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My name is Reuven. master plumber, New York City, going on 31 years. Every borough. Pre-war brownstones, high-rises, steam systems older than most of the people reading this.

My son Shawn set up a website for me and talked me into doing a newsletter and now apparently Reddit. I’m not really a “posting on the internet” guy but he made a convincing argument that some of what I know might actually help people who can’t afford to get ripped off or just want straight answers.

So here’s what I’m telling everyone right now heading into spring:

Service your boiler now. Not October. By October every plumber in the city is booked three weeks out. Right now I have availability Tuesday. Clean the burners, check the pressure relief valve, flush the sediment. $200 now or $3,000 at 11pm in November. Your choice.

Check how old your water heater is. Serial number plate on the side. First four digits are usually month and year of manufacture. If it says 2014 or earlier you are on borrowed time. They don’t warn you. One day it just goes and you have 40 gallons on your floor.

Run the faucets and flush the toilets you haven’t touched all winter. Second bathrooms, basement sinks, vacation places. P-traps dry out and let sewer gas in. Two minutes per fixture. Free.

Open the cabinet under every sink and look at the supply lines. Braided hoses connecting the wall to the faucet. Bulging, corroded, rubber showing through the braiding — replace them. $15 part. Number one cause of water damage in NYC apartments.

Find your main shut-off valve today. Not when something is going wrong. Usually under the kitchen sink or in a utility closet in apartments. Basement near the front wall in brownstones. If it won’t turn, that’s already a problem.

if you’ve got a question you’ve been sitting on, drop it below. doesn’t matter how small it seems. i’ve been answering the same questions for 30 years and i don’t mind answering them again. that’s kind of why i’m here.

— Reuven.