Planning a job
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Send a couple of photos and a short description. We’ll come back with a real number, usually the same business day.
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Chicago & near suburbs · Since 1996
Flat-Rate Plumbing
& Sewer Work,
Priced Before We Start.
Rodding, repipes, water heaters and 24/7 emergencies across the city. You get the number in writing before a single tool leaves the truck, and it doesn't move.
Welcome to Halsted
Thirty years under Chicago bungalows, two-flats and high-rises.
There isn’t much left down there we haven’t already seen, and not much that surprises us on the way back up. Same crews, same trucks, same phone number since 1996.
- Our own crews, never subcontracted
- Licensed, bonded and insured in Chicago
- Dispatch picks up at three in the morning
- 0 Years in business One truck on the Northwest Side. Six today.
- 0 Jobs completed Rodding, repipes, heaters, flood control.
- 0 Licensed plumbers All on payroll, so you get the same faces back.
Who we work with, week in week out
Our Work
Recent jobs
around the city
From a single shut-off valve to a full sewer line under the parkway. Every job below was quoted flat, permitted where required, and finished by our own crews. We don’t subcontract.
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Bathroom RemodelsFull gut to finished tile. We handle rough-in, waterproofing, fixtures and the final trim, then hand the room back swept and sealed. Most jobs run three to five days on site.
Kitchen & FixturesFaucets, disposals, ice-maker lines and shut-off valves. Most swaps are done in a single visit and the old unit leaves on our truck.
Water HeatersSame-day tank swap straight off the truck, or a full tankless conversion with code venting, expansion tank and permit included.
Sewer Line ReplacementOpen-cut where it makes sense, trenchless where it saves your yard. We pull the permits, meet the city inspector and restore the parkway.
Flood ControlBackwater valve, overhead sewer and a battery-backup pit. MWRD paperwork handled end to end so the basement stays dry.
Leak & Pipe RepairLocated with a camera or acoustic gear so we open the smallest hole possible. We fix it, patch the drywall back and leave the room clean.
- Emergency Repairs Burst pipes, active leaks, no hot water, sewage backing into the basement. We run trucks 24/7, holidays included. from$145/hr
- Sewer Rodding & Jetting Main line backups, grease, roots and bellies. Power rodding first, hydro-jetting when the line needs a real scrub. from$325
- Camera Inspection We record the whole line and hand you the footage plus a locate. You see exactly what we see, so nobody has to take our word for it. from$295
- Flood Control Backwater valves, overhead sewers and check valves. Permits and MWRD paperwork handled start to finish. from$3,900
- Water Heaters Same-day tank swaps off the truck, tankless conversions, expansion tanks and code-compliant venting. from$1,850
- Sump & Ejector Pumps Replacements, battery backup systems, pit cleaning and float adjustments before the next spring storm. from$675
Every line item, in writing
These are the numbers we quote from. Yours is confirmed on paper before any work starts.
Emergency & repairs
- Diagnostic service callWaived when you hire us$89
- Labor, standard hours$145/hr
- Main line power roddingfrom$325
- Kitchen or bath drain roddingfrom$189
- Hydro-jetting, main linefrom$525
- Sewer camera inspectionfrom$295
- Burst or frozen pipe repairfrom$350
Installation & replacement
- Faucet replacementfrom$185
- Toilet installationfrom$295
- Water heater, 40 gal installedfrom$1,850
- Tankless conversionfrom$4,200
- Sump pump replacementfrom$675
- Ejector pump replacementfrom$1,150
- Flood control w/ backwater valvefrom$3,900
- Free written estimate on replacements and remodels. Active problems carry an $89 diagnostic, waived the moment you hire us.
- Permits at cost. City permit and MWRD fees are itemized on your estimate and never marked up.
- After 6 PM, weekends and holidays: labor runs 1.5×. Parts and materials stay at the standard price.
Why Halsted
Good work. Honest answers. Since 1996.
Ray Halsted started with one truck on the Northwest Side. Today it’s nine licensed plumbers and six trucks, and we still answer the phone ourselves.
Still answering the phone ourselves.
- Flat-rate pricing
- 42-minute average
- Licensed & bonded
- We clean up
Water coming in right now?
Shut the main, then call us.
We answer around the clock, every day of the year. Say “flooding” first and we dispatch the nearest truck before we finish taking your address.
The 24/7 line
Follow the water from your call to our quote
Timed off a February callout in Avondale. Scroll and the line fills, bend by bend, the same way the night actually ran.
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11:42 PM
The shop phone rings
A person picks up, not an answering service. Avondale two-flat, water coming up through the floor drain.
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11:44 PM
Truck 3 leaves its next stop
Say flooding first and dispatch moves the nearest crew before we finish taking your address.
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12:06 AM
Boots on the basement stairs
Forty-two minutes is our city average. Shoe covers go on before anyone walks through the house.
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12:38 AM
Main line open, water going down
Six feet of root out of the line and into our truck. Nothing left on your floor to deal with.
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1:15 AM
Camera down the line, price on paper
You watch the footage with us. The repair is written down before we pull away.
Talk to a plumber now
Ray Halsted has been picking up this line since 1996.
Reviews
What Chicago says about us
412 Google reviews, 4.9 average. Here are a few that show what working with us actually looks like.
Main line backed up on a Sunday night. Two guys were here in under an hour, rodded it, then ran the camera so I could see the root intrusion myself. Quoted the repair on the spot and it never budged.
Dana WhitfieldLogan Square
Water heater died the morning family was flying in. They swapped it same day, hauled the old tank out, and the invoice matched the phone quote to the dollar. No trip charge, no surprises.
Priya RamanLincoln Square
Flood control system and backwater valve in a 1920s two-flat. Permits, MWRD paperwork, inspection, all of it handled without me chasing anyone. Basement stayed bone dry through two spring storms.
Tom BaranowskiJefferson Park
Burst pipe behind a kitchen wall in January. They opened the smallest hole they could, fixed it, and patched the drywall back. Crew put shoe covers on without being asked. Little things.
Ellen CarverOak Park
I manage eleven buildings. Halsted is the only shop I use now. They show up in the window they promise, invoice cleanly, and never try to sell my owners something they don’t need.
Andre ColemanProperty manager · Uptown
FAQ
Questions we get every week
Still stuck on something? Call and ask. We’d rather talk it through than have you guess.
(312) 555-0148Do you charge for estimates?
Replacements and remodels get a free written estimate. If you have an active problem that needs diagnosing, say a backup, a leak behind a wall or a heater throwing a code, that’s an $89 service call, and we waive it the moment you hire us for the repair.
Are you licensed in Chicago?
Yes. Illinois State Plumbing License #058-124417 and a City of Chicago plumbing contractor license, plus $2M general liability and workers’ comp on every crew. Ask the tech at your door and they’ll show you the card.
How fast can you get here in an emergency?
Our average is 42 minutes inside city limits, longer for the suburbs depending on traffic. Lead with the word “flooding” or “no water” and dispatch pulls the nearest truck off its next stop.
Do you pull permits?
Yes, on anything that requires one: water service, sewer work, flood control, gas lines. Permit and MWRD fees appear as their own line on the estimate at exactly what the city charges. We don’t mark them up.
What does “flat rate” actually mean?
We look at the job, quote a number, and you approve it before we touch anything. That number is what you pay even if the work takes us twice as long as we figured. It only changes if you ask us to do additional work.
Do you work weekends and holidays?
24/7/365 for emergencies. After 6 PM, on weekends and on holidays, labor runs 1.5× the standard rate. Parts and materials stay at the normal price. We don’t inflate those because it’s a Sunday.
Can you help with lead service line replacement?
Yes. We work with Chicago’s Equity Lead Service Line Replacement Program regularly and can tell you whether your address is likely to qualify before you spend time on the application.
How do I pay?
Cash, check, all major cards and ACH. Financing is available on jobs over $2,500. Property managers and commercial accounts can set up Net-30 terms.
Something broke
Call the 24-hour line.
Burst pipe, sewage backup, no heat, no hot water. Someone picks up: day, night, Christmas morning.
(312) 555-0148Contact
Call us or send it over
The phone is faster, especially for emergencies. Form messages get answered during business hours, usually within 30 minutes.
- Phone, 24/7 emergency(312) 555-0148
- Emailoffice@halstedplumbing.com
- Shop & warehouse3140 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Office hours
- Monday to Friday7:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Saturday8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
- SundayClosed
- Emergency line24 hours, 7 days