Homeowner reading on a tablet at a kitchen table beside a mug and a notepad with a plumbing checklist

Plumbing guides

Plumbing guides for Macomb County homeowners

What to do when something breaks, how to keep it from breaking, and what Michigan rules mean for your house.

Rather talk it through? Call (207) 419-2600

Your call goes to an independent local plumbing company that does the work.

These guides are written for houses like the ones in Macomb County: full basements, Michigan winters, sump pits that work hard in spring, and a mix of older clay sewer laterals and newer PVC. Each one answers a question we hear on the phone, in the order you'd need the answers. If you have water on the floor right now, close the main shutoff first and read the emergency guides after.

Prevention checklists

Garden hose being unscrewed from an outdoor spigot on a brick wall with fall leaves on the ground

Fall plumbing checklist for Michigan homes

Ten plumbing jobs for a Michigan fall, from draining outdoor spigots and blowing out sprinklers to testing the sump and prepping for Thanksgiving.

White mineral scale around a chrome kitchen faucet aerator in a Macomb County home

Is Macomb County water hard? What it means for your plumbing

What 99 ppm (about 5.8 grains per gallon) means, how it affects heaters and fixtures, and when a softener is worth it.

Flashlight beam on a main water shutoff valve and meter tucked behind basement stairs

How to find and use your main water shutoff valve

Where the main shutoff hides in basement, slab and condo homes, how gate and ball valves differ, and what to do when the handle won't move.

Dark sewage pooled around a basement floor drain with rubber boots standing at the edge

Sewage backup in the basement: what to do first

Sewage on the basement floor? Stay safe, stop running water, report it in time, and find out if the blockage is in your lateral or the public sewer.

Gas tank water heater in an unfinished basement with its yellow flexible gas connector and shutoff valve

Smell gas near your water heater? What to do right now

Smell gas by the water heater? Get out, call from outside, and wait for the all-clear. Then learn the common causes and who repairs them.

Water spraying from a split copper pipe between basement ceiling joists above a wet concrete floor

What to do when a pipe bursts in your Michigan home

The first five minutes after a pipe bursts, how to stay clear of live circuits, what to photograph for insurance, and how fast to dry out.

Water service line entering a Michigan basement through the foundation wall next to the main shutoff and meter

Lead service lines in Michigan: how to check yours

The Michigan replacement rule, who owns which part of the line, a scratch-and-magnet check, and what Macomb County systems report.

Building inspector checking new copper rough-in plumbing in open basement walls before drywall

Do you need a plumbing permit in Michigan?

What needs a plumbing permit in Michigan, the exact exemption, who may pull one, how inspections go, and how to check a license.

Weak trickle from a kitchen faucet in a Macomb County home with low water pressure throughout the house

Low water pressure in the whole house: common causes

Main valve, PRV, service line, meter or galvanized pipe? How to test with a gauge and narrow down whole-house low pressure.

Homeowner shining a flashlight into the burner viewing window of a gas water heater with no hot water

No hot water? Seven checks before you call a plumber

Seven safe checks for gas and electric water heaters, what each result tells you, and the signs that mean stop and call.

Sump pump pit in a Macomb County basement with water entering from the drain tile while the pump runs

Why your sump pump is running constantly

Normal spring cycling or a failing pump? Safe checks for the float, check valve and discharge line, and when to call a plumber.

Plumber feeding a drain cable into a basement floor drain to clear a recurring clog in a Macomb County home

Why your drain keeps clogging after it is cleared

Grease, scale, roots, sags and vent trouble explain most repeat clogs. How to tell which one you have and when a camera is worth it.

Brick ranch house in fresh snow with a foam cover on the outdoor faucet beside a basement window

How to prevent frozen pipes in a Michigan winter

The pipes that freeze first in Macomb County homes, what to do before a cold snap or a winter trip, and how to thaw a line without a flame.

Melting snowbank against the foundation of a Macomb County home with a damp basement window well in early spring

Spring thaw and basement water in Macomb County

Why March and April bring basement water, how to tell groundwater from a sewer backup, and what to check before the snow melts.

Open trench in a front yard exposing an old clay sewer lateral beside a new white PVC pipe in Macomb County

Sewer line replacement cost factors for Macomb County homes

Depth, length, pipe material, method, crossings, permits and restoration. The factors that set a sewer replacement quote in Macomb County.

Plumber disconnecting the vent connector from an old gas water heater before replacement in a Michigan basement

What drives water heater replacement cost in Michigan

Size, fuel, venting, code upgrades, permits, access and haul-away. What each one does to a Michigan water heater replacement quote.

Wall-mounted gas tankless water heater beside an older 50-gallon tank in a Michigan basement

Tank vs tankless water heater for a Michigan basement

Winter water temperatures, gas line size, venting, descaling and space. How a tank and a tankless unit compare in a Michigan basement.

Mature maple tree in the front yard of an older Macomb County home with a sewer cleanout near the sidewalk

Tree roots in your sewer line: signs and fixes

How roots get into older clay and cast iron laterals, the warning signs, and how cutting, jetting, lining and replacement compare.

Read enough? Talk to a plumber at (207) 419-2600

Call (207) 419-2600

Your call goes to an independent local plumbing company that does the work.

Plumbers in Macomb, MI15721-15695 Leone Dr, Macomb, MI 48042(207) 419-2600support@plumbingmacombmi.com