Plumbers in Avondale Estates, GA

A planned town from the 1920s

George Francis Willis founded Avondale Estates in 1924 as a planned community, and it was incorporated in 1927. The Tudor-style downtown along U.S. 278 and Lake Avondale still define the city, which sits next to Decatur about 7 miles east of downtown Atlanta. The city also includes the Rail Arts District, and the first Waffle House, now a museum, is here. The city had 3,567 residents in 2020.

Plumbing in houses this old

The median home was built in 1966, and just over half predate 1980. More telling: about a quarter of homes were built in the 1950s, and about one in eight in 1939 or earlier. Houses from those decades may still have galvanized steel water lines, cast iron waste stacks, and clay or cast iron sewer laterals running out to the street, plus decades of later repairs layered on top. A careful plumber will check what is actually in the wall or crawl space before quoting a repair, and a camera inspection of the lateral is a sensible step when backups keep returning.

Older houses also tend to have shutoff valves that have not been turned in years. Find yours and test it gently before you need it.

DeKalb County owns the pipes in the street

The city says water and sewer infrastructure in Avondale Estates is owned and operated by DeKalb County Watershed Management, and the city has no authority to maintain or repair it. DeKalb draws from the Chattahoochee River and treats it at the Scott Candler plant; its yearly water quality report has the test data.

DeKalb is responsible for the service line up to and including the meter, usually in a pit near the street. From the meter into the house belongs to the owner. Homes with an irrigation system need a backflow assembly on the customer side of the meter, tested every year by a certified tester, under DeKalb's backflow program.

Permits through Community Core

Avondale Estates handles all building permits and inspections through Community Core. Plumbing work needs its own trade permit regardless of the job's value. City Hall is at 21 North Avondale Plaza (404-294-5400, weekdays 8 to 5).

Gas

Atlanta Gas Light is the expected pipe utility. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and AGL at 877.427.4321.

Calling

Mention the age of the house and what you are seeing. You will be connected with an independent plumber who serves Avondale Estates, and price and timing are agreed between you.