Emergencies
A burst pipe or a flooding basement. The first five minutes decide how bad it gets.
Plumbing tips for Tenafly, NJ homes
Tenafly's East Hill houses are big and old, its west side is post-war, and the brook between them floods. Here is what that means for pipe, heat and basements, and how to find a licensed plumber.
Tenafly climbs from the flats along the Tenakill Brook up onto the East Hill, and its housing follows the slope. On the hill are large houses from the 1890s through the 1930s, colonials, Tudors and a few mansions, on wooded lots. West of the brook and around the center are 1920s colonials and post-war capes and splits on smaller lots. The brook floods, and the houses on either side of it know it.
The East Hill houses
- Galvanized steel supply, replaced in part over the decades, with the remaining sections causing the fading pressure upstairs.
- Lead service lines in some of the oldest houses. See the FAQ above.
- Cast iron stacks and clay laterals, with the laterals under the big old street trees the weak point.
- Steam heat in many, with radiators worth keeping and boilers that get replaced. Some have been converted to hot water, not always well.
- Long runs and multiple bathrooms, with hot water that takes a minute to arrive and drains that were added later.
- Stone foundations that let ground water through in a storm and keep the basement damp.
The west side and center
Copper supply and cast iron drains in the post-war houses, with the drains now failing along the horizontal runs. Galvanized branch drains in the 1920s houses corrode shut and make sinks slow. Finished basements hide the shut-offs.
The brook
The Tenakill floods in a heavy storm, and the basements nearest it take water from the ground and from surcharging sewers. A sump pump with a backup handles the first; a backwater valve on the house drain handles the second. Raising the boiler and water heater on a platform is cheap insurance.
Water and sewer
Public water from the regional utility, moderately hard, and public sewer to the county authority. Pressure on the hill is lower than at the bottom, and a house at the top of the East Hill may need a booster for the top-floor shower.
When you need a professional
Plumbers in Tenafly work under a New Jersey master plumber license, which is verifiable online. The Find a plumber page opens a search near Tenafly and explains the check. For an East Hill house, ask about steam, galvanized replacement and lead service work before you hire.
Plumbing topics for Tenafly
Clogs and drains
Kitchen sinks, tubs, toilets and the old sewer lines under many Bergen County streets.
Hot water
Looking after a water heater, and knowing when it has reached the end.
Steam and hot water heat
Older Bergen County houses often have radiators. They are simple systems once you understand them.
Kitchen and bath fixes
The small repairs that save a service call, with honest notes on how hard each one is.
Upkeep and hiring
Seasonal checks, and how to hire a plumber in New Jersey without regretting it.
Common questions
My 1920s Tenafly house has three bathrooms but the original had one. Is that a problem?
It can be. The two added bathrooms were fitted into whatever space was free, and their drains and vents were improvised more often than not. Gurgling, weak flushes and a sewer smell after a shower are the signs of a vent problem. A plumber can trace the vent path and add or correct it, and the fix is usually smaller than the symptoms suggest.
How do I check whether my water service is lead?
Find where the pipe enters the house, usually near the meter in the basement. Lead is dull gray, soft enough to scratch bright with a key, and does not ring when tapped. Galvanized steel is gray but hard and magnetic; copper is orange-brown. The utility keeps an inventory of known lead lines and will replace them, so ask about your address as well.
Need a professional?
When it is more than a quick fix, search for plumbers near your town and verify the New Jersey license in a minute.