors and new drywall cracks often show up before anyone finds the leak.

Not always. We locate the leak first with pressure isolation, acoustic detection, and thermal imaging before touching any concrete. From there, a spot repair opens a small section over the leak, a reroute abandons the failed line and runs new pipe through walls or the attic leaving the floor untouched, and tunneling reaches the pipe from outside and beneath the foundation. We explain which fits your situation and why.

We work out of our shop at 844 Dalworth Dr., Suite 10 in Mesquite, TX. Our core service area is Mesquite, Garland, Rowlett, Balch Springs, Sunnyvale, and east Dallas. We also serve Richardson, Plano, and Rockwall, though those are further from the shop and we will give you an honest arrival window rather than an optimistic one when you call.

Yes. Offices, restaurants, retail, and multifamily properties, alongside residential. We coordinate with owners and facilities contacts on scheduling and access, and we work around operating hours where that is possible.