When water is running where it should not, the 24/7 line at (617) 752-0573 is a dispatch line that takes emergency plumbing calls around the clock. We work from 875 Washington St in Braintree, and Quincy is the city directly to our north. It is a short drive between the two, but we never promise an arrival time before we know what your job involves.
Quincy is an older housing market. Census survey estimates put the median year built at 1958, and about 37 percent of homes date from 1939 or earlier. That is why this page is organized by building age first. The age of a building predicts which pipe fails next better than a street name does.
What a Quincy emergency call looks like
Four things matter on every call from Quincy, whichever ZIP code you are in.
Around-the-clock dispatch.
The line is answered around the clock, including nights, weekends and holidays. Tell us what is leaking, backing up or cold, and we give you shutoff steps to follow while the visit is arranged.
Same-day appointments when available.
For urgent jobs we book same-day visits when the schedule allows. If the visit has to be later, we say so plainly and tell you how to hold the situation until then.
Clear price before work starts.
We explain the job and the price before work begins. A Quincy owner or landlord can approve the scope knowing what it covers.
Licensed and insured plumbers.
Work that needs a permit goes through the city's Inspectional Services Department, and permits are issued only to licensed individuals.
Calls from Quincy ZIP codes 02169, 02170 and 02171 are handled the same way.
A 1958 median build year and what it means behind your walls
The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey estimates 48,072 housing units in Quincy. More than half of them, about 52 percent, were built before 1960. For you, that means a failing shutoff valve, a rusted drain stub or a tired water heater is more likely than a new-construction defect.
Many Quincy buildings have been repiped in pieces over the decades. A repair therefore often means joining new pipe to old, and we plan the work around what the older section will tolerate. Survey figures carry margins of error, so read them as a direction rather than a count.
Water running in a Quincy unit right now?
Close the nearest shutoff valve, then call (617) 752-0573. Our dispatch line answers around the clock.
Quincy homes by build era and what we check first
The shares below come from the same Census survey estimates. The last column is a checking order, not a prediction about your home.
| Built | Share of Quincy units | First checks on an emergency call. |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 or earlier. | About 37 percent. | Cast iron or clay drains, old galvanized or copper supply lines, shutoff valves that no longer close fully. |
| 1940 to 1959. | About 15 percent. | Original risers, drains at the foundation, water heater age. |
| 1960 to 1979. | About 17 percent. | Aging supply stops and fixture connections, original valves, drain stubs. |
| 1980 or later. | About 32 percent. | Fixture supply lines, fill valves and flappers, water heater age, fittings at plastic pipe joints. |
A pressure test or a camera tells us what is actually in your walls and under your floor, and that decides the repair.
Wollaston and the older shared buildings
Quincy's plan for the 50.75-acre Wollaston Urban Revitalization District says about 66 percent of its buildings predate 1940. Buildings that old carry the oldest drain stacks in the city. If a kitchen sink backs up in one unit, we check whether a shared stack is the cause before we cable only that fixture, using drain cleaning at the right point in the system.
About 62 percent of Quincy's housing units sit in buildings with two or more units, and roughly 11 percent are in buildings of three or four units. In a shared building, a backup on the lowest floor often starts higher up. Before we run a cable, we ask which units are affected, because that tells us whether to work at a fixture or on the building's main drain with sewer line cleaning.
Single-family house or multi-unit building: what changes in an emergency
The same leak calls for different first moves depending on the building.
Single-family home.
- One main shutoff controls everything, usually in the basement.
- You decide quickly and approve the scope yourself.
- A backup usually points to your own line.
- Check the water heater closet and the basement floor drain first.
Two to four units and larger buildings.
- A valve may control one unit or the whole building, so find out which.
- Call the owner or manager before opening a ceiling.
- A backup on the lowest floor can start in a stack serving several units.
- Ask neighbors below to check ceilings for stains or drips.
Water from the MWRA, and what it means at your fixtures
The City of Quincy buys its drinking water from the MWRA through five master meters, and the city distributes it. The city's 2025 report estimates that about 20 percent of its pipes are unlined cast iron more than 85 years old. It replaced 6.5 miles of main that year. If rust-colored water appears after street work, run the cold tap until it clears before blaming your own pipes.
The MWRA disinfects with monochloramine, and its 2025 average was 1.99 ppm. Rubber flappers and seals wear out in every water system, so we do not blame the water for a worn part without looking at it. If a flapper or supply-line gasket fails again and again, ask us to inspect the part and the fill valve rather than replacing it a third time.
Quincy has set a goal of removing identified lead service lines by 2034. If your home is on that list, tell us before we start work near the street side of your water line, so we can coordinate rather than cut into something the city plans to replace.
Before we get there: four steps for a Quincy emergency
These steps limit damage while an emergency visit is arranged.
Find the right shutoff.
In a house, close the main valve where the line enters the basement. In a multi-unit building, find out whether your valve serves one unit or the whole building, and tell the manager.
Cut power near water.
If water is near outlets, a panel or a basement appliance, turn off power to that area at the breaker. Do not stand in water to reach the panel.
Clear and document.
Move rugs and furniture out of the wet area. Photograph the damage for your landlord or insurer before you start cleaning.
Call the 24/7 line.
Call (617) 752-0573 and tell us the address, the ZIP code and what you see. We give you next steps and book the earliest same-day appointment available.
Sewer backups, the city system and your line
Quincy entered a Consent Decree with the US Department of Justice in 2021 over its sewer system, and the city publishes sewer overflow reports and a map. Those reports define a sewer backup and ask residents to keep fats, oils and grease out of drains. The practical point for you is that if several fixtures back up at once, the blockage may be in your lateral or in the city main.
A sewer camera inspection tells us which. It also gives you a recording to show the city's Water, Sewer and Drain Division if the problem sits on their side. We have not confirmed Quincy's rule on who owns each section of lateral, so ask the division before assuming who pays.
Permits and the Quincy inspectors
Quincy's Inspectional Services Department runs its Plumbing and Gas Department from the Public Works Building at 55 Sea Street, and its main line is (617) 376-1450. Under state rule 248 CMR 3.05, plumbing or gas work may not be replaced or repaired until a permit is issued, and permits go only to licensed individuals. That is another reason to hire a licensed plumber rather than a handyman.
The rule also allows a licensee to start an emergency repair first, if the work is tested and safe and the inspector is notified, with inspection no later than the next working day. In practice, a burst pipe at midnight does not wait for the office to open.
Neighbors we serve alongside Quincy
Homes across the line in Braintree 02184, Weymouth 02188 and Randolph 02368 get the same dispatch line. If your drain keeps backing up, drain cleaning and a camera look are usually the first step. If the water heater is the problem, water heater repair comes before any replacement talk.
You can also read how we handle Weymouth and Randolph on their own pages. A hidden leak behind a wall or under a floor is a leak detection job, and it is worth a call as soon as a ceiling stain or a rising water bill appears.
Quincy on the Map
Quincy emergency plumbing questions, answered
Yes. Our 24/7 dispatch line at (617) 752-0573 answers around the clock for Quincy, including nights and weekends. We book same-day appointments when available and explain the price before work starts.
Yes. We serve 02169, 02170 and 02171. City Hall at 1305 Hancock Street and the Public Works Building at 55 Sea Street use 02169. The city lists the Wollaston School playground on Beale Street under 02170. The MBTA addresses for North Quincy and Wollaston stations, and Squantum Point Park on Victory Road, use 02171.
We have not confirmed Quincy's rule, so we will not guess. Call the Water, Sewer and Drain Division at the Public Works Building and ask where private responsibility ends. A camera inspection shows where the problem sits so you can have that conversation with facts.
Stop running water in all units, then ask which floors are affected. If only the lowest unit is backing up, the blockage may be in the main drain. Call the owner or manager and then call us on the 24/7 line.
Replacing plumbing work needs a permit under state rule 248 CMR 3.05, and permits go to licensed individuals. The rule allows emergency work to start first if the inspector is notified, with inspection by the next working day. Ask us what is included before work starts.
Rubber parts wear in all water systems, and the MWRA does use monochloramine. We do not blame the water without inspecting the part. If a flapper fails repeatedly, we check the flapper seat and the fill valve together.
Yes. Older buildings often mix cast iron, galvanized and newer pipe. We test before cutting and plan the repair around what the old section will hold.