We take a lot of the things for granted in today’s society.  We turn on the faucet and clean drinking water comes out.  We turn on the oven or heat and gas flows safely.  We flush the toilet and the waste disappears. The plumbing that makes all of this possible requires a highly skilled professional, a Licensed Master Plumber.

From hooking up gas connections to keeping sewage from contaminating drinking water, a licensed plumber is needed.  That’s why a licensed plumber MUST have years of experience and pass rigorous tests before they are approved for a license. In New York City, licenses are issued from the Department of Buildings after a complete investigation of the candidate is completed by the Department of Investigations.

Too often, landlords and building managers create health hazards when they use unlicensed people to do the work of a licensed plumber. When getting price quotes, remember that the least expensive quote will not always cost you the least amount. Shoddy, unlicensed plumbing can come with a high price; leaks that ruin floors and ceilings, life threatening illnesses from polluted water, even destruction and death from explosions caused by improper gas connections.

Unlicensed people can charge less because they might not have the proper insurances and may not file the necessary paperwork with the Department of Buildings.  If something goes wrong, you will be the one left with the problem. In addition, building owners can face fines when work is not properly permitted and completed by a licensed plumber.

The next time you need a plumber, remember to ask for their license. Don’t take a chance with your health, your property or your life.

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the NYC Department of Buildings have stated that sewer linings are “Illegal” and “Not an approved repair method”.  There are many reasons why sewer liners are not approved.

Just some of the reasons liners are illegal:

• Sewer liners coat defects without correcting them (back-pitched pipe, disjointed pipe, root intrusions, crushed pipe, etc.).
• Sewer Liners cut off branch connections (area drains, rain leader lines, storm sewer connections, neighboring connections, etc.). Sewer liners can intrude into the Public sewer system.
• Sewer liners decrease the working diameter of the existing pipe.

Many unsuspecting homeowners have been victimized in New York City. Typically these installations are done by unlicensed plumbers and contractors who are not licensed in any manner. The frequent result is an illegal installation, done without permits, completely unsupervised by any government agency or licensed individual, that does not work. Installed completely unsupervised by an unlicensed individual even the best of materials are likely not to function properly or be dependable.  As these installations are typically performed by unlicensed “shell” companies, once installed unsuspecting homeowners frequently have little recourse.  If you have had such an installation performed, or been victimized by a contractor performing such an installation in NYC please contact 3-1-1 and file a complaint with the NYC Department of Buildings Department of Investigation. Read More…

A NYC house sewer for a property works on gravity, the principal that water runs downhill.  As a matter of fact,  a pressurized house sewer is not legal in NYC unless it has prior approval due to very special circumstances.

A house sewer in NYC is installed using extra heavy cast iron pipe and should have a minimum of 1″ of pitch for every 5′ of sewer run.  The pitch of a sewer line is limited to no more than 1′ of pitch for every 4′ of run.  A sewer from a property connects to the public sewer system typically in the roadway and at a point above the flow line of the public sewer.  A typical house sewer line is 4″ in diameter from the house to the property line, then 6″ from the property line to the NYC sewer connection.  Commercial properties require a 6″ pipe the entire run.

Installing a larger diameter pipe than what is required has no benefit and will actually slow the flow of water in the sewer line.  Because no mechanical device such as a pump is required for a house sewer line to function properly a house sewer should work without any maintenance whatsoever for well over 50 years.  Routine cleaning or treatment is not required unless a sewer line has some sort of defect or is being misused. Read More…

A Four Year Old House Needs A Complete Sewer Line Replacement.  How Can That Be?

A homeowner in Queens was having recurring sewer line problems that a cleaner could not solve.  They needed a complete replacement of the line.  It was very unusual because their house was only four years old, virtually brand new.  Many of their neighbors were having problems as well.  After much deliberation they decided to hire a sewer contractor and correct the problem once and for all.  This was no easy decision as a sewer line replacement is costly, requires permits, and NYC Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) inspections.  They a local reputable sewer contractor that had worked for a few of their neighbors before.  Once the sewer replacement work was started it was discovered that there were many defects with the original installation:

• Instead of extra heavy cast iron pipe a no-hub service weight pipe was used inside the property line.  The pipe dislodged and settled because it was joined with clamps and had no hubs for support. In addition it is a lighter weight pipe than is typically recommended or used for house sewers.
• The pipe outside the property line was an inferior imported Chinese cast iron, not domestically produced extra heavy cast iron, which most NYC sewer contractors use exclusively.
• The previous contractor had cut the joining gaskets in half so they could install the house sewer more easily. This is illegal and caused the sewer pipe to slip apart and fail prematurely.
  
• The house sewer was installed back pitched as opposed to pitched from the house towards the City sewer. As sewers work by gravity, this house sewer probably never worked properly.

The prior house sewer had to be completely removed because none of it was salvageable.  In its place domestically produced extra heavy cast iron pipe, with hubs instead of gaskets, was used for the sewer replacement.  The new sewer line was laid carefully with proper pitch towards the NYC sewer to ensure it would last for many decades. P roper NYC DEP and NYC DOT permits were secured, and the new installation was inspected and signed off.  Frequently property owners assume that because a sewer is buried that their troubles are over.