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April 6, 2009
Replace street supply water pipe
I have a double duplex in Bushwick and have had to install a whole house water filter because of rust and sludge. Recently the filters which are supposed to last months have been lasting weeks and they are expensive to replace. The water to my house stopped flowing and I called a Master Licensed Plumber who said my filters were shot and the water from the City was dirty. 311 told me to file a claim with the Comptrollers Office. My question is if an inspector says its not the city but the pipes to my house can anyone recommend a great outdoor pipe replacement licensed plumber who won't cost me an arm and a leg. Thanks in advance.
Comments
we used Mainman to change the supply from the street to the house. The removal of the old lead water main and installation of the new one took about a day. they fixed up the concrete and the road surface the followign day. I'd recomend as they did a good job for us. Think it was approx $2400. Would have been a lot more if the water main was the other side of the street apparently.
Filters work well and perhaps the fears of lead water main are over blown (depending upon your opinion) but it was just yet another thing on our 'to do' list so as we've slowly chipped away at things it's now been done.
here's the link. http://www.mainmanwatermain.com/
Posted by: 10thStreetReno at April 6, 2009 11:18 AM
A neighbor of mine just had to do it & paid $2400. too. He'd gotten 3 estimates & one was double that. It also took less than a full day - I'll try to get the company name but I think the neighbor's out of town.
Posted by: Arkady at April 6, 2009 12:19 PM
This is not standard plumbing work. Replacing a water main requires jackhammers, high pressure equipment to blow a path for the new main, and cement work to patch the holes they will have to create.
I also had a good experience with Main Man. I paid 2500 + 250 to replace the valve at the main. Water main was on my side of the street. It took a while for them to get back to pave the hole in the street, but overall the responsiveness, coordination and service was very good.
Posted by: renomandru at April 6, 2009 2:52 PM
Also you can try Harris Water Main, they replaced my water main pipe. The old pipe was 100 yrs old, it was lead, and it was clogged so badly that only a 1/4 opening was left for the water to come through! Your problem sounds similar to what I had. Harris Water Main cost me $3800, and the above estimates are lower. I'm not sure if I overpaid or of my job was more complicated.. But they were pretty good and thorough with everything, even when they had to deal with a huge boulder underground in the way of the new pipe!
Posted by: Sputnik13 at April 6, 2009 3:23 PM
I too recommend Mainman. It was a while ago and I don't remember the price to replace the water main.
Posted by: jfss at April 6, 2009 9:53 PM
I used Rollins plumbing. Main Man gave me a higher quote around $5k. My water main was not on my side of the street or something so it was considerably more expensive than the above quotes. I did this when I was pregnant and paranoid of the old lead water main.
My water pressure improved a lot. The filters on my reverse osmosis filter in my kitchen still get pretty gnarly looking and I find that in NYC I need to replace them every 3 months, not 6 months.
Posted by: bqe1970 at April 6, 2009 9:59 PM
Call Rocko at Plumbingwork (x?) on Degraw between Columbia and Van Brunt. Or even consider going to him in person. He mostly does sub work, so his prices don't reflect retail. Just remember to speak Brooklynese.
Posted by: brucef at April 6, 2009 11:00 PM
Thanks so much everyone, this forum is great and confirming my own research. I happened to call one plumber who recommended these guys in Jamaica who seem great, and quoted a ball park $2500 http://www.balkanplumbing.com/services.html
They also have good photos on their website and also quoted a one day turn around.
I had some plumbers quoting me $4800 and up, its quite amazing. Plus fortunately I am on the same side as the fire hydrant, which really makes a big difference. Also a DOB permit has to be pulled and they do it without a hitch.
Posted by: Artdis at April 6, 2009 11:33 PM
Who ever does the job has to pull a DOB permit or they loose their license, it only takes a few days so that is not a big deal and certainly not a bargaining chip. Most people who do this job are trying to remove a violation from the city under a time limit. The permit thing has to do with them, not you. They are the ones breaking up the street.
Replacing the actual water main is only a one day job no matter who does it. For a few hours you won't have water, it is no big deal. They come back the next day and fill up the hole they left.
In the end, go with the cheapest who is not a fly by night company. They take out the lead one out and put in the 3/4 copper one. There is no aesthetics involved. I was told that a one inch pipe is a waste on a 2 family and not to bother, stick with the 3/4 inch.
I also got these crazy quotes that were all over the place. Maybe because I was a pregnant woman who looked like she didn't know any better? I mean seriously the shit they were telling me was unbelievable. Trying to qualify a ridiculous price saying that it was the cost of copper that is through the roof. I actually told that idiot that if that was the case then I would happily give him all my coffee cans of loose change to melt down.
Posted by: bqe1970 at April 7, 2009 12:04 AM
I got quotes from Balkan, for me they were one of the highest along with Main Man. $2500 sounds great. I reread your initial posting, with a double duplex you may want to see if you need a one inch pipe or not.
Posted by: bqe1970 at April 7, 2009 12:17 AM
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