# River City Plumbing > Locally owned plumber based in Huntsville, Alabama, serving North Alabama including Madison, Decatur, Athens, and the surrounding Madison and Limestone County communities. Emergency service any time, and upfront pricing quoted before work begins. River City Plumbing is a single-location service-area business. It does not operate a storefront; technicians travel to the customer. The fastest way to reach them is by phone or text. Contact: phone and text (256) 207-5134, email ops@rivercityplumbingal.com. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, with emergency service available any time. The service area covers Huntsville, Madison, Decatur, Athens, Hampton Cove, Monrovia, Harvest, Meridianville, and nearby Madison County and Limestone County communities in Alabama. Services: emergency plumbing repair (burst pipes, no water, after-hours); water heater repair and replacement, tank and tankless; drain cleaning, snaking, and hydro jetting; leak detection and repair, including hidden and slab leaks; sewer and water line repair, camera inspection, and replacement; faucet, sink, and toilet repair and installation; repiping and gas line service; and water treatment, softeners, and filtration for hard water. Also: garbage disposals, sump pumps, backflow testing, outdoor spigots, remodels, new construction, and plumbing for property managers and apartment communities. Serves both residential and commercial customers. The price is given before any work starts, so there are no hourly surprises. ## Pages - [Home](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/): Huntsville plumbing, with services, service area, FAQ, and contact details - [Madison, AL](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/madison-al/): plumbing service in Madison - [Decatur, AL](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/decatur-al/): plumbing service in Decatur - [Athens, AL](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/athens-al/): plumbing service in Athens ## Services - [Emergency plumbing](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/emergency-plumber/): Burst pipe, sewage backing up, or water you can't shut off in Huntsville? What to do before we get there, and what can safely wait until morning. - [Water heater repair and replacement](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/water-heater-repair/): Water heater repair and replacement in Huntsville for tank and tankless, gas and electric. What's worth fixing, when to replace, and how to size it. - [Drain cleaning and hydro jetting](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/drain-cleaning/): Drain cleaning and hydro jetting in Huntsville for kitchen, bath, and main line clogs. How to tell a single slow drain from a main line problem. - [Leak detection and slab leak repair](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/leak-detection/): High water bill or a damp spot you can't explain in Huntsville? How to test your meter first, and how we find and fix slab, wall, and yard leaks. - [Sewer and water line repair](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/sewer-line-repair/): Sewer line repair and camera inspection in Huntsville. Roots, sags, broken cast iron and clay, and water line leaks between the meter and your house. - [Toilet, faucet, and sink repair](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/toilet-faucet-repair/): Toilet, faucet, and sink repair in Huntsville. Running toilets, leaks at the base, dripping faucets, stuck shutoff valves, disposals, and spigots. - [Repiping and gas lines](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/repiping/): Repiping and gas line work in Huntsville. Galvanized and polybutylene replacement, PEX or copper, and new gas lines for ranges, dryers, and grills. - [Water softeners and filtration](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/water-softeners/): Water softeners and filtration in Huntsville. How hard your water is, whether a softener is worth it, and what a filter does and doesn't fix. - [For property managers and landlords](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/property-managers/): Plumbing for property managers and landlords in Huntsville. Make-ready work, water heaters across units, main line backups, and backflow preventers. ## Blog - [All posts](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/) - [A plumbing checklist for rental turnovers](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/rental-turnover-plumbing-checklist/): A room-by-room plumbing checklist for landlords and property managers to run between tenants, before small problems become repairs. - [Boil water notice lifted? How to flush your pipes, ice maker, and more](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/boil-water-notice/): Once a boil water notice is lifted, flush the taps, dump the ice, swap the filters, and check the water heater. Here's the order to do it in. - [Burst pipe? What to do in the first 15 minutes](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/burst-pipe-what-to-do/): A pipe just burst. Here's what to do right now, in order, from shutting off the water and killing power to wet areas to drying out and calling a plumber. - [Cast iron drain pipes: how long they last and signs they're failing](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/cast-iron-drain-pipes/): Cast iron drain pipe is common in older Huntsville homes. How it fails, the signs to watch for, and why a camera matters more than the age. - [Galvanized pipes in older homes: when it's time to repipe](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/galvanized-pipes-older-homes/): How to tell if your house has galvanized water pipe, the signs it's failing, and when a partial or whole-house repipe makes sense in older homes. - [Garbage disposal humming but not spinning? Try this first](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/garbage-disposal-humming-not-working/): A disposal that hums but won't spin is almost always jammed. How to free it safely with the hex key, reset it, and tell when it's time to replace it. - [High water bill? How to check for a hidden leak](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/high-water-bill-hidden-leak/): Rule out normal use first, then run a simple meter test and a toilet dye test to find out if a hidden leak is behind your high water bill. - [How long do water heaters last? When to repair and when to replace](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/how-long-do-water-heaters-last/): Tank water heaters commonly last about 8 to 12 years. How to find your heater's age, which problems are worth fixing, and when to replace it. - [How to keep your pipes from freezing in North Alabama](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/how-to-keep-pipes-from-freezing/): How to protect crawlspace, garage and outside pipes before a hard freeze in North Alabama, and what to do if a pipe freezes anyway. - [How to shut off the water to your house](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/how-to-shut-off-water-to-your-house/): Where the main water shutoff usually is in North Alabama homes, how to close a gate or ball valve, and what to do when yours won't budge. - [Hydro jetting vs. snaking a drain: which one do you need?](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/hydro-jetting-vs-snaking/): Snaking clears most one-off clogs fast. Jetting scours the whole pipe for grease and roots. How to tell which job needs which tool. - [Is it a plumbing emergency, or can it wait until morning?](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/is-it-a-plumbing-emergency/): How to tell a real plumbing emergency from one that can wait, and what to do tonight to keep a small problem from getting bigger before morning. - [Is the water hard in Huntsville? What it does to your plumbing](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/hard-water-north-alabama/): Huntsville water is moderately hard or hard depending on which source reaches you. How to check yours, what scale does, and if a softener is worth it. - [Leak under the kitchen sink? How to find where it's coming from](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/leak-under-kitchen-sink/): A leak under the kitchen sink can come from the supply lines, the faucet, or the drain. Emptying the cabinet and testing each part finds it fast. - [Low water pressure in your house: the usual causes](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/low-water-pressure-causes/): Weak water at one faucet or the whole house? The usual causes of low water pressure, how to test it with a cheap gauge, and when to call a plumber. - [New to Huntsville? Plumbing to check in your first week](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/moving-to-huntsville-plumbing/): Just moved to Huntsville, Madison, Decatur, or Athens? Here's the plumbing to check and set up in your first week in the house. - [No hot water? What to check before you call a plumber](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/no-hot-water-what-to-check/): No hot water? What to check on a gas, electric, or tankless water heater, what you can safely reset yourself, and when to stop and call. - [No water in the house? What to check first](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/no-water-in-house/): No water anywhere in the house has a short list of real causes: outages, shutoffs, frozen lines, or a valve. Work through them in order. - [Pipe burst in your apartment? What to do before maintenance gets there](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/burst-pipe-apartment/): A burst pipe in a rental means a call to maintenance first, then a search for a shutoff, then protecting your own stuff. Here's the order. - [Plumbing decisions to make before a kitchen or bathroom remodel](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/remodel-plumbing-decisions/): The plumbing choices worth settling before demo starts on a kitchen or bathroom remodel, from moving fixtures to permits and rough-in timing. - [Plumbing to check before you buy a house in North Alabama](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/plumbing-checks-before-buying-a-house/): What to look at before you buy: pipe material, water heater age, old leaks, the crawlspace, septic, and when a sewer camera inspection is worth it. - [Polybutylene pipes: how to tell if you have them and what to do](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/polybutylene-pipes/): How to spot polybutylene pipe (look for the PB2110 stamp), why it fails at the fittings, what it means for insurance, and how a PEX repipe works. - [Replacing a water heater: what to expect, start to finish](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/replacing-a-water-heater/): What happens on install day when you replace a water heater, from shutting off the old one to filling the new tank and checking for leaks. - [Septic trouble signs for homes in Limestone and Madison counties](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/septic-warning-signs/): Slow drains, gurgling, and soggy ground over the drain field are common septic warning signs in rural Limestone and Madison county homes. - [Signs of a slab leak, and how one gets fixed](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/slab-leak-signs/): A slab leak shows up as a warm spot, a high bill, or the sound of running water with everything off. Here's how it gets fixed. - [Signs your main sewer line is clogged](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/main-sewer-line-clog-signs/): When several drains back up at once, the clog is usually in the main sewer line. The signs to watch for, what causes it, and what to do right now. - [Slow drain? What's worth trying and what to skip](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/slow-drain-what-to-try/): Most slow drains are a hair or grease clog within a foot or two. What actually clears them, what to skip, and when it points to a bigger problem. - [Tank or tankless: which water heater makes sense for your house?](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/tank-vs-tankless-water-heater/): An honest look at tank vs tankless water heaters: upfront cost, hot water supply, gas and venting needs, hard water upkeep, and who each one suits. - [Toilet leaking at the base: what it means and how to fix it](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/toilet-leaking-at-base/): Water at the base of a toilet often isn't the base at all. Here's how to tell condensation and loose bolts from a failed wax ring, and fix it. - [Toilet tank or pipes sweating? Why it happens in an Alabama summer](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/sweating-pipes-toilet-summer/): Condensation on pipes and toilets is normal in an Alabama summer. How to tell it apart from a real leak and stop it from damaging your home. - [Toilet won't unclog with a plunger? What to try next](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/clogged-toilet-wont-unclog/): When a plunger doesn't clear a clogged toilet, hot water, dish soap, and a toilet auger usually will. Here's the order to try them, and what to skip. - [Water heater leaking from the bottom: what it means](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/water-heater-leaking-from-bottom/): Water under your water heater? How to tell a leaking tank from a drain valve, relief valve, or loose fitting, and what to shut off right now. - [Water leak in Huntsville: call Huntsville Utilities or a plumber?](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/who-to-call-water-leak-huntsville/): The water meter marks the line. Before it or in the street, call Huntsville Utilities. After it, including your yard and house, call a plumber. - [Water leaking through the ceiling? What to do right now](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/water-leaking-through-ceiling/): Water coming through the ceiling means a pipe, a drain, or the roof. How to stop it safely, protect the room, and work out what's above that spot. - [What is a backflow preventer, and does yours need testing?](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/backflow-preventer-testing/): A backflow preventer keeps water from flowing back into your drinking supply. What it does, the common types, and who requires testing. - [What size water heater do you need?](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/what-size-water-heater/): How to size a tank water heater by peak-hour demand and first hour rating, plus what tankless sizing looks like instead. - [Why does my house smell like sewer?](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/sewer-smell-in-house/): The usual cause is a dry drain trap in a shower or floor drain nobody uses. Other causes, how to find the source, and how to tell it from a gas leak. - [Why your toilet keeps running, and how to fix it](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/toilet-keeps-running/): A running toilet is usually a leaky flapper or a water level set too high. How to tell which one, fix it yourself, and know when to call a plumber. - [Why your water heater pops and rumbles (and how flushing helps)](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/water-heater-popping-noise/): Popping or rumbling from a water heater usually means sediment in the bottom of the tank. Why it happens and how to flush a tank heater safely. - [Your plumbing after a storm or power outage: what to check](https://www.rivercityplumbingal.com/blog/plumbing-after-storm-power-outage/): What still works during a power outage, what to check after a storm, and when a downed tree or floodwater means calling a plumber first.