Plumber in Marion and New Berlin, TX

A railroad town, a German farm town and a young city

Marion began as a camp for railroad workers, and its first town lots were sold when the tracks came through in 1877. New Berlin, on FM 2538 east of Cibolo Creek, was farmed by German immigrants from the 1870s on and incorporated in 1980. Santa Clara, west and north of Marion, became a city in 1999.

A farmhouse enlarged over the years can hold copper, galvanized and plastic pipe in one wall, pier-and-beam floors leave supply lines exposed, and newer homes on acreage sit at the end of long service lines. We check what yours has before suggesting a repair or a repipe.

City water, a utility district or a private well

The City of Marion runs its own water system, and Green Valley SUD (its office is on FM 465 in Marion) and East Central SUD also serve parts of Guadalupe County. Your bill shows who serves you. If nobody bills you for water and there's a pump house out back, you're on a private well.

Green Valley SUD tells its customers that any leak from the meter to the home is theirs, the pressure reducing valve and hand valve included. That side is our work: water line repair, pressure problems and new service lines.

Pump houses and long buried lines

On a well, water runs from the pressure tank underground to the house, and often on to a shop or barn. A break can go unnoticed for weeks. Call if:

• the pump cycles with every tap closed;
• house pressure sags or surges;
• one strip of pasture stays green in a dry spell.

Leak detection finds the spot, then we repair that section or lay a new line. Pumps and the well itself go to a water well company. For scale from hard water, see hard water and softeners.

Septic homes: the line to the tank

Outside town, many homes drain to a septic tank or an aerobic unit. If every drain slows at once, suspect the main line or the tank rather than a fixture. We clear and repair the pipe to the tank, and a camera inspection shows roots or a crushed joint before anyone digs. The TCEQ recommends pumping a conventional tank every three to five years, and aerobic units need regular maintenance, normally under a contract with a licensed provider. Tank pumping, aerobic service and drain field repairs go to a licensed septic company.

Before a hard freeze

Open farmland can freeze on a still, clear night while town stays warmer, and the pump house usually goes first. When cold is forecast:

1. Heat the pump house with a heater rated for the space, clear of hay and feed, and seal drafts at the door.
2. Wrap bare pipe at the pressure tank and where the line leaves the ground.
3. Insulate lines under pier-and-beam floors and close the foundation vents.
4. Unhook hoses and cover hose bibs and yard hydrants that aren't frost-free.

See frozen pipes and the freeze prep checklist.

Burst pipe, backup or gas smell

Split pipe in a farmhouse wall, a sewer line spilling into the yard, or a whiff of gas: call at any hour and we send our on-call plumber right away. Anything less urgent is booked at a time that suits you.

For a water emergency, while you wait:

1. Close the main water shut-off, at the meter box on a public system or where the water line enters the house.
2. If you're on a well, also flip off the breaker that feeds the pump.
3. If the house is on septic, hold off on showers, laundry and flushing until the line is clear.

More: burst pipe, gas smell, emergency plumbing.

Marion and New Berlin questions

Call for work in Marion, New Berlin or Santa Clara

We also handle water heater repair and replacement, drain cleaning, sewer line repair and gas line repair. Coupons include $50 off for new customers, 10% off for seniors, military, first responders and healthcare workers, and $150 off a new water heater installation; terms are on the coupons page.