Overview: Plumbers
A plumber looks after two systems that must never meet: the pressurized water coming into your house and the waste leaving it. You call one for a faucet that will not stop dripping, a toilet that runs all night, or a water heater gone cold. Also for a stain spreading across a ceiling, weak pressure at a single fixture, and pipe that has frozen and split.
The bigger work is repiping a house that keeps springing pinhole leaks, moving supply lines for a remodel, and swapping seized shutoff valves so the next repair does not mean killing water to the entire building. Two things sit outside this trade. A line that is already blocked is drain work. Water pushing in through a foundation wall comes from outside and belongs to a different crew.
Diagnosis is what separates a good outfit from a cheap one. Water travels, so the wet spot is rarely above the source. Ask how they intend to find it before anything gets cut open, and ask whether a water heater swap will be permitted and inspected, because in most places it is supposed to be.
Listings show what each company states on its own website: hours, license claims, and whether estimates are free. Work down through the state and city lists below to reach plumbers near you.
Cost of Plumbing Services
For a repair, ask what diagnosis costs before authorizing work. For a replacement, compare the same fixture or heater and a total that separates equipment, labor, disposal and required upgrades.
| Service or scope | Planning range | What this covers |
|---|---|---|
| Leak or plumbing diagnostic visit | $75–$250per scheduled diagnostic visit | A scheduled service call and initial assessment of one plumbing problem; confirm included diagnostic time.A diagnostic fee may be credited toward the repair. After-hours dispatch and invasive leak detection cost extra.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Travel within stated service area; Contract-defined initial assessment Outside this estimate: Extended diagnostic testing; Repair labor and parts; Opening walls |
| Customer-supplied faucet installation | $150–$400per faucet, replacement labor | Replace one customer-supplied kitchen faucet using serviceable existing connections.The faucet is extra. Ask whether new supply lines, shutoff valves, disposal and the callout are included.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Replacement labor; Routine removal Outside this estimate: New faucet; Shutoff valves or pipe repairs; Extra connector or disposal charges unless included |
| Standard toilet replacement | $350–$1,000per installed toilet | Replace one standard two-piece toilet in the same location on a sound flange.Confirm the toilet model, removal, disposal and supply line. Flange or subfloor repairs change the job.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Standard toilet; Routine installation and seal Outside this estimate: Flange or floor repairs; Supply-line relocation; Disposal if billed separately |
| 50-gallon gas water heater replacement | $1,000–$3,300per installed 50-gallon system | Replace a 50-gallon gas tank heater in the same accessible location with suitable existing venting.Specify fuel, tank capacity and vent type. Permits, expansion tank, pan, relocation and new gas or electrical work may be extra.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Specified 50-gallon gas tank heater; Routine replacement labor and connections Outside this estimate: Vent redesign; Gas-line upgrade; Unquoted disposal or permit charges |
| Accessible pipe leak repair | $150–$650per small accessible leak repair | Repair a small accessible supply-pipe leak without opening walls or replacing a long run.Ask whether the diagnostic fee is credited toward the repair and whether restoration is excluded.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Specified repair material; Repair labor; Leak test Outside this estimate: Wall opening; Drywall repair; Hidden additional leaks |
What changes the price
- Access to pipes and condition of existing connections
- Fixture specifications, fuel, capacity and venting
- Dispatch charges, permits and restoration work
Ask before you book
- Is the diagnostic fee credited toward the repair, and is there a minimum labor charge?A service-call fee may remain separate from the repair price.
- Which parts, permit fees, disposal and wall repairs are included?Installed equipment and a fully restored room are different scopes.
- What must change if the existing valves, venting or gas line cannot be reused?Existing-system upgrades can change a replacement quote.
Check the scope
A water-heater replacement price should specify fuel, capacity and reuse assumptions. First-time tankless conversion requires a separate scope.
Compare quotes wisely
Bundle nonurgent repairs into one scheduled visit and ask for separate prices for customer-supplied and contractor-supplied fixtures.
How to read these estimates
These ranges combine published U.S. prices and cost guidance for the stated work. They are budgeting estimates, not offers from listed companies or a statistical national average. Confirm the total, included work and additional charges in writing.
U.S. planning estimates. Local quotes vary by location and the scope of work.
Frequently asked questions
What does a plumber handle and what goes elsewhere?
Supply and waste inside the house: faucets, toilets, tubs and showers, water heaters, valves, and pipe that leaks, freezes or runs weak. Plumbers also move lines for a remodel and repipe a house that keeps failing. A sewer line that is already blocked is drain work, and water coming through a foundation wall from outside is a waterproofing problem, not a pipe problem.
Does a plumber need a license or registration?
In most states plumbing is a licensed trade and the license comes from a state or local board. Ask for the number, then check it with the issuing board instead of trusting the website. Ask about liability insurance as well. A mistake here soaks floors, ceilings and everything stored underneath, and that bill is far larger than the repair.
How do you find a leak inside a wall?
Water runs along joists and pipe before it shows, so the stain is rarely above the source. A plumber shuts every fixture, watches the meter for movement, then narrows it down with moisture readings, a thermal camera or listening gear before cutting. Agree in advance what the search costs, who patches the drywall, and what happens if the first opening misses.
What should I do about a frozen pipe?
Shut the water off at the main, then open the nearest faucet so meltwater has somewhere to go. Warm the pipe gently along its length with a hair dryer, never a torch. You will not know whether it split until it thaws, so stay in the room with the shutoff in reach. Crawl spaces, garages and outside faucets are where this starts.
When is a water heater due for replacement?
Rusty hot water, a puddle that keeps coming back at the base, or banging as it heats all point to a tank near the end. A weeping tank cannot be repaired. Age tells you more than appearance, so read the build date off the serial plate. If it sits above a finished room, ask about a drain pan and where the overflow actually goes.
