Pullman is a town of steep hills, old rental houses, and winters that test every pipe in the place. Plumbing Pros serves homeowners, landlords, and property managers across 99163 and 99164. Call (877) 401-2673 and talk to someone who knows this town's plumbing.

Plumbing for a college town on the hills

Pullman climbs and dips across the rolling Palouse, and its plumbing has to climb with it. The hills around the university hold some of the oldest housing stock in the region, much of it converted to student rentals decades ago and maintained to varying standards ever since. Newer subdivisions spread out from there with modern construction and their own set of issues. A plumber working here needs to be fluent in both: the galvanized-and-cast-iron past and the PEX-and-manifold present.

The rental market shapes everything about plumbing in this town. Turnover is annual, tenants are young, and the wear on kitchens, bathrooms, and drains runs at several times the pace of an owner-occupied home. Landlords who stay ahead of it with inspections between leases and maintenance on a schedule spend less than landlords who wait for the 10 p.m. backup call. Plumbing Pros works with a lot of property owners here, and the ones with the fewest emergencies are the ones with a maintenance routine.

Winter on the Palouse is not a gentle affair. Wind drives the cold into every gap, and the freeze-thaw cycles punish pipes in crawl spaces and along exterior walls. Every January brings the same crop of split lines, and the houses that sail through are the ones that were winterized in October: hoses off, bibbs drained, vulnerable runs insulated, shutoffs located and labeled. We do that work every fall, and it is some of the most cost-effective plumbing available.

Water quality divides the town neatly. City water is consistent and easy on equipment, but the homes on wells outside the city limits draw water with enough mineral content to shorten the life of everything it passes through. Testing before treating is our rule. A softener sized to actual test results protects water heaters, dishwashers, and fixtures for years. One sized by guesswork wastes salt, water, and money.

From drain cleaning and leak repair to water heater replacement, sewer camera inspections, and whole-house repiping, Plumbing Pros handles the full range of residential plumbing in Pullman. We show up on time, explain what we find in plain language, and price the work before we start it. Whether you own one home or a dozen rentals, call (877) 401-2673 when something is not right. We will give you a straight answer about what it needs and what it costs.

The crew behind the work

Plumbers who understand the rental rhythm

Every August, this town turns over a huge share of its rental housing in about two weeks, and the plumbing in those houses absorbs a year's worth of wear in a single semester. That rhythm shapes how Plumbing Pros works here. We think in terms of systems and schedules, not just single repairs, because the landlords and homeowners who do best in Pullman are the ones who maintain ahead of the cycle. Our job is to keep your water running, your drains clear, and your surprises to a minimum, whether you live in the house or rent it out. We answer our phone, we keep our appointments, and we treat your property like it is our own.

• Landlord-friendly documentation with photos, so repair decisions are easy even from out of town
• Maintenance scheduling that fits the turnover cycle, catching problems between tenants instead of during leases
• Honest repair-versus-replace guidance, because a rental and a forever home deserve different math
• Camera inspections for drains and sewers, so nobody pays to fix the wrong stretch of pipe
• Clean, protected work areas in occupied homes, with full cleanup before we leave
• Straightforward written pricing before work starts, with no surprise line items
• Responsive communication from the first call through the final walkthrough

What sets Plumbing Pros apart here

Why Pullman property owners call us first

• Rental expertise: We speak landlord. Turnover inspections, tenant-proof repairs, documentation for your records, and scheduling that works around leases instead of against them.
• Drain and sewer specialists: From a clogged kitchen line to a root-invaded lateral, we bring the right equipment and a camera, so the fix matches the actual problem.
• Winter preparation: We know exactly which Pullman houses freeze and why, and our fall winterization visits prevent the January emergencies that cost ten times more.
• Water testing first: For well-water homes, we test mineral content before recommending any treatment. The solution fits the water, not the other way around.
• Basement waterproofing sense: Sump pumps, discharge lines, and the grading that feeds them, we look at the whole water path, not just the pump.
• Clear pricing: Written options with real numbers before any work begins. You will never wonder what something costs with us.

What keeps Pullman plumbers busy

Rental housing that gets used hard

A college town runs its rental housing hard. Tenants pour grease down kitchen drains, flush wipes that promise to be flushable, and ignore the slow drain until it is a backup at 10 p.m. on a Sunday. Landlords end up with the same set of calls every semester: clogged kitchen lines, bathroom drains matted with hair, and toilets that cannot handle what gets thrown in them. Regular drain maintenance between tenants costs a fraction of what a backup cleanup costs during a lease, and a camera pass on the main line catches the problems that will not wait for move-out day.

Wind-chill freezes that split supply lines

Palouse winters bring wind-driven cold that finds every uninsulated pipe in a house. Crawl spaces under older College Hill homes, pipes along the windward side of a house, and hose bibbs on rentals that nobody winterized are the usual victims. The split almost never announces itself during the freeze. It waits for the thaw, then soaks a wall cavity or a basement ceiling. We repair the split, then we insulate and reroute so the same line does not split next January. Prevention visits in the fall are the cheapest plumbing a landlord in Pullman can buy.

Basement sump pumps failing in spring

Many basements in town sit below the water table for part of the year, and spring melt plus heavy rain can overwhelm a tired sump setup fast. A sump pump that has been humming along for years usually dies quietly, and the homeowner finds out when the carpet is wet. We replace failed pumps, add battery backup for the outages that tend to come with big storms, and check the discharge line to make sure it is not dumping water right back against the foundation. If your basement has ever smelled musty after a storm, the pump deserves a look.

Decades of deferred maintenance in rental stock

The neighborhoods around the university hold houses that have been student rentals for decades, and the plumbing shows it. Galvanized lines narrowed by corrosion, supply lines patched by a series of well-meaning handymen, drains with a history of chemical cleaners eating at the traps, we see the accumulated result of deferred maintenance. A whole-house inspection before a purchase or between long tenancies finds the weak spots in one visit instead of discovering them one emergency at a time. We document everything with photos so owners can plan repairs by priority instead of by panic.

Hard well water on the county edges

Homes just outside city limits on private wells deal with mineral-heavy water that leaves its mark on everything it touches. Faucet aerators clog, showerheads lose pressure, dishwasher heating elements cake over, and water heaters fill with sediment years ahead of schedule. The water is safe to drink, but it is hard on equipment. Testing tells us exactly what is in it, and treatment is sized to the results. A softener matched to the actual hardness and the household's water use protects every appliance downstream of it.

Shifting soil opening old sewer joints

Palouse silt and clay soils move with the seasons, and older sewer laterals move with them. Joints open, roots from yard trees move in, and the line starts collecting debris at every offset. The tell is a drain system that works fine most of the time but backs up after heavy use or heavy rain. A camera inspection shows the offsets, the root masses, and the bellies where water stands, and then the repair can be a spot fix, a lining, or a full replacement depending on what the footage shows. Guessing at sewer work is how people pay twice.

Water heaters nobody ever flushed

The water heater is the appliance everyone forgets until the shower runs cold. In rentals it gets flushed never, which means sediment builds until the burner or elements are heating through inches of mineral sludge. Warning signs are popping and rumbling during heat cycles, rusty tint in hot water only, and a pilot or igniter that keeps failing. We flush and service heaters to extend their working life, and when replacement makes sense we size the new one to the actual household, not to whatever was there before.

What a service visit looks like

1. Tell us what is happening: Call (877) 401-2673 and describe the problem the way you would tell a neighbor. Slow drain, no hot water, wet spot on the ceiling, strange smell, all of it is useful information. We will ask a few targeted questions to gauge urgency and find you a slot that fits your schedule, whether you are an owner-occupant or managing tenants.
2. We investigate properly: We come out and look at the real problem with real tools: pressure gauges for supply issues, cameras for drains and sewers, moisture meters for suspected leaks. You get to see what we see, because we show you the photos and footage as we go. No black-box diagnosis, no jargon you need a dictionary for.
3. You approve a written plan: Before any wrench turns, you get your options in writing with honest pricing. Repair it, replace it, or watch it for now, we lay out what each path means for your house and your wallet. For landlords, we flag which items are urgent and which can wait for the next turnover. You make the call, not us.
4. We fix it and stand behind it: We do the work carefully, protecting floors and walls, and we test everything before we consider it finished. Then we walk the job with you, show you what was done, and explain any maintenance that will keep it running. The site gets cleaned up fully. If something is not right afterward, you call us and we come back and make it right.

Where we work in Pullman

We cover Pullman across both 99163 and 99164, from the historic rental neighborhoods on College Hill and Military Hill to the newer subdivisions spreading out from the university. Our regular routes include the older homes near downtown where galvanized and cast iron are still common, the student-rental blocks where drains take a beating every semester, and the family neighborhoods further out with modern construction. We also reach the surrounding Palouse addresses within our daily routing, including homes on well water outside the city limits where mineral treatment and septic-aware plumbing matter. If your address falls in 99163 or 99164, you are in our service area. Don't see your ZIP code? Call (877) 401-2673 and we'll confirm coverage.

Zip Codes We Serve in Pullman

99163, 99164

Testimonials

I have used them for five years across a handful of rental houses, and the difference from my old plumber is night and day. They document everything with photos, which makes it easy to decide what to fix now and what can wait for turnover. Tenants get treated respectfully, invoices match quotes, and the emergency calls have dropped because they actually fix root causes.

Our basement took on water two springs in a row and we assumed it was just how the house was. They found a dead sump pump and a discharge line that was dumping water right back at the foundation. Fixed both in one visit, and the basement has been dry through two wet seasons since. Wish we had called them the first year.

We bought an older house and had them do a full plumbing inspection before we moved in. They found a section of galvanized supply that was nearly closed with corrosion and a water heater on its last legs. We negotiated the repairs into the purchase and had them do the work after closing. Honest, thorough, and worth every penny.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do our rental's drains keep clogging?

Grease is the number one enemy. It goes down liquid and sets up solid in the line, and in a house with a long run to the main it builds until the line is half grease. Wipes are second, even the ones labeled flushable, because they do not break apart the way toilet paper does. We clear the line with the right equipment for the blockage, then we talk honestly about what keeps happening. In rentals, a simple rule sheet for tenants about what goes down the drain prevents most repeat calls.

How do I protect pipes during a Palouse winter?

Start with the pipes nobody thinks about: the ones in crawl spaces, along exterior walls, and in unheated garages. Disconnect every hose from its bibb in the fall and drain the line if there is an interior shutoff. During a hard freeze, keep a faucet on an exterior wall dripping slightly and open the cabinet doors beneath it. And know where your main shutoff is. When a line does freeze, call (877) 401-2673 before it thaws, because the split usually reveals itself with the thaw.

The shower pressure dropped. Is it the showerhead or something bigger?

If it only happens in one fixture, the problem is usually local to that fixture. If hot water pressure is weak everywhere while cold is fine, the restriction is in the hot-water side, and sediment in an aging water heater is the usual suspect. If both hot and cold are weak across the house, the main supply or the pressure regulator needs attention. We test pressure at several points to isolate it instead of replacing parts on a hunch.

What determines the price of a plumbing job?

What moves the number is scope, access, and materials. A ten-minute cartridge swap and a repipe of a two-story house are not in the same universe because the hours, the openings in walls, and the material quantities are completely different. Access matters a lot in older homes: a clean crawl space versus one you can barely enter changes the labor picture. And work that cannot wait for a normal appointment takes scheduling priority. Call (877) 401-2673 and we will look at your specific situation and give you a real number.

Why does my basement take on water every spring?

It is usually the sump pump, the discharge line, or the grading outside, and sometimes all three. A dead pump is the simplest cause and the easiest to fix. A discharge line that empties against the foundation is a design problem that needs rerouting. And if the ground outside slopes toward the house, water will keep coming no matter what the pump does. We check the whole chain, because replacing a pump without fixing a bad discharge line just buys time.

Should I soften my water in Pullman?

The minerals are harmless to drink but rough on equipment, so the decision is really about protecting your appliances. Clogged aerators, spotted fixtures, a water heater that fails early, and a dishwasher that keeps needing elements are all signs the water is working against you. We test first and size treatment to the results. For some houses a softener is clearly worth it; for others on city water it would be money wasted. The test settles it.

How can I tell if my sewer line is failing?

Gurgling toilets, water backing up in a tub when the washer drains, and any sewage smell from a floor drain all point to the lateral rather than a branch clog. Tree roots love old joints, and the shifting soils around here open those joints over time. A camera inspection shows exactly where the problem is and how bad it is, which is the difference between a targeted repair and digging up the whole yard. Plumbing Pros runs the camera and walks you through the footage on the spot.

Does water heater maintenance actually matter?

They do in the sense that mineral buildup shortens their life and slows their recovery, so flushing the tank once a year makes a real difference, especially on well water. The anode rod is the part that sacrifices itself to protect the tank, and checking it is part of a proper service visit. Once the tank itself starts leaking, though, no service saves it, and replacement is the honest answer. We will tell you which situation you are in.

What should I do first if a pipe bursts?

Turn off the main valve first, then open the lowest faucet in the house to relieve pressure. If the leak is at one fixture, use that fixture's local shutoff so the rest of the house keeps working. Keep clear of any water near electrical outlets or panels. Then call (877) 401-2673, describe what you see, and we will guide you on what to do until we arrive. Finding your main shutoff before you need it is the best preparation there is.

Local Weather Risk

Whitman County has recorded the following severe weather events since 2015, per NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information:

• Flood: 19 recorded events (2017–2025)
• Thunderstorm Wind: 12 recorded events (2015–2024)
• Flash Flood: 5 recorded events (2015–2019)
• Hail: 5 recorded events (2021–2022)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Our Services

• Backflow Prevention Testing & Installation Near Me — Call for pricing
• Bathroom Plumbing Remodel Near Me — Call for pricing
• Bathtub Repair & Installation Near Me — Call for pricing
• Burst Pipe Repair Near Me — Call for pricing
• Commercial Plumbing Services Near Me — Call for pricing

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