Plumbing tips for Spring Valley, NY homes

Spring Valley grew up around its railroad station and has been filling in ever since. Along the older streets are houses from the 1900s to the 1930s, many divided into apartments. Around them are 1950s and 1960s capes and ranches, then garden apartments and larger buildings, and a steady run of additions and conversions. The plumbing reflects that history: more fixtures per building than most of the county, on pipe of every age.

What the houses have

• Galvanized steel supply pipe in the pre-war houses, often partly replaced with copper and, more recently, plastic. Weak flow at the highest or farthest fixture is the usual sign that some galvanized pipe is still in the line.
• Shared systems. In a converted house, one water heater, one boiler and one main shut-off may serve two or three households. Know where the main is before you need it, and know who has the key to the basement.
• Added bathrooms and kitchens from conversions, not always vented or sized correctly. Gurgling when another fixture drains, slow drains that come back after snaking, and sewer smell are the signs of a vent problem rather than a clog.
• Cast iron drains in the mid-century houses, now at the age where the horizontal runs corrode through from the inside.
• Boilers and steam heat in the older houses, hot water baseboard in the newer ones. A steam system in a multi-family house needs its water level and low-water cut-off checked more often, because it runs more.

Drainage

Spring Valley is on public sewer. Clay laterals under the older streets are the most common camera finding: roots, offset joints and bellies that hold water. A lateral that serves a two-family carries twice the load and clogs sooner, so a recurring backup is worth a camera inspection rather than another snaking.

Some low streets sit near the Pascack Brook, and basements there take on water in a heavy storm. A sump pump with a battery backup is a sound investment in those blocks.

Water

Public water from the county's regional utility, moderately hard. Water heaters collect sediment and benefit from an annual flush, and aerators and shower heads need occasional descaling.

When you need a professional

Plumbers in Spring Valley are licensed by Rockland County, and any work in a rental or multi-family building should be done by one. The Find a plumber page opens a search near Spring Valley and explains how to confirm the license.