Old houses, old pipes
Berkeley has some of the oldest housing in the East Bay. Many homes in Elmwood, Claremont, North Berkeley and the flats were built before 1940, and a lot of them still have some galvanized steel water pipe and cast iron or clay drain pipe. That pipe has done a long shift. Galvanized lines rust from the inside until they leak or clog. Clay sewer lines crack at the joints and let tree roots in.
So the emergencies we see in Berkeley tend to be age failures: a pipe that lets go inside a wall, a main drain packed with roots, or a water heater in a tight basement or closet that has rusted through.
Homes, duplexes and rentals
A large share of Berkeley housing is rented, and many buildings have two, three or four units on one sewer line. When that line blocks, every unit feels it. We work for owners, property managers and tenants who have been told to call a plumber. If you manage several buildings, our property manager page explains how we handle repeat work and paperwork.
How an emergency call goes
Call (510) 626-9773. Tell the person who answers your address, what is leaking or backing up, and how to get to it. Hill streets above Claremont Avenue and around Grizzly Peak can be narrow and steep, so a note about parking or a side gate saves time. A plumber is sent and you get an arrival window.
The first job on site is to stop the water or clear the line. Then we show you the cause and explain the repair and the cost before going further. For pipes that keep failing, we can talk through a repipe at a calmer time.
After the emergency
A cleared drain or a patched pipe gets you through the night. It may not be the whole answer. If the same line has backed up before, a camera inspection shows what is going on inside it. Berkeley also has its own rules on private sewer laterals; our sewer lateral page is the place to start if a sale or remodel is coming.
About Friendly Services
We are a family-owned company based in Hayward, with over 20 years in business, license CSLB #1156315 (C-36 plumbing), $1M general liability cover and workers' comp. Our own work carries a five-year workmanship warranty, and we have 100+ five-star reviews online.