Leaks and emergencies
Burst pipes, frozen pipes and water where it should not be. What to do before anything else.
Plumbing tips for Orangeburg, NY homes
Orangeburg's ranches and splits date from the 1950s and 1960s, on flat, wet ground near the Sparkill Creek. Here is what is wearing out in them, what the ground does to basements, and how to find a licensed plumber.
Orangeburg is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown, built out mostly in the 1950s and 1960s on flat land between the Palisades and the Sparkill Creek. Ranches, splits and capes on quarter-acre lots make up most of it, with newer townhouse and apartment developments on former institutional land. Sixty years on, the original plumbing is reaching the end of its life in the same places in house after house.
What the houses have
- Copper supply pipe, generally sound, with pinholes appearing in houses where the water sat for years in a rarely used line, or where the original solder joints were poorly made.
- Cast iron and galvanized drains. The galvanized branch drains from bathroom sinks and tubs corrode nearly shut from the inside, which is why a 1960s bathroom sink drains slowly no matter how often it is snaked. Replacing the branch with plastic fixes it for good.
- Slab-on-grade and crawl space sections in the splits, where the drain runs under the floor and a leak shows as a damp spot or a smell rather than a drip.
- Finished basements put in over the decades, usually with the water heater, boiler and main shut-off boxed into a closet. Make sure they can still be reached.
- Replacement water heaters that are themselves old. Anything past ten years is on borrowed time.
Basements and ground water
The ground here is flat and the water table is high, and the creek backs up in a heavy rain. Sump pumps run for much of the spring, and a pump that fails or loses power is the most common cause of a flooded basement in the hamlet. Keep the discharge line clear and running well away from the house, and think about a backup pump.
Drainage
Orangetown runs its own sewer system and treatment plant. The laterals from the 1950s are mostly cast iron or clay, and the flat grade means they belly and hold water more than laterals on a slope. A recurring slow drain that snaking fixes only for a while is a lateral problem, and a camera shows where.
Water
Public water from the regional utility, moderately hard. Flush the water heater yearly, and if the pressure reads high, add a reducing valve.
When you need a professional
Plumbers in Orangeburg are licensed by Rockland County. The Find a plumber page opens a search near Orangeburg and explains the license check.
Plumbing topics for Orangeburg
Drains and toilets
Slow sinks, blocked tubs and toilets that run all night. Most of these you can fix yourself.
Water heaters
How long they last, how to look after one, and the warning signs that it is about to fail.
Boilers and radiators
Hot water and steam heating is common in Rockland homes. A little routine care goes a long way.
Faucets and fixtures
Dripping faucets, weak showers and the small jobs that are well within reach of a careful beginner.
Seasonal care and hiring a plumber
A short checklist for each season, and how to choose and check a plumber when the job is beyond you.
Common questions
My Orangeburg basement floods when the power goes out in a storm. What should I do?
Add a backup to the sump pump. A battery backup pump runs for hours without power; a water-powered backup runs as long as the public water is on. Either costs far less than one flooded finished basement. Test it every few months by lifting the float.
Is a permit needed to move a washing machine to a new spot?
If new supply or drain pipe is run, yes, through the Town of Orangetown building department. A licensed plumber handles the permit. Draining a washer into a sink or floor drain without a proper standpipe is a common shortcut that causes backups and is not code.
Need a professional?
Some jobs are not for a weekend. Here is how to find a plumber near you in Rockland County and check the license before work starts.