Questions and answers
Plumbing FAQs
Service area, hours, pricing, and licensing, plus answers about each service we offer. If your question isn't here, give us a call.
General
General questions
We serve Asheville and nearby towns, including Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Weaverville, Woodfin, Fletcher, Arden, Hendersonville, Candler, Leicester, Fairview, Marshall, Mars Hill, and Canton. Our service area extends to Waynesville in the west, Burnsville in the north, Black Mountain in the east, and Tryon in the south. If you are not sure we cover your address, give us a call.
We schedule visits Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm. Call (828) 222-3903 and we will give you the earliest available time, or request a visit online and we will call you back to schedule it.
Yes. MRJ Plumbing holds an unlimited plumbing license in North Carolina and is insured. The unlimited license covers residential and commercial plumbing, including gas piping.
We diagnose the problem first, explain your options, and give you a price before any work begins. Estimates are free for many installations, including water heaters. When a repair will solve the problem, we recommend the repair over a replacement.
Yes. We install, repair, and descale gas and electric tankless water heaters, and we install standard tank and hybrid models. We size each unit to your household's hot water demand and confirm that your gas line, venting, or electrical service can support it.
Yes. If several drains are slow or a clog keeps coming back, we can run a camera through the line after clearing it to find the cause, whether that is grease, tree roots, or damaged pipe.
Yes. We provide service and repair for restaurants, offices, retail spaces, and apartment buildings, and we plumb new homes, additions, remodels, and commercial build-outs from rough-in through finish.
We do not service septic tanks, offer standalone leak detection, or work on mobile homes. If your job falls into one of those areas, we will tell you when you call so you can reach the right specialist.
Drain Cleaning
Drain Cleaning questions
If only one fixture is slow, the clog is usually in that fixture's drain. If several fixtures are affected, the toilet gurgles when a sink drains, or water backs up into a tub or floor drain, the main line is the likely cause. We confirm the location before we start.
Yes. We use cable and sectional machines for most clogs and hydro-jetting for grease, sludge, and heavy buildup. We recommend the method that fits your pipe and the type of blockage.
We recommend a camera inspection when a clog comes back, several drains are slow, or the home has older cast-iron or clay pipe. It shows the cause of the problem and the condition of the pipe.
We don't recommend it. Chemical cleaners rarely clear a full blockage, they can damage older pipe, and they leave caustic water in the line for whoever clears it next.
Most drain cleanings take between 30 minutes and an hour. Main line clogs, hydro-jetting, and camera inspections can take longer.
A drain that works doesn't need cleaning on a schedule. Lines with a known problem do. A main line with roots is usually cleaned once a year, and a restaurant kitchen line more often. If a line has backed up twice, a camera inspection will tell you whether it needs a schedule or a repair.
Yes. We clean problem lines on a set schedule for homeowners, landlords, and businesses, and we can inspect the line with a camera on the same visit to see whether its condition is changing.
Water Heaters
Water Heaters questions
If the tank itself is leaking, replace it. If the tank is sound and a part such as an element, thermostat, or thermocouple has failed, a repair is usually worth it. Age matters too. For a tank past 10 years old that needs a costly repair, replacement is often the better value. When both options make sense, we give you both.
A direct tank replacement usually takes a few hours. Switching to a tankless unit takes longer because it often involves new gas piping, venting, or electrical work.
Yes. We install, repair, and descale gas and electric tankless water heaters. We also handle the gas line and venting work a tankless installation often requires.
Yes, estimates are free for many water heater installations. When you call, have the address, your current heater's fuel type and size, and whether it is leaking.
Yes. We repair and replace water heaters for restaurants, offices, and rental properties.
Once a year for most tank water heaters. Homes on well water with sediment or hardness may need it more often. If the heater pops or rumbles while it heats, sediment has already built up.
Yes. Manufacturers recommend descaling the heat exchanger about once a year, and more often on hard water. We also clean the inlet filter. Asheville's city water is very soft, so scale builds fastest in homes on well water.
Sewer & Water Lines
Sewer & Water Lines questions
It depends on what the camera shows. A single damaged section can often be repaired. A line that is collapsed, rooted at many joints, or out of grade usually needs to be replaced. We show you the footage and explain both options.
Not always. A clog can often be cleared with drain cleaning. If the pipe itself is broken, sagging, or full of roots, cleaning only helps for a short time. A camera inspection tells you which one you have.
Yes. We can run a camera through the line and walk you through the footage so you know its condition before you close.
In areas served by the Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) of Buncombe County, MSD maintains the public sewer mains. The service line from your house to the main is the owner's to maintain. MSD may help with a blockage in the part of the line under the public right-of-way when there is a cleanout it can reach. A camera inspection shows where the problem is.
Yes. We coordinate the required permits and inspections for sewer and water line replacement.
No. We work on sewer lines and the plumbing in your home, but not on septic tanks or drain fields. For those, you will need a septic contractor.
Hydro-Jetting
Hydro-Jetting questions
A cable machine, or snake, cuts a hole through the blockage so water can pass. Hydro-jetting washes the whole inside of the pipe, including the grease and scale on the pipe wall that a cable leaves behind. A cable is the right tool for most single clogs. Jetting is for buildup.
It is safe for pipe that is in sound condition, including PVC, cast iron, and clay, when the pressure and nozzle are matched to the pipe. It is not the right method for pipe that is cracked, collapsed, or badly corroded. In an older home, or when a line has backed up more than once, we inspect it with a camera before we jet.
It clears fine roots and washes out what a cable cutter leaves behind. Roots grow back as long as the joint or crack they came through stays open, so jetting buys time. The lasting fix is to repair that section of pipe.
It depends on how much grease the kitchen produces. If a line starts to slow down before the next cleaning, the interval is too long. We set a schedule with you after the first cleaning shows how much buildup there was.
A cleanout is the best access point. If your home doesn't have one, or it is buried, we can often reach the line another way, and we can install a cleanout so the line is easier to service in the future.
Longer than a standard drain cleaning, because it includes set-up and a check of the line afterward. Most residential jobs are finished in one visit.
Sewer Camera Inspection
Sewer Camera Inspection questions
No. A single clog in one fixture rarely calls for a camera. We recommend an inspection when a clog returns, when several drains are affected, or when the home has an older clay or cast-iron sewer line.
Yes. That is usually the best time, because the camera needs a line that is flowing to see the pipe clearly.
Yes, if the home is older or has large trees near the sewer line. A standard home inspection does not include the inside of the sewer line, and after closing the repair is the owner's cost. Schedule it during your due diligence period so you have the results before you commit.
Through a cleanout when the home has one. If it doesn't, we can usually go in through a roof vent or by removing a toilet.
A belly is a low spot where the pipe has settled. Water and waste collect there instead of flowing through, and solids build up until the line clogs. The camera shows a belly as a stretch where the lens goes under water.
It tells us what the line needs, which is what a price is based on. If a repair is needed, we explain the options and give you a price before any work begins.
Gas Piping
Gas Piping questions
Yes. Every new or modified gas line is pressure-tested and leak-checked before it is put into service.
Yes. We often install the gas line and the tankless heater on the same job. We size the line to the heater's full demand so it performs as rated.
Yes. If your meter and existing piping have enough capacity, we can usually extend a line to the new appliance. If they don't, we will explain what needs to change.
We install and repair the gas piping and connect the appliance to it. Repairs to the appliance itself, such as a range or dryer, are handled by an appliance technician. Water heaters are the exception: we repair those.
Commercial Plumbing
Commercial Plumbing questions
We work with restaurants, offices, retail stores, property managers, and owners of apartment and multi-unit buildings.
Yes, within our hours of Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm. Many businesses book early-morning visits so the work is finished before they open.
Yes. We clear kitchen lines, floor drains, and grease lines with cable machines or hydro-jetting, and we can inspect the line with a camera if clogs keep returning.
Yes. We repipe apartment complexes and multi-unit properties, working unit by unit and coordinating the schedule with the property manager.
Pipe Repair & Repiping
Pipe Repair & Repiping questions
Not always. A single leak or damaged section can be repaired. If the pipe is failing in several places, or the house has galvanized or polybutylene supply lines, a full repipe is usually the better long-term choice.
Both are reliable. PEX costs less to install, uses fewer fittings, and handles freezing better than rigid pipe. Copper is rigid and durable. We recommend the material that fits your house and budget and explain why.
It depends on the size of the house and how easy the pipes are to reach. We give you a timeline along with the estimate.
Yes. We work unit by unit and coordinate with the property manager so each unit is without water for as short a time as possible.
Water Treatment & Filtration
Water Treatment & Filtration questions
Yes. The right system depends on what is in your water. A water test shows which minerals and contaminants are present and at what levels, so the equipment can be sized correctly.
Reverse osmosis forces water through a fine membrane that removes most dissolved minerals and contaminants. Most homes use it only at the kitchen sink for drinking water. A whole-house system treats all the water entering the home, which makes sense when the source water has problems other filters can't handle.
No. The City of Asheville's water is very soft. Hard water is mainly a concern for homes on private wells.
Yes. Scale and iron build up inside tank and tankless water heaters and reduce their efficiency. Treating hard or iron-rich water reduces that buildup.
Fixture Upgrades & Installation
Fixture Upgrades & Installation questions
Yes. We install customer-supplied fixtures. Send us the brand and model ahead of time so we can confirm the parts and connections needed.
If the faucet is in good condition and only drips, replacing the cartridge or seals usually solves it. If it is corroded, leaks from the body, or parts are no longer available, replacement is the better choice.
Yes. We install new disposals, replace failed ones, and repair jams and leaks.
No. Replacing a fixture in the same location is a fixture job. Moving fixtures or adding new ones usually means new supply and drain lines, which is remodel plumbing.
Vacation Rental Winterization
Vacation Rental Winterization questions
Before the first hard freeze, which in the Asheville area often arrives in late October or November. Homes at higher elevations can freeze earlier.
Keeping the heat on helps, but it won't protect the pipes if the power goes out or the heating system fails while the house is empty. Draining the system protects against both.
Yes. If a freeze hit while the house was empty, we can check the system for damage and repair any split pipe.
Residential Plumbing
Residential Plumbing questions
Yes. We work with landlords, property managers, and vacation rental owners, and we can coordinate access with tenants.
Yes. We price the work before we start, and estimates are free for many installations.
It may be, especially in hillside neighborhoods. If faucets spray hard, toilets run, or pipes bang when a valve closes, we can test the pressure and install a pressure-reducing valve if it is needed.
Yes. We flush tanks, check and replace anode rods, and descale tankless units to extend their life.
Construction & Remodel Plumbing
Construction & Remodel Plumbing questions
Yes. We work with custom home builders and general contractors on new construction, additions, and remodels, and we schedule our work around the project timeline.
Yes. We obtain the plumbing permit and coordinate inspections for our work.
No. We handle the plumbing on remodels and new construction. Carpentry, tile, and the other trades are handled by your contractor.
Yes. We plumb commercial build-outs and tenant improvements, and we can continue to service the building after it opens.
Mon–Sat 7:00am–7:00pm
Need a plumber in Asheville?
Call or request a visit online. Tell us your town and what is going on, and we will schedule a time that works for you.
Mon–Sat 7:00am–7:00pm · Licensed & insured in North Carolina