Look, I'm gonna shoot straight with you because I'm tired of seeing homeowners get fleeced. Service call in Houston? You're looking at $175-$300 just to get someone out there. That's BEFORE they touch a wrench. Water heater replacement in 2026 runs $1,800-$4,000 depending on if you're going tankless or traditional (and don't let anyone tell you different). Hydro-jetting your main line? $500-$900 for residential. Sewer camera inspection adds another $200-$400. Here's the cold hard truth - if someone quotes you half these prices over the phone, they're either gonna hit you with "unexpected" charges or they're using parts that'll fail in two years. I've seen it a thousand times. The labor shortage is REAL right now, so good plumbers are charging what they're worth. You want the $99 special? You're getting the guy who got fired from three companies last year.

Pipe burst at 2 AM? Welcome to my world. First thing - SHUT OFF YOUR MAIN WATER VALVE. I can't tell you how many times I've shown up to a house with water pouring out while the homeowner's standing there filming it for insurance. Every second counts (literally thousands of gallons). Emergency calls run $300-$500 just to show up after hours, and that's fair because I'm leaving my bed and fighting Houston traffic. Most burst pipes happen in the attic or exterior walls when we get those freak freezes (yeah, Houston DOES freeze despite what transplants think). December through February, my phone doesn't stop. Copper pipes, PEX, galvanized - they'll all burst if conditions are right. The repair itself? $200-$800 depending on location and how much drywall I gotta cut. Here's what nobody tells you - the water damage is gonna cost 10x more than fixing the pipe. Get a plumber AND a restoration company on speed dial.

This city is BRUTAL on plumbing. The clay soil? It shifts constantly - expands when wet, contracts when dry. Your slab foundation moves, and suddenly your main line has a belly or worse, a crack. I've replaced more sewer lines due to soil shift than anything else. Cost? $4,000-$15,000 depending on length and if we gotta go under your driveway. The humidity down here means mold in every corner if you've got a slow leak (and you probably do and don't know it). Tankless water heaters are popular but our hard water DESTROYS them without proper descaling maintenance. Speaking of water heaters - most Houston homes have them in the attic (genius idea, right?) so when they fail, you've got 40-50 gallons flooding your ceiling. Summer heat makes PVC brittle over time. Hurricane season? Don't even get me started on backflow issues and sump pump failures. This ain't Minnesota plumbing - it's its own beast.

I've cleaned up after so many COWBOY PLUMBERS I could write a book. Red flags? No licensed master plumber on staff (Texas requires it). Won't pull permits for water heater or gas line work (ILLEGAL and dangerous). Shows up in an unmarked van with mismatched tools. Quotes you before seeing the problem. Uses phrases like "I can do it cheaper if we skip the inspection." Look, licensing in Texas is no joke - you need 8,000 hours as an apprentice, then pass the journeyman exam, then FOUR MORE YEARS and another exam for master plumber. These guys bypassing that? They don't know code. They don't know safety. I've seen DIY sharkbite fittings holding up main lines (they're for TEMPORARY fixes only!). I've seen gas lines connected with pipe dope instead of tape on the threads. I've seen water heaters venting into attics instead of outside. Every single one was installed by an "affordable" handyman. You're not saving money - you're buying a future disaster.

Real talk about what matters. Camera inspection of your sewer line? If your house is over 20 years old, DO IT. $300 now saves you $12,000 in emergency excavation later. Hydro-jetting vs. snaking? Snaking ($150-$300) clears the blockage. Hydro-jetting ($500-$900) CLEANS the pipe. For main lines with grease buildup or root intrusion, jetting is worth it. Water heater flush? In Houston's hard water, you need this annually ($100-$150) or your tank fills with sediment and dies early. Now the upsells - whole-house repiping when you've got one leak (unless you've got galvanized pipes from the 1960s, you probably don't need it). "Pipe coating" services that promise to fix everything without digging (50/50 success rate in my experience). Expensive water softener systems when a basic unit does the job. Gas line "safety inspections" that find phantom leaks. I'm not saying skip maintenance - I'm saying know what you're paying for and why.

Here's what separates the pros from the hacks. They show up on time (or call if delayed - Houston traffic is unpredictable). Licensed master plumber license number is on the truck, website, and estimate. They EXPLAIN what's wrong before quoting (and show you if possible). Warranty on labor AND parts (minimum one year). They pull permits for water heater installs, gas work, and major repairs. They don't pressure you into same-day decisions on major work. They've got insurance - liability AND workers comp (ask to see certificates). References from local supply houses (Ferguson, HD Supply - the pros have accounts there). They know Houston code (different from state code in some areas). They don't bad-mouth other plumbers but they'll tell you straight if previous work was done wrong. Pricing is itemized. They clean up their mess (drop cloths, wipe up water). Look, the labor shortage means good plumbers are BUSY - if someone can start your water heater replacement tomorrow with no wait, that's actually suspicious right now.

Twenty-five years doing this, and I'm gonna tell you what I tell my own family. Plumbing isn't getting cheaper. Parts costs are up 30% since 2020. Skilled labor is disappearing because nobody wants to crawl under houses in 100-degree heat anymore (and I don't blame them). Your 1980s house in Houston? The plumbing is TIRED. That galvanized pipe is corroded inside even if it looks fine outside. Your cast iron sewer line has pinholes you can't see yet. The P-trap under your kitchen sink is held together by calcium deposits and prayer. I'm not saying this to scare you into spending money - I'm saying BUDGET for it. Put aside $100/month for plumbing emergencies because they WILL happen. Get a relationship with a good local plumber before you need one at 3 AM. Maintain your systems - that water heater flush, that main line cleaning, checking your pressure regulator (should be 40-70 PSI). The $500 you spend on maintenance saves you the $5,000 emergency. And for the love of God, stop putting grease down your drain and flushing "flushable" wipes (THEY'RE NOT FLUSHABLE). That's free advice that'll save you hundreds.