Plumbing · Master Plumber PL17071-M · South Shore MA
Fixtures, Faucets & Sillcocks
The small jobs that quietly get worse. A dripping faucet, a shower valve that will not hold temperature, a shut-off seized open, or an outdoor spigot that split inside the wall last winter and you will not find out until spring.
The frozen sillcock trap. A spigot that split inside the wall over the winter often looks fine—until you open it in April and water pours into the basement instead of out the hose. If yours dripped after you shut it off last fall, get it looked at before you turn it on.
What We Handle
Most of this is same-visit work. Where a part is obsolete or the fixture is not worth rebuilding, we will tell you that and price the replacement instead of throwing parts at it.
Faucets
Kitchen, bath and utility. Cartridge and seat repairs where parts are available, full replacement where they are not. A steady drip is usually a two-dollar part and a half-hour.
Shower & tub valves
Temperature swings when someone flushes, a handle that spins, or a valve that will not shut fully. Often a cartridge; sometimes a full valve, which means opening the wall—we will tell you which before starting.
Shut-off valves
Old multi-turn stops seize and then weep the moment you touch them. Replacing them with quarter-turn ball valves is cheap insurance—and it means the next repair does not require shutting the whole house down.
Outdoor sillcocks
Replacement with a frost-proof design that shuts off well inside the heated wall, plus a proper vacuum breaker. The right fix for a spigot that has frozen once already.
Sinks, tubs & disposals
Fixture replacement, trap and drain assembly work, garbage disposal replacement, and washing machine or dishwasher hook-ups done with proper valves and connections.
Remodel rough-in
Kitchen and bath renovations—supply and waste relocated, permitted and inspected, coordinated around your contractor’s schedule rather than holding the job up.
Repair or Replace
A quality faucet from a major brand is usually worth rebuilding—the cartridges are available, often under a lifetime warranty, and the body will outlast several sets of internals. We repair those.
A builder-grade fixture with a plastic body and no parts support is a different story. Rebuilding one costs more in labor than replacing it and you will be back at it next year. We will say so rather than billing you twice for the same drip.
If you are supplying your own fixture, buy it before we come and have it on site. We are glad to install owner-supplied fixtures—just know the warranty on the product itself stays with you and the retailer.
Common Questions
Is a dripping faucet actually worth fixing?
Yes. A steady drip wastes a surprising amount of water over a year, and if it is the hot side you are paying to heat every drop. It also stains fixtures and, on a shower valve, can mean water getting somewhere you cannot see.
Why does my shower go cold when the toilet flushes?
An older non-balanced valve. Modern pressure-balancing and thermostatic valves hold temperature when pressure changes on one side—that is a code requirement now, and it is a genuine scald-safety improvement in a house with kids or older adults.
How do I winterize my outdoor spigots?
Disconnect every hose in the fall—that is the single most important step, because a connected hose traps water in the spigot. Then shut the interior valve if there is one and open the outside spigot to drain it. A hose left on through a cold snap is how most sillcocks split.
My water pressure is low everywhere. Is that a fixture problem?
If it is one fixture, clean the aerator first—mineral buildup is the usual culprit. House-wide low pressure is a different problem: a failing pressure reducing valve, a partly closed main, or corroded galvanized supply piping. See pipe repair.
Got a list?
Small jobs add up—knock several out in one visit instead of one at a time.