Leaks and emergencies
Burst pipes, frozen pipes and water where it should not be. What to do before anything else.
Plumbing tips for Valley Cottage, NY homes
Valley Cottage climbs from the flats near the reservoir up onto rock, and its 1950s to 1970s houses have the plumbing of their age plus a few problems that come with the hill. Here is what to watch for, and how to find a licensed plumber.
Valley Cottage is a hamlet in the Town of Clarkstown, between Lake DeForest and Hook Mountain. It was built out largely between the 1950s and the 1970s, with ranches and splits on the lower ground and colonials on the slopes above, where lots are rocky and the streets are steep. A few older farmhouses and lake cottages survive from before that.
What the houses have
- Copper supply pipe in most, with the galvanized steel of the older houses long gone or nearly so.
- Cast iron drains in the 1950s and 1960s houses, corroding through along the bottom of horizontal runs. The plastic drains of the 1970s houses have held up better, though the early types can be brittle.
- Hot water baseboard heat for the most part, with boilers that have been replaced at least once. Air in the loop, cold zones and a pressure gauge that reads wrong are the usual complaints.
- Bathrooms added or remodeled over decades, with mixed results. Weak flushes and gurgling often trace to a remodel that changed the drain or vent.
- Long supply runs in the sprawling ranches, which is why the hot water takes a full minute to reach the far bathroom. A recirculation loop or a point-of-use heater solves it.
The hill
Houses on rock have dry basements and wet ones, with little in between. Where the rock sheds water toward the foundation, the basement takes it at the wall-to-floor joint, and a sump pump plus proper grading is the answer. The freeze is also harder on exposed pipe here, and hose bibs and crawl space runs on the exposed side of the house are the first to freeze.
Drainage
Public sewer for most of the hamlet through the county sewer district, though a few outlying houses remain on septic. If yours is, find the tank and have it pumped on a schedule.
Water
Public water from the regional utility, moderately hard, with pressure that depends on elevation. Measure before assuming.
When you need a professional
Plumbers in Valley Cottage are licensed by Rockland County. The Find a plumber page opens a search near Valley Cottage and explains the license check.
Plumbing topics for Valley Cottage
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
The pressure at my Valley Cottage house is poor and it is worse upstairs. Is it my pipes or the supply?
Check with a gauge on an outside spigot first. Houses high on the hill can receive lower pressure from the main than those below. If the gauge reads low with nothing running, the supply is the limit and a booster pump is the fix. If it reads normal but falls off when a tap opens, the house pipe is the limit, usually a run of old galvanized steel.
Why does my sewer lateral keep clogging when there are no big trees near it?
On a rocky lot the lateral was often laid in a trench blasted or cut through ledge, and settling at the rock edges leaves offset joints that catch paper. A camera inspection finds the joint, and a spot repair or a liner fixes it.
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.