Plumbing costs

Water heaters, repipes, drain work and the emergency call-outs in between. Page 2 of 3.

• Water softener cost$800 to $3,500per projectA water softener costs $800 to $3,500 installed, typically $1,800. Before spending anything, test your hardness. Below about 7 grains a softener solves a problem you do not have.
• Sewer line inspection cost$150 to $600per eachA sewer camera inspection costs $150 to $600, typically $300. It is the best $300 anyone spends before buying an older house, and standard home inspections do not include it.
• Water main replacement cost$1,500 to $6,000per projectReplacing the water main into a house costs $1,500 to $6,000, typically $3,000. Under a lawn it is the bottom of that range. Under a driveway and a sidewalk it is the top.
• Gas line installation cost$15 to $40per linear ftRunning a gas line costs $15 to $40 a linear foot, with most household jobs between $300 and $1,200. The most common reason people need one is a tankless water heater, which draws four times what a tank does.
• Septic tank pumping cost$300 to $700per eachPumping a septic tank costs $300 to $700, typically $450. It is the cheapest maintenance in the house measured against what it prevents: a failed drain field is $8,000 to $25,000.
• Well pump replacement cost$900 to $4,500per projectReplacing a well pump costs $900 to $4,500, typically $2,000. Most of the difference is depth rather than the pump. Diagnose first: a $400 pressure tank fails far more often than the pump does.
• Hot water recirculation pump cost$300 to $1,200per eachA recirculation pump costs $300 to $1,200 installed, typically $600. Run continuously it turns a water-saving device into an energy-wasting one, so the control matters more than the pump.
• How long does plumbing last$4,500 to $12,000per projectCopper lasts 50 to 70 years, PEX 40 to 50, cast iron drain 50 to 100. Plumbing is the system that fails quietly for years and then all at once, and the material in your walls says roughly where you are.
• Plumber cost$75 to $150per hourA plumber charges $75 to $150 an hour in business hours, most commonly around $110, plus a call-out fee of $50 to $250 for the visit itself. Emergency work runs 1.5 to 3 times that.
• Tankless water heater cost$1,800 to $6,500per projectA tankless water heater costs $1,800 to $6,500 installed, typically $3,600. Most of the premium over a tank is not the appliance: it is the gas line and the venting.