David on the field
Photographs and short clips from real jobs around Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Passaic. It is our own truck, and our own plumber.
For license verification, see the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
The person who turns up
David Elias quotes the job and does the job, so the plumber you speak to is the plumber standing in your basement.
Fully stocked, so most repairs finish on the first visit, with no second trip and no second fee.
The owner quotes and does the job.
Full bath re-fit with tub, surround and toilet set, floor swept, job done in a day.
New shut-off and spigot line, with the work area protected before the first tool came out.
For license verification, see the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
Some of what we've worked on
Water heaters, steam boilers, gas leaks, mains and meters. Each one is tagged with the service it came from, so you can read what the work involves.
ClipPinholes in a buried copper line. Nothing showed above ground, so it was traced first and opened up in one spot.
ClipWater dripping off a PEX fitting in the joist bay, onto the ceiling it had soaked through. Found at the joint, not guessed at from the stain.
ClipLeaking at the near-boiler piping. The white crust is the giveaway that it has been going for a while.
Re-making the gas connection above a new tank. That is our own plumber, in our own hoodie, with our own number on his back.
Bradford White tank piped in copper with a recirculating pump on the hot side, so the far taps run hot sooner.
Ruud tank replaced on the existing copper, with a new expansion tank and the circulator re-set above it.
Expansion tank on the cold feed, which is what stops the pressure climbing every time the tank heats.
Rheem tank set, filled and lit, with the data plate left facing out so the model and the date stay easy to read.
Rheem tank serviced under a low basement ceiling, with the draft hood and flue checked before it went back into use.
New tank fitted alongside the existing HydroTherm boiler, with the gas and the venting re-run to suit both.
Bradford White tank set beside the existing boiler piping, with new shut-offs on the copper either side.
Raised clear of the floor on a platform, vented into the existing flue and insulated on the hot side.
A.O. Smith tank in a low basement, flue re-run so it draws properly and the gas line checked before relighting.
Hot water taken off the boiler instead of a separate burner, piped with its own circulator and expansion tank.
New toilet set and sealed in a bathroom part-way through its refit, with the tub and the shower valve already in.
New pressure-balancing valve and hand shower onto the existing tile, with nothing opened up that didn't have to be.
New disposal hung off the sink flange, with the trap arm and dishwasher line re-made to suit it.
A 3/4 HP disposal set on the sink flange, with the trap re-made around it and the drinking-water tank left clear to service.
ClipTub valve reached through one hole in the tile. The leak was at the fitting, which is why nothing else had to come off the wall.
ClipOne opening in the wall, straight onto the shower valve behind it, rather than chasing the stain across a room.
ClipSoap bubbling at the fitting. That is the leak found and pinned to one joint before anything is opened up.
New run off the meter, clipped to the wall and dropped into the trench, so no part of it is left sitting on the ground.
New shut-off and unions at the meter, tagged and pressure-tested before the gas went back on.
Gas brought up to a new outdoor appliance with its own shut-off and a drip leg, before the trench went back in.
Two meters re-set on new copper, each with a full-port valve either side so one flat can be isolated without the other.
Gauged at the fixture before anything is changed. The reading is what decides whether a reducing valve is the answer.
Riser re-piped in copper, with a reducing valve and gauge on the supply and the meter set back in line beneath it.
Main valve and meter replaced against an old stone foundation, which is the valve you want working the day a pipe bursts.
A pair of house meters brought back into service, with new brass valves and copper on both sides.
Backflow preventer and isolation valves on a new copper riser outside, tagged and ready to test, with the hose spigot teed in below.
Spigot line teed off the copper inside and run out through the wall, with its own shut-off so the tap can be drained down for winter.
Working on something like one of these? Tell us what's going on and we'll come back with what it takes to put right.
Tell us what's going on
Describe the problem by phone, text or the contact form. We'll let you know whether it needs attention today, what the work involves, and what it will cost before anything starts.
- Sunday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Monday
- 8 AM – 9 PM
- Tuesday
- 8 AM – 9 PM
- Wednesday
- 8 AM – 9 PM
- Thursday
- 8 AM – 9 PM
- Friday
- 8 AM – 9 PM
- Saturday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
Calls and texts are answered around the clock. A photo of the problem helps. On-site work is scheduled within the hours above.