Plumber for East San Antonio

Which part of town this page covers

We mean the stretch from Dignowity Hill, on the rise above downtown, and the St. Philip's College campus out through ZIP codes 78202, 78203, 78219 and 78220 to Kirby, a small city inside San Antonio. Farther out, see Converse and Universal City or St. Hedwig, Adkins and China Grove.

Old houses, old pipe

Dignowity Hill was named a historic district in 1983, and a house there from 1874 still stands. Many older east-side homes still run on their first pipe or on decades of patchwork.

• Cast-iron drains grow a rust crust that snags grease and paper, and the bottom can thin until it splits. Slow tubs and a sewer smell from the crawlspace are the clues. A camera inspection shows whether to patch or replace.
• Galvanized supply pipe rusts shut from the inside, so pressure fades fixture by fixture, water runs tea-colored after a shutoff, and threaded joints weep. Repiping ends the cycle; see also water pressure repair.

Clay soil under slabs and yards

The Blackland Prairie clay reaching south into the San Antonio area swells with rain and shrinks in drought. That movement bends pipe under slabs and pulls old sewer joints apart so roots get in. On a slab we start with leak detection so we open as little floor as possible; see slab leaks and sewer line repair.

SAWS or Kirby water: where your side starts

Most east-side homes inside San Antonio city limits are on SAWS. Kirby runs its own city water and sewer system, so Kirby owners call the City of Kirby about the meter or the main. On SAWS, leaks between the meter and the house, and anything indoors, are the owner's, and so is the sewer pipe on your property; SAWS clears and repairs its mains.

Much of SAWS water comes from the limestone Edwards Aquifer, so it's hard, and scale wears out tank heaters (the "boiler" to many families here). See boiler repair, water heaters and hard water.

CPS Energy gas lines

CPS Energy supplies natural gas across San Antonio. Older east-side homes may still have aging steel gas pipe and worn flex connectors. We repair gas lines and do appliance hookups. When a leak is found, CPS may shut off or tag the meter; after our repair, the line gets a pressure test and an inspection where a permit applies, then the utility turns the gas back on.

When it can't wait

Split pipe, raw sewage in a tub, a leak that won't stop, or gas you've already reported from outside: call at any hour and we send our on-call plumber right away. Before we arrive:

1. Turn the house valve off; it's often near a front hose bib or in a box by the meter.
2. Open the lowest faucet to drain the pipes.
3. If drains are backing up, stop flushing and running water.

The February 2021 winter storm split pipes all over San Antonio; our frozen pipe and burst pipe guides help you prepare.

East San Antonio plumbing questions

Call about your east-side home

Tell us the address and what's happening. Three coupons apply to many of these jobs: a $0 dispatch fee with a repair or replacement, $50 off if you're a new customer, and $150 off installing a new water heater (see the coupons page for terms). Other towns are on our service areas page.

¿Prefiere leer en español? Nuestra página en español trata calentadores de agua (el boiler), destape de drenajes y fugas de agua o de gas. Si huele a gas, salga del edificio primero. No prenda ni apague interruptores ni encienda nada. Ya afuera, llame al 911 o a la línea de emergencias de CPS Energy, o a su proveedor de propano si usa propano, y después llámenos. Si tiene una emergencia, llame a cualquier hora y le enviamos a nuestro plomero de guardia de inmediato.