Plumber in Havertown, PA

Havertown sits in Haverford Township, and most of the residential plumbing calls we get from the area come from homes built between the mid-1940s and the early 1960s. The housing stock is primarily twins, detached colonials, and split-levels — well-built for their era, but carrying original plumbing that is now 60 to 80 years old. Clay tile sewer laterals. Cast iron soil stacks. Galvanized supply lines in some of the older homes closer to Eagle Road and Darby Road. This is the work we do every week in Havertown, and we are familiar with what it looks like under the ground here.

Services We Provide in Havertown

Drain cleaning: Kitchen lines clogged with grease, bathroom floor drains that back up when the washing machine runs, main line backups where sewage reaches the basement. We camera the main first when more than one fixture is backing up — a cable in a failing pipe can make the situation worse, not better.

Sewer camera inspection: Push-rod camera with locating for pre-purchase inspections on Havertown homes. A house in Haverford Township built in 1952 has a sewer lateral that has been in the ground 70 years. What it looks like depends on whether it is original clay, whether it was spot-repaired at some point, and whether a large tree root found a joint. A camera inspection before closing eliminates the surprise.

Trenchless sewer repair and replacement: CIPP lining for cracked clay laterals that still hold their round cross-section; pipe bursting for Orangeburg or heavily deformed pipe. Both methods avoid digging the lawn in most cases.

Water line service: Trenchless replacement of galvanized or lead service lines between the curb stop and the foundation.

Water heater repair and replacement: Tank and tankless service for Havertown homes. Many of the calls we get involve units that have developed sediment buildup from Delaware County water hardness or anode rods that were never replaced.

Emergency plumbing: 24-hour response for main line backups, sewage backups, and pipe failures anywhere in Havertown and Haverford Township.

What Havertown Pipe Looks Like

Homes built in Haverford Township in the late 1940s and 1950s typically used salt-glazed clay tile for the sewer lateral. The bell-and-spigot joints were sealed with oakum and lead, which holds well until the surrounding soil shifts or tree roots find the interface between sections. Once a root enters a clay joint, it does not stop — it expands with the root, eventually fracturing the bell entirely.

Homes in Havertown built just after World War II — roughly 1945 to 1955 — may have Orangeburg laterals instead of clay. Orangeburg is the black, bituminous fiber pipe that was pressed into service when metal pipe was harder to source. It degrades to an oval or D-shaped cross-section underground, and most of what was installed in that era is now past its expected service life. A camera pass reveals the shape; an oval bore cannot be lined — it needs to be replaced.

The soil in Haverford Township is moderately heavy clay, which holds water after rain. Saturated clay soil puts lateral pressure on pipes, accelerating joint failure in clay tile and hastening deformation in Orangeburg.

Twins and Shared Laterals in Havertown

A significant portion of Havertown’s housing stock is twins — two attached homes sharing a common wall. In older twin construction, the two units sometimes share a single sewer lateral rather than each having their own. This was a cost decision at the time of construction, not a design flaw, but it means that a lateral failure in one unit affects both households. Before we scope any work on a lateral in a twin, we identify whether the pipe is shared. If it is, both owners need to be involved in the decision about how to proceed. We do not excavate across a property line without the adjacent owner’s knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my Havertown sewer lateral needs repair?

The most reliable way to know is a camera inspection. Symptoms that suggest a lateral problem include recurring slow drains across multiple fixtures, a gurgling toilet when the washing machine runs, a sewage odor in the basement without a visible backup, and a section of yard that stays unusually green or soggy when it has not rained. Any one of these alone can have another explanation; two or more together makes a camera pass the correct next step.

What kind of pipe is in a 1950s Havertown home?

Inside the house: almost certainly cast iron for the soil stack and drain branches. Outside in the yard to the street: clay tile in most cases, Orangeburg in some. Supply lines inside the walls may be galvanized iron in older sections and copper where any work has been done. The only way to confirm what is in the ground is a camera inspection; what is inside the walls requires visual access at cleanout points or fixture rough-ins.

Is a sewer camera inspection worth it before buying a Havertown home?

Yes, and we recommend it on every pre-1970 home in Haverford Township. A lateral replacement in Havertown, depending on length and access, is a significant cost that should appear in negotiations if the pipe is in poor condition. A camera inspection takes about an hour and provides video documentation of what is in the ground. We provide the video file and a written condition report.

For plumbing, drain cleaning, and sewer service in Havertown and all of Haverford Township, call 1-855-DONT-DIG.