The Best Brooklyn Plumber Offers Plumbing Advice
What does a running toilet, dripping faucet, or slow drain in your Brooklyn home typically mean? It means you likely have minor plumbing issues like a partial pipe clog, a worn-out washer or flapper, or high water pressure. Leaky faucet and other repairs are easy, IF you know what you’re doing. But save money on your water bill by calling the plumber if you are not super handy and don’t have time to kill.
These common Brooklyn household plumbing problems also waste water and can cause higher utility bills if you do not fix them quickly.
A clogged drain, running toilet or dripping faucet in your home may seem like something you can ‘deal with’ for a while. But when the problem keeps returning like groundhog day, makes unusual noises or begins affecting another fixture, it may be time to call a licensed, professional affordable plumber like Vigilante to finally fix it for good.
Should You DIY It First?
You may have even tried several small plumbing repairs in your own home. That’s DIY. Good for you and I hope some worked but more often DIY repairs tend to to work briefly before the problem comes back. Ask yourself – Do you really have the free time to figure it out and do the repair?
Like our customer Alejandro in Park Slope recently told me while I was fixing his running toilet… “The most important lesson I learned when I tried to fix my toilet flapper was not how to become a part-time plumber. It was how to recognize the difference between a simple adjustment and a plumbing problem that needs professional diagnosis. And that I should just bite the bullet and call you guys so I don’t waste time!”
Vigilante Plumbing on Douglass Street near the Gowanus Canal westward toward Cobble Hill provides plumbing repairs throughout Brooklyn, including Boerum Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens and surrounding neighborhoods and throughout the other 5 boroughs.
Here is what Brooklyn homeowners should know about these 3 most frequent plumbing complaints that our Brooklyn plumbing company receives, and what do they mean?
Dripping Faucet?: A Small Leak That Should Not Be Ignored
The drip drop, drip drop of a leaky faucet is more than an irritating sound. It may be caused by a worn washer, damaged cartridge, deteriorated seal, corroded valve seat or excessive water pressure. There are a lot of older brownstones in Brooklyn with older fixtures…and the drip drip of dollars is a bad sound.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ‘fix a leak’ week, a faucet dripping once per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water in a year! Who pays for that? You do! That makes a persistent leaky faucet repair worth it, even when the leak appears minor.
Signs that your faucet may need professional attention include:
- Water continues dripping after the handle is fully closed
- Water collects around the faucet base or beneath the sink
- The handle is loose, stiff or difficult to turn
- The faucet whistles, squeals or vibrates
- The leak returns soon after a washer or cartridge is replaced
- There are water stains or moisture inside the cabinet
A homeowner may be able to replace a simple washer or aerator. However, faucets vary considerably in design. Installing the wrong cartridge, overtightening a fitting or failing to identify corrosion inside the valve can turn a small ‘fix leaky the leaky faucet’ job into a larger leak.
Brooklyn Heights has brownstones from the 1820s–1850s, Parkslope has many homes built int the gilded age! In older Brooklyn brownstones and apartments, so the faucet may also be only the visible part of the problem. Aging shutoff valves, deteriorated supply lines or inaccessible connections behind a wall can complicate what initially looks like a straightforward repair.
Slow Drain in your Brooklyn apartment: Is It a Small Clog or a Larger Drain Problem?
A bathroom or kitchen drain that empties slowly usually indicates a partial blockage. Hair, soap residue, grease, food particles and other debris can gradually collect inside the trap or drainpipe.
You can try to use a small drain tool to remove hair from a bathroom sink and shower. For a minor clog near the opening, that can be helpful. But when a drain slows down repeatedly, gurgles or backs up again after being cleared, the clog may be deeper in the line. You likely need professional drain cleaning by a plumbing company like ours.
Warning signs include:
- Water takes longer than usual to leave the sink, tub or shower
- The drain gives off an unpleasant odor
- You hear bubbling or gurgling sounds
- Water rises in another fixture
- More than one drain is running slowly
- The clog returns after plunging or cleaning
- Water backs up into a sink, bathtub or shower
One slow fixture may indicate a local clog. Several slow fixtures can point to a problem farther inside the plumbing system or main drain line.
Brooklyn homes can present additional challenges. Brownstones, row houses, multifamily properties and renovated apartments may have plumbing systems containing pipes from different periods. A drain line may include older cast iron, newer replacement sections, tight bends or shared connections that make recurring clogs difficult to diagnose without proper equipment.
Be cautious with chemical drain cleaners! They may not remove the underlying blockage, and corrosive products require careful handling and disposal. Mechanical drain cleaning, professional snaking, water jetting or a video inspection may be more appropriate for a recurring or deep obstruction.
Vigilante’s Brooklyn drain-cleaning technicians can determine whether the problem is a small fixture clog, a buildup inside the branch line or a larger sewer and drain issue.
Running Toilets in Brooklyn: Why It Stops and Starts Again
A running toilet may operate constantly, refill periodically or make noise long after it has been flushed. Common causes include:
- A worn, warped or improperly seated flapper
- A faulty fill valve
- A chain that is too loose or too tight
- An incorrect water level
- Mineral buildup around internal components
- A damaged flush valve or seal
- A leak between the tank and bowl
Some of our handy customers have replaced a toilet flapper successfully, most cannot. You can try installing a new fill valve after watching a YouTube video…but you likely have to go to the hardware store and then learn how to perform the repair? How much is your time worth? The noise stops for about a day and then returns!
What does a running toilet mean? The visible part is not necessarily the complete problem.
Replacing a flapper can be a reasonable homeowner repair when the cause is obvious and the shutoff valve works properly. But if the toilet continues to run, refills without being used or requires repeated adjustments, a plumber should inspect the entire tank mechanism.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection warns that a continuously running toilet and leaks can waste thousands of gallons of water. Even a toilet that quietly cycles on and off can increase a building’s water usage.
This is especially important in Brooklyn multifamily buildings, where a leaking fixture may affect the owner’s water bill even when the toilet is located inside a tenant’s apartment.
When Should You Stop Trying DIY Plumbing Repairs?
A DIY small repair you can try for yourself is more likely to work when:
- The cause is obvious and visible – a ‘no brainer’
- The affected fixture has a working shutoff valve
- No water is leaking into a cabinet, wall, floor or ceiling
- Only one fixture is affected
- The repair does not involve gas, a sewer line or concealed piping
- The problem does not return afterward
Call Vigilante, the Best Brooklyn plumber when:
- The same problem keeps returning
- Multiple drains are slow
- Water is backing up
- You cannot shut off the water
- You see moisture around the wall, floor or ceiling
- The fixture or pipes are corroded
- A repair attempt makes the problem worse
- You are unsure which component has failed
Repeatedly replacing parts without diagnosing the cause can cost more than having the problem properly inspected in the first place.
Plumbing Repairs from Boerum Hill and Gowanus to Park Slope and Beyond
As I mentioned earlier Vigilante Plumbing is located on Douglass Street and has been serving homeowners, landlords and businesses from Bed Sty to Brooklyn Heights and the 5 boroughs for over 90 years.
Because Brooklyn neighborhoods contain a mixture of brownstones, row houses, apartments, condominiums, commercial spaces and newer developments, plumbing repairs may involve anything from a dripping faucet in a renovated condominium to a recurring drain problem in an older multifamily property from the 1930’s to a brownstone built in 1850!
Homeowners searching for Boerum Hill plumbers or Gowanus plumbers should look for a highly localized, experienced plumbing company like ours – why? We are intimately familiar with Brooklyn building layouts, older piping systems, shared plumbing lines and the limited access commonly found in city properties.
Call Vigilante for Brooklyn Plumbing Repairs
A slow drain, dripping faucet or running toilet does not always require an emergency visit. It does, however, deserve attention when it continues, returns or begins causing water waste or property damage.
Vigilante Plumbing has served Brooklyn since 1927. Our technicians provide plumbing repair services for faucets, toilets, drains, leaking pipes, water heaters, sewer lines and other residential and commercial plumbing systems.
Call Vigilante at (718) 530-0404 to schedule plumbing repairs in Brooklyn or anywhere in the 5 boroughs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should I call for a slow drain in Brooklyn?
Call Vigilante or another top rated, licensed and insured Brooklyn plumber when the drain remains slow after basic cleaning, repeatedly clogs, produces gurgling noises or causes water to back up into another fixture. These symptoms may indicate a blockage deeper inside the drain line.
Why does my faucet keep dripping in my apartment?
A dripping faucet may be caused by a worn washer, cartridge, seal, valve seat or another internal component. If replacing an obvious worn part does not stop the leak, the faucet or its water-supply connections should be professionally inspected.
Is a running toilet an emergency?
A running toilet is not always an immediate bathroom plumbing emergency, but it should not be ignored. It can waste a substantial amount of water and may indicate a faulty flapper, fill valve, seal or flush mechanism.
How do I choose the best Brooklyn plumber for a repair?
Look for an established plumbing company with licensed professionals, strong local reviews, upfront pricing and experience working in Brooklyn homes and buildings. The plumber should explain the cause of the problem and the recommended repair before beginning the work.
Do licensed plumbers handle small repairs?
Yes. Professional, licensed Brooklyn plumbers like Vigilante Plumbing on Douglass Street do commonly repair dripping faucets, running toilets, leaking supply lines, slow drains, broken shutoff valves and other problems that may appear small but can lead to water waste or property damage.
Call Vigilante at (718) 530-0404 to schedule an appointment today!
