Plumber Erie PA: Local Plumbing Help for Erie Homes

Need a plumber in Erie? Call us or request a call back, and a licensed local plumber will call you to talk through the problem and give you an upfront estimate.

Licensed local plumbers
Upfront estimate before work starts
Homes and businesses in Erie

(814) 555-0100 Request a Call Back

Request a call back

Tell us what is going on. A licensed local plumber will call you back to talk it through and set up an estimate.

Plumbing services in Erie, PA

Emergency Plumbing

Burst pipes, flooding basements, leaking water heaters and sewer backups in Erie homes.

Frozen and Burst Pipes

Thawing frozen lines and repairing pipes that split in lake effect cold.

Water Heaters

Repair and replacement of gas, electric and tankless water heaters.

Drain Cleaning

Clearing slow and blocked sinks, tubs, toilets and basement floor drains.

Sewer Lines

Camera inspection, clearing and repair of old sewer laterals.

Toilets and Faucets

Running toilets, drips, worn valves and new fixture installs.

How it works

Call or send a request

Call the number on this page or fill in the short form. Tell us the problem and where you are in the Erie area.

A local plumber calls you

A licensed plumber who works in Erie calls you to ask a few questions and plan a visit.

Estimate before work starts

The plumber looks at the problem and gives you an upfront estimate. You decide whether to go ahead.

Looking for a plumber in Erie, PA who understands old houses and hard winters? Plumber Erie handles plumbing calls for homes and businesses across the city and the towns around it. Call the number at the top of the page or use the form, tell us what is wrong, and a licensed local plumber will call you back.

This page is also a plain guide to plumbing in Erie: why local homes have the problems they do, what common jobs cost, how to check that an Erie plumber is allowed to do the work, and what to do in the first few minutes of a leak.

What Erie plumbers handle for you

These are the jobs Erie homeowners call about most. Each one has its own page with more detail.

Emergency plumbing

A burst pipe, a water heater leaking across the basement floor, or a sewer backup cannot wait for next week. Shut off the water first (steps are below), then call. Read more about emergency plumbing in Erie.

Frozen and burst pipes

Erie gets real cold, and pipes in outside walls, crawl spaces and unheated porches are the first to freeze. A plumber can find the frozen section, thaw it safely and replace pipe that has split. See frozen and burst pipes.

Water heater repair and replacement

No hot water, rusty water, a rumbling tank or a puddle under it. A plumber will tell you whether a repair makes sense or whether the tank is near the end. Gas and electric, tank and tankless. See water heaters in Erie.

Drain cleaning

Slow kitchen sinks, tubs that hold water, and basement floor drains that back up. In old houses, years of grease, hair and scale narrow the pipe until it closes up. See drain cleaning in Erie.

Sewer line repair

Older Erie homes often have an old sewer pipe running from the basement to the street. Roots, cracks and sagging sections cause repeat backups. A camera inspection shows what is going on before anyone digs. See sewer line repair.

Toilets, faucets and fixtures

Running toilets, dripping faucets, worn shutoff valves and new fixtures. Small jobs, but a running toilet can waste a lot of water every day. See toilet and faucet repair.

Why Erie homes need a plumber more often

Most houses in Erie are old, and that shows up in the plumbing. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020 to 2024 five year estimates for the City of Erie):

88.6% of homes were built before 1980.
67.6% were built before 1960.
39.2% were built in 1939 or earlier.
The median year a home was built is 1949.

A house from the 1940s or earlier may still have some of its original pipe. Homes from that era often have galvanized steel water lines that rust from the inside, cast iron drain stacks that crack and scale over time, and clay or cast iron sewer pipes under the yard. Many have been partly updated over the decades, so it is common to find old and new pipe joined together in the same basement.

The same Census data puts the median value of an owner occupied home in the city at $115,200, and 54.1% of homes are owner occupied. Plumbing work is a big expense against a home worth that amount, so it pays to fix the real cause once rather than patch the same leak every winter. A good plumber will tell you which repairs are urgent and which can wait.

Lake effect cold and frozen pipes

Erie sits in the Lake Erie snow belt. The city averages 104.3 inches of snow a year (1991 to 2020 normals), and on 25 December 2017 it recorded 34 inches in a single day, a city record according to the National Weather Service. The record low is minus 18 F, set in January 1994 and matched in February 2015, and on about 3 days a year the low falls to 0 F or colder. A climate summary from GLISA, a University of Michigan research center, lists roughly 100 days a year when the temperature at Erie's airport drops below freezing.

Long cold spells plus old, drafty houses are the reason frozen and burst pipes are one of the most common plumbing calls in Erie. Pipes along outside walls, under kitchen sinks on exterior walls, in crawl spaces, and in additions built over open porches are most at risk.

Erie water and your water heater

Erie Water Works supplies water to the city. Its 2021 finished water test results show total hardness of 115 parts per million, or about 6.7 grains per gallon. That is not extreme, but over time the minerals settle as scale in the bottom of a tank water heater and inside faucet aerators. Flushing a tank water heater once a year helps it last longer and run quieter.

Need a plumber in Erie today? Call now.

(814) 555-0100 Request a Call Back

What plumbing costs in Erie

There is no public price survey for Erie plumbers, so the figures below are national averages from cost guides. Your price depends on the house, how easy the pipe is to reach, and the parts needed. Always ask for an estimate before work starts.

Job	National figure	Source
Gas water heater replacement	About $1,900 on average, most pay $1,000 to $2,700	Fixr
Electric water heater installation	About $1,000 on average, mostly $800 to $1,500	Fixr
Water heater repair	About $616 on average	Angi

For more on what drives the price in an older Erie home, see our plumber cost guide for Erie.

How to check an Erie plumber's license

This part trips up a lot of people, because the rules are local.

Pennsylvania has no state plumbing license.

The state Department of Labor and Industry says the Commonwealth has no licensing rules for most construction contractors and that some municipalities set their own plumbing licensing rules. See the state contractor licensing page.

The City of Erie does license plumbers.

The city's Code Enforcement page lists plumbing among the trades that need a license in the city.

Plumbing contracting in Erie without the required license is a summary offense

under the city ordinance (Erie city code).

Most home improvement contractors must register with the Pennsylvania Attorney General

under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act. This is a registration, not a license. You can look up a contractor's registration at hic.attorneygeneral.gov.

When a plumber calls you back, it is fair to ask which license they hold with the City of Erie and for their Attorney General registration number. A real local plumber will not mind the question.

Plumbing permits in the City of Erie

The City of Erie says only master license holders can obtain a plumbing permit. That means a handyman cannot pull a plumbing permit in the city, and neither can most homeowners. Permit applications go to Code Enforcement in Room 407 of City Hall, or by email to permits@erie.pa.us.

Whether your job needs a permit depends on the work. If you are not sure, ask the plumber, or email Code Enforcement before work starts. If you live outside city limits, in Millcreek, Harborcreek or another township, the City of Erie rules do not apply to your address. Check with your township office instead.

Plumbing emergency: what to do first

1
Shut off the water. Find the main shutoff valve. In most older homes it is in the basement near the water meter, where the water line comes in through the foundation wall. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If the leak is at one fixture, use the small valve under that sink or behind that toilet.
2
Turn off the water heater if it is leaking or if the main is off for a long time. Set a gas heater to pilot or off, and switch off the breaker for an electric one.
3
Keep away from water near outlets or electrical panels. If water is close to anything electric, switch off that circuit at the panel only if you can reach it while standing on a dry floor.
4
If you smell gas, leave the house. Do not use switches or phones inside. Call National Fuel Gas, the gas utility for Erie, or 911 from outside.
5
If water is coming up from the street side, such as a broken water main or a curb box leak, call the Erie Water Works emergency line at 814-870-8087. It answers 24 hours a day.
6
Call a plumber. Then move what you can out of the water and take photos for your insurer.

How to choose a plumber in Erie

The best plumber in Erie for your job is one who is licensed for where you live, explains the problem plainly, and prices the work before starting. Before you hire anyone, ask:

Are you licensed with the City of Erie, or with my township if I live outside the city?
What is your Attorney General home improvement registration number?
Will you pull the permit if one is needed?
Is the price a firm estimate or an hourly rate, and is there a charge just to come out?
What do you think caused the problem, and what will stop it from happening again?
For an old house: will this repair hold, or am I better off replacing that section of pipe now?

Towns and neighborhoods we cover

Requests come in from across the city, from Downtown and Little Italy along the West 18th Street corridor to the big older houses on Millionaires Row on West 6th Street. Beyond the city line we take requests from Millcreek Township, Harborcreek Township, Fairview Township, Summit Township and the upper Peach Street area, Wesleyville, Girard, North East, Edinboro and Corry. Homeowners in Millcreek can read our page for a plumber in Millcreek, PA.

Whether you need an emergency plumber in Erie at night, a plumbing company in Erie for a new water heater, or plumbing services for a rental or small business, call us and tell us what is going on.

Areas we serve around Erie

Millcreek Township
Harborcreek
Fairview
Summit Township
Wesleyville
Girard
North East

Common questions

How do I find a good plumber in Erie, PA?

Start with license and registration. The City of Erie requires plumbers working in the city to hold a license, and most home improvement contractors must register with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, which you can check at hic.attorneygeneral.gov. Then ask for an upfront estimate and an explanation of the cause before any work starts.

Does Pennsylvania require a plumbing license?

Not at the state level. Pennsylvania has no state plumbing license, and local governments set their own rules. The City of Erie does license plumbers, and only master license holders can get a plumbing permit in the city.

Is there a 24 hour plumber in Erie?

You can call us or send a request at any hour. Whether a plumber can come out at night depends on the local business that takes your request, so ask when they call you back. In the meantime, shut off the main water valve to stop the damage.

Why do pipes freeze so often in Erie?

Erie sits in the Lake Erie snow belt, with about 100 days a year below freezing at the airport, and most homes in the city were built before 1960. Old houses often have pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces with little insulation, which freeze during long cold spells.

How much does a plumber cost in Erie?

There is no public Erie price survey. National cost guides put a gas water heater replacement at about $1,900 on average and a water heater repair at about $616. Most jobs are priced after a plumber sees the problem, so ask for an estimate first.

Do I need a permit for plumbing work in Erie?

Some plumbing work in the City of Erie needs a permit, and only master license holders can pull one. Ask your plumber or email Code Enforcement at permits@erie.pa.us before the work starts. Outside the city, check with your township.

Need a plumber in Erie today? Call now.

(814) 555-0100

Call Now Get a Quote