Plumbing FAQs - A&B Plumbing in Hickory, NC

Shut off your main water valve (and gas or power if needed), document the damage for your insurance company with phone photos, move valuables away from the water, and call (980) 276-0199 first thing at 8 AM. We prioritize overnight emergencies on the morning schedule. For gas leaks: leave the house and call 911 plus your gas utility immediately, regardless of our hours. See our Emergency Plumber Hickory page for step-by-step guidance.

During business hours, most emergency calls in Hickory proper (28601, 28602, 28603) are dispatched within a 60 to 90 minute window. Mountain View, Falling Creek, Sherrills Ford, and other outlying Catawba County addresses are typically same-day. The dispatcher gives you a realistic window on the call.

Tank water heaters: typically 8 to 12 years. Tankless: 15 to 20 years with annual flushing. Outlying Catawba County homes with hard well water see shorter tank life because mineral buildup accelerates anode-rod wear. Replacing the anode rod every 3 to 5 years and flushing the tank yearly can add years to a tank's service life. See our water heater repair Hickory NC page for repair-vs-replace guidance.

Yes - A&B Plumbing is a Navien Service Specialist. Brandon is factory-trained on the NPE, NPN, and NCB lines. We carry common Navien parts on the truck and can read and clear most error codes (E003 ignition failure, E012 flame loss, E110 fan, E351 water pressure) on the same call. Most other Catawba County plumbers refer Navien work out; we handle it in-house. See tankless water heater service for details.

A pump that will not cycle off usually points to a failed pressure switch, a leak in the pressure tank bladder, a stuck check valve, or a failing pump end. Often it is a $90 pressure switch (Square D 30/50 or 40/60), not the pump itself. We diagnose before we quote replacement - we REPAIR pumps when the failed part is the switch, check valve, or control box. See well pump repair Hickory NC.

No. New well drilling is the specialty of RockWater Well Drilling and a few other local outfits. A&B Plumbing focuses on the pump side: submersible and jet pump repair, replacement, pressure tanks, water-quality treatment, and well-line repair from the wellhead to the house.

Hard well water in outlying Catawba County (Falling Creek, Mountain View, Sherrills Ford) frequently runs above 10 grains per gallon with iron and manganese. We test the water, then recommend a softener, an iron filter, or a whole-house filtration setup based on the actual readings. We also flush the tank water heater because iron buildup shortens its life. See water filtration in Hickory NC.

Hickory sees sustained sub-freezing nights 8 to 14 times most winters. Insulate exposed pipe runs in vented crawlspaces and attics (common in 1960s through 1980s Westmont and Brookford ranches), disconnect outdoor hoses before the first freeze, keep cabinet doors open on cold nights to let warm air reach pipes on exterior walls, and know where your main shutoff valve is. If a pipe bursts during business hours, call (980) 276-0199.

Repeated whole-house backups, multiple slow drains at once, sewage smell in the yard, soggy patches in the lawn, or a slab-mounted recurrence of root intrusion are all signs the main line is failing. Older Westmont and Brookford homes from the 1950s and 1960s often still have original cast-iron mains that scale and crack at the 60-to-70-year mark. A camera inspection tells you exactly what is going on before you commit to repair or full replacement. See sewer line replacement in Hickory.

We recommend against caustic chemical drain cleaners. They corrode older galvanized and cast-iron pipes, damage rubber gaskets at trap connections, and rarely clear a real clog (they just push softer material around it). A drain snake or a hydro-jet handles the clog mechanically and protects your plumbing. See drain cleaning.

Common culprits: a toilet flapper that does not fully seat (it can quietly waste hundreds of gallons a day), an outdoor hose bib with a slow drip, a slab leak under the foundation (look for warm spots on the floor or unexplained mildew), or an irrigation system valve that does not close fully. We can run leak detection to find the exact source.

Yes. A&B Plumbing holds active NC plumbing licensing, carries general liability and workers compensation insurance, and is BBB accredited. Owner Brandon is a master plumber and is on most jobs personally.

Yes - we offer financing through Wisetack and their partners at Housecall Pro. Most plumbing emergencies are not budgeted, so financing is helpful for water heater replacement, sewer line work, well pump replacement, and other higher-ticket repairs.

Call (980) 276-0199 Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, or use the form on our contact page. We reply during business hours and confirm an appointment window before we roll.