Plumber in Portland, ME: the short answer
If water is spraying from a pipe, coming through a ceiling or sewage is backing up, turn off the main water valve first, then call. Drips, running toilets and one slow drain can usually wait for a scheduled visit. No heat or no hot water in a Portland winter falls in between: nothing is flooding yet, but pipes can freeze once a house cools down. Call (207) 555-0163 to speak with a local plumber who serves Portland, South Portland, Biddeford, Saco and Yarmouth, or use this page to figure out what you're dealing with first.
Leaking right now? Do this first
- Shut off the water
Close the main valve where the water line enters the house, often near the meter in the basement. See how to find your main shut-off.
- Stay clear of electricity
Keep away from standing water near outlets, appliances or the electrical panel.
- Call a plumber
Describe what happened and where. If you smell gas, leave first and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.
What's going on with your plumbing?
Pick the problem. Each page covers the warning signs, how urgent it is, what happens when the plumber arrives, what affects the price and what to ask before you hire.
Emergency plumber
Burst pipes, flooding, sewage coming up or a leak you can't stop.
Frozen & burst pipes
No water from a tap on a cold morning, or a pipe that has split.
Water heater repair
No hot water, a leaking tank, rusty water or rumbling noises.
Drain cleaning
Slow sinks, clogged tubs and drains that keep backing up.
Sewer line repair
Several drains backing up at once, gurgling or sewage in the basement.
Leak detection
A water bill that jumped, damp spots or the sound of running water.
Sump pump repair
A pump that won't start, runs nonstop or quit during a storm.
Toilet repair
Running, clogged, rocking or leaking at the base.
Faucets & disposals
Drips, weak flow, or a garbage disposal that hums, jams or leaks.
Boiler repair
No heat, cold radiators, a leaking boiler or a dripping relief valve.
Is it a plumbing emergency?
A quick way to decide whether to call now or book a regular visit:
| Call now (shut the water off first) | Can usually wait for a scheduled visit |
|---|---|
| A burst or split pipe, or water spraying | A dripping faucet or showerhead |
| Water coming through a ceiling, wall or light fixture | A toilet that runs now and then |
| Sewage backing up into a tub, shower or floor drain | One slow sink or tub drain |
| No heat in freezing weather, with pipes at risk | Low pressure at a single fixture |
| A water heater leaking from the tank | A noisy garbage disposal that still works |
Still unsure? Read what counts as a plumbing emergency and what can wait, or go straight to our emergency plumber page.
Plumbing through a Portland year
The calendar shapes what goes wrong. Here's when each problem tends to peak around Portland.
- December to March
Frozen and burst pipes
Portland's average January low is about 15.6°F, and the city sees roughly 10 nights a year at or below 0°F. Pipes in exterior walls, basements, crawl spaces and garages are the first to freeze.
- Heating season
No heat, no hot water
Just over half of Maine homes relied on heating oil in 2023, according to Census data cited by the Governor's office. When a boiler quits, frozen pipes can follow.
- March to May
Snowmelt and spring rain
About 69 inches of snow falls in a typical year. When it melts, along with spring storms, sump pumps and basement floor drains get their hardest workout.
- All year
Clogs, leaks and water heaters
Drains, toilets, faucets and water heaters don't keep a season. Older homes and multi-unit buildings see more of all of them.
Portland plumbing by the numbers
Why plumbing in Portland has its own challenges
Portland is Maine's largest city, with 68,408 people at the 2020 Census, and the seat of Cumberland County. Most homes are in ZIP codes 04101, 04102 and 04103, on the peninsula and in the off-peninsula neighborhoods around Back Cove and Deering, with Peaks Island in 04108.
Long, cold winters
Consumer Reports notes that pipes usually freeze when it drops below 20°F, though they can freeze above that when uninsulated pipes run through unheated spaces. Portland's winter nights regularly drop below that mark, so pipe placement and insulation matter more here than in milder places. Our frozen pipe guide for Portland covers prevention.
Old houses
Maine's housing is old by national standards: 23.4% of its homes date from before 1940, compared with 12% nationally. In Portland that includes Victorian homes in the West End, triple-deckers on Munjoy Hill and in Parkside, and some of the city's oldest surviving houses in North Deering and Stroudwater. Older homes can have aging drain lines, decades of mixed repairs and pipes routed through spaces that were never meant to stay warm. See plumbing in older Portland homes.
Soft lake water
Portland Water District draws from Sebago Lake, Maine's deepest and second-largest lake, and reports a hardness of about 8 mg/L, which is very soft water. That means less mineral scale in water heaters and fixtures than in hard-water regions. The district also says lead was used in household plumbing into the 1980s, so in an older home the pipes inside the walls are worth knowing about even though its service lines are lead-free.
What happens when a plumber comes out
Questions on the phone
What's happening, where in the house, whether the water is off, and the age and type of home.
Finding the cause
The plumber inspects the fixture, pipe or drain. Drain and sewer problems may call for a camera, and hidden leaks for moisture or acoustic tools.
Options and price
You should hear what's wrong, whether repair or replacement makes more sense, and the price or how it's calculated before work starts.
The repair
The fix itself, then testing for leaks, flow and drainage before the plumber leaves.
Permits and paperwork
Maine law requires a permit from the local plumbing inspector to install plumbing in a building, so new installations may need one. The plumber should tell you if your job does.
How to find a reputable plumber in Portland
Maine licenses plumbers through the Plumbers' Examining Board, part of the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation. State law requires a license for anyone engaged in plumbing, with an exception for a person doing plumbing in a single-family home they live in, as long as the work meets the board's rules. License levels include master, journeyman, journeyman-in-training and trainee, and cities and towns can't require a separate local plumbing license.
- Ask for the plumber's Maine license and check it with the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation.
- For oil or gas burner work on a boiler or water heater, ask about a Maine Fuel Board license. The board offers free license verification online.
- Ask whether your job needs a permit from the local plumbing inspector.
- Get the price, or how it's calculated, before work starts, and get it in writing for bigger jobs.
- Ask what the warranty covers for parts and for labor.
What does a plumber cost in Portland?
It depends on what's broken, how hard it is to reach, the parts involved, whether it's an after-hours call and whether the work needs a permit. A clog cleared with a drain snake and a sewer line replaced under the yard are very different jobs. We don't publish prices, because they vary by company and by job, but our plumbing cost guide explains every factor and how to compare quotes.
Fix it yourself or call a plumber?
Plenty of small jobs are reasonable to try: plunging a toilet, cleaning a faucet aerator, replacing a toilet flapper, pressing a garbage disposal's reset button or testing a sump pump with a bucket of water. Maine law lets you do plumbing in a single-family home you live in. Call a licensed plumber for:
- a burst pipe, or a frozen pipe you can't find or reach
- sewage backing up, or several drains clogged at once
- water heater replacement, or anything involving gas or oil burners
- work in a duplex, triple-decker or apartment building, which falls outside the single-family exemption
- new plumbing that needs a permit and inspection
What to have ready when you call
A few details make the call faster:
- your address or neighborhood, and whether it's a house, condo, apartment or multi-unit building
- what's happening, and whether the water is shut off
- where: which floor, which fixture, the basement or outside
- how long it's been going on, and anything you've already tried
- whether you own or rent, since renters usually need to reach the landlord too
Areas served around Portland
Calls are welcome from every Portland neighborhood and from four nearby cities and towns.
- West EndZIPs 04101, 04102
- Munjoy Hill & East EndZIP 04101
- Old Port & DowntownZIP 04101
- Bayside & East BaysideZIP 04101
- ParksideZIPs 04101, 04102
- Back CoveZIP 04103
- Deering CenterZIP 04103
- North DeeringZIP 04103
- East DeeringZIP 04103
- RivertonZIP 04103
- OakdaleZIPs 04101–04103
- StroudwaterZIP 04102
- Libbytown & RosemontZIP 04102
- South PortlandZIP 04106
- BiddefordZIP 04005
- SacoZIP 04072
- YarmouthZIP 04096
We also take calls from Peaks Island (04108). Island visits depend on the ferry and the plumber's schedule.
Guides for Portland homeowners
Browse every guide on the plumbing blog.