Emergency Plumber in Longmont, CO

Who do I call after hours about city water or sewer?

The City of Longmont runs its own water and sewer utility. Water Utilities answers at (303) 651-8416 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays; outside those hours the city sends callers to Longmont Public Safety Dispatch. Call the city when the problem is clearly in the street: water running along the curb, a broken main, or a sewer main backing up for the whole block. A burst pipe, a failed water heater or a backup that affects only your house is a job for a plumber.

Whose sewer line is it when the basement drain backs up?

In Longmont the property owner owns and maintains the sewer service line from the house to the city main. The city investigates and repairs problems in the main itself. So when a floor drain starts filling with wastewater, the first step is to stop using water in the house and have a plumber clear the private line from the cleanout. If the plumber finds the house line is clear and the problem is downstream, that is when the city takes over. The city's pages do not spell out where its responsibility for the water service line ends, so if a leak appears near the curb, ask Water Utilities before assuming it is yours.

Is my Longmont home likely to have problem pipes?

Housing here is a mix. The median home was built in 1991, but about 37.1% of homes predate 1980, mostly in the older blocks around the downtown Main Street corridor. Longmont's service line inventory classified every water service line in the city as non-lead. The water is soft, around 1 to 2 grains per gallon, and chlorine-disinfected, so heavy scale is less of a factor in water heater failures here than in harder-water towns. Freeze damage is the bigger seasonal risk, especially in crawl spaces, garages and exterior walls on the coldest nights.

One local note on permits

Longmont requires a permit for any change to plumbing, gas, mechanical or electrical systems, and water heaters are specifically listed. In an emergency the plumber's first job is to stop the water; any permit for a replacement comes after, through Building Services at the Development Services Center on Kimbark Street. Expect after-hours visits to cost more, and ask about pricing before the plumber is dispatched. No arrival time is promised.