Plumbing repair and service in Saint Paul, MN 55101

A large share of Saint Paul homes went up before World War II, and their plumbing shows it. Many still carry galvanized steel supply lines that rust from the inside until the kitchen faucet barely runs. Drains often drop into cast iron stacks that crack along the seams after a century of hot water and cold winters. Out in the yard, clay sewer laterals run under old boulevard elms and maples that send roots into every joint.

None of that means your house is in trouble. It means the fixes are predictable once you know the era. A 1915 foursquare in Merriam Park and a 1955 rambler near White Bear Avenue fail in different ways, so we start by asking when the house was built and what has already been replaced. That tells us where to look first and saves you paying for guesswork.

January brings frozen lines in enclosed porches, kitchens on outside walls and basement rim joists where cold air leaks in. When the thermometer sits below about 20 degrees for a few days, our phone fills up with no water and a pipe that split overnight. We thaw lines with gentle heat, never an open flame, and we look for the draft that caused the freeze so it doesn't happen again next cold snap.

Then the snow melts. Groundwater rises, old floor drains back up, and sump pumps that sat idle all winter suddenly have to run every few minutes. Homes near Lake Phalen, Como Lake and the river flats feel this first. A spring check of your sump pump and a floor drain cleaning before April usually costs far less than drying out a finished basement.

Saint Paul Regional Water Services supplies the city and several neighboring suburbs, and it has been replacing lead service lines across its service area. If your water line enters the basement as a dull gray pipe that a key can scratch to shiny silver, it may be lead. We can check the house side of the line, explain how the private portion is usually handled, and do the indoor work so the replacement lines up cleanly.

Water heater replacements, repiping and other permitted work need a city plumbing permit, and we pull it as part of the job. You don't have to visit a counter or wait on hold. Use the neighborhood pages on this site to see what we usually find in your part of town, or skip the reading and call (651) 215-2087.