Emergencies
A burst pipe or a flooding basement. The first five minutes decide how bad it gets.
Plumbing tips for Fair Lawn, NJ homes
Fair Lawn's capes and colonials, from the planned streets of Radburn to the postwar neighborhoods, have plumbing that is now sixty to ninety years old. Here is what to watch, and how to find a licensed plumber.
Fair Lawn is a borough of small and mid-sized houses, from the planned garden-city streets of Radburn, laid out in 1929, through the capes and colonials that filled the borough in the 1940s and 1950s. Houses are close together, lots are compact, and the plumbing is of a piece: original in many houses, and now in the age range where the drains and the remaining steel pipe give out.
What the houses have
- Capes with finished attics, putting a bathroom up under the roof, where pressure is lowest and pipes are closest to the cold. Weak flow upstairs and frozen pipes in a cold snap are both common.
- Galvanized pipe in the older houses, and copper in the postwar ones, often mixed. The steel sections narrow with rust and the pressure suffers.
- Cast iron drains that have reached the age of leaks along horizontal runs.
- Radburn houses with their distinctive layouts and, in many cases, original heating systems that have been maintained for nearly a century. They reward a plumber who knows old systems.
- Small lots mean the sewer lateral is short, but the street trees are old, and roots still find it.
Water
The borough's municipal water is harder than the regional supply in neighboring towns. Water heaters need their yearly flush, shower heads need cleaning, and a softener is worth considering in a house where the scale is a constant battle.
Basements
Many Fair Lawn basements are partly finished and partly damp. A sump pump, a water alarm, and discharge that runs well away from the foundation are the basics.
When you need a professional
Plumbing in New Jersey must be done under a licensed master plumber. The Find a plumber page opens a search near Fair Lawn and shows how to verify the license online.
Plumbing topics for Fair Lawn
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
Fair Lawn's water tastes different from neighboring towns. Why?
Fair Lawn runs its own municipal water system, drawing on local wells as well as purchased water. Well water tends to be harder, which shows in scale on fixtures and in water heaters. A hardness test strip tells you what you have.
What is the rule on sump pump discharge in Fair Lawn?
As elsewhere in New Jersey, a sump pump should discharge outdoors to your own property, not into the sanitary sewer. If yours drains into a laundry sink or a floor drain, have it rerouted.
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.