We have been fixing plumbing emergencies in Putnam County since 1960. In that time, we have seen what happens when a burst pipe or sewer backup gets ignored — and it is never good. We send licensed plumbers out fast, day or night, to stop the damage before it takes over your home. One quick call to us puts the right person on the way to your door.
After more than 65 years of emergency calls in Putnam County, we know what needs immediate attention and what can wait until morning. Some problems are urgent. Others are not. Knowing which is which can save you a lot of money.
Call us right away if you have any of these:
We get a lot of calls from Cold Spring and Garrison. The homes out there are older, and many still have cast iron pipes that were put in decades ago. Those pipes do not give you much warning before they go. If you see water where it should not be, that warning is happening right now.
Stay calm and move one step at a time. Find your main water shut-off, keep everyone away from standing water, and call us. We will stay on the line with you and tell you exactly what to do while we head your way.
The first thing we tell every caller is the same — find your shut-off valve and turn off the water. That one step stops more damage than anything else you can do before we arrive. You do not need tools or plumbing knowledge to do it.
We have been inside thousands of Putnam County homes over the years. In older houses throughout the area, the main shut-off is almost always in the basement or crawl space. Look for a round wheel valve or a lever handle on the pipe that comes through the foundation wall.
Here is what to do:
Once the water is off, open the lowest faucet in your home to let the pressure out. Then call us. We will already be on the way.
A burst pipe is one of the most destructive things that can happen inside a home. We have walked into houses where a single pipe soaked through floors, walls, and ceilings before anyone knew there was a problem. Same-day repair is the only way to stop that from happening to you.
Putnam County winters are hard. We have seen temperatures drop below 10°F for days at a time, and the pipes in unheated garages and crawl spaces pay the price. We get more burst pipe calls in January and February than any other time of year — often from homeowners who had no idea how exposed their pipes were.
The spots we see fail most often:
We stock our trucks with the parts we use most on emergency calls. That means we fix most burst pipes in a single visit. We make the repair, check everything around it, and do not leave until we are confident nothing else is at risk.
A sewer backup is one of the calls we take most seriously. Sewage in your home carries harmful bacteria, and it spreads fast once it gets into flooring and walls. This is not something to clean up with a mop and wait on — it needs a plumber the same day.
We do a lot of sewer work in Brewster and Carmel. The older neighborhoods in those areas have mature oak and maple trees with root systems that have had decades to find their way into sewer lines. Once roots get in through a crack or a joint, they do not stop growing. We have pulled root masses out of lines that blocked flow completely.
Watch for these signs before it gets worse:
We open the line and run a full inspection to find what caused it. We do not just clear the clog and leave. We tell you exactly what we found and what you need to know going forward.
Frozen pipes are a regular part of winter for us in Putnam County. We get these calls every year — sometimes from the same homeowners who forgot to leave a trickle running or came back from a trip to find no water. Water freezes, expands, and puts pressure on the pipe from the inside. It can burst in hours.
The homes near Fahnestock State Park and out along rural Route 301 corridors sit in some of the coldest pockets in the county. Those properties freeze faster than homes closer to town, and we know that from years of responding to calls in those areas during cold snaps.
Do not reach for a heat gun or a torch to thaw the pipe yourself. We have seen that go wrong in ways that are far more expensive than the frozen pipe ever would have been. We use controlled methods that warm the pipe gradually and safely.
Look for these signs:
Call us before it bursts. Early calls are always easier — and cheaper — to handle.
When we show up, we work fast and we work methodically. We have handled enough emergencies in Putnam County to know how to read a situation quickly. We find the source, stop the damage, and make the repair — most of the time in a single visit.
Our trucks leave the shop stocked for the calls we know are coming. Pipe sections, fittings, shut-off valves, drain parts — they are on the truck before we ever hear your address. We built that system over decades of doing this work, and it means you are not waiting around while we run for parts.
Here is what we do on every emergency visit:
New York State requires a licensed master plumber for permitted work, and Putnam County follows codes that match Westchester-area standards. We have been pulling permits and working with local inspectors in this county for decades. If your repair needs one, we handle it — that is part of the job.
We started serving this community in 1960. The homes here, the codes here, the winters here — we know all of it. When something goes wrong, you want a plumber who has already seen it before.
How fast can a plumber reach my home in Putnam County during an emergency? Most calls in Putnam County are dispatched within the hour. If you are further out in a rural area like Patterson, travel time may be a little longer depending on where we are coming from. Call us the moment the problem starts — every minute helps.
What should I do while waiting for an emergency plumber to arrive? Turn off your main water valve right away to stop the flow. Stay clear of any outlets or electrical panels that are near standing water. Clear a path to the problem area so we can get straight to work when we walk in.
Is a sewer backup in my Brewster home considered a plumbing emergency? Yes — sewage backup is a health risk and needs same-day service. Stop using all drains in your home until the line is cleared. Keep your family and pets out of the affected area until we arrive.
Can frozen pipes in my Putnam County house burst even if they haven't cracked yet? Yes — pressure builds up inside a frozen pipe long before any crack shows up. We have seen pipes that looked completely fine from the outside fail within hours. Call us early and we can thaw it safely before it becomes a much bigger problem.
Do I need a permit for emergency plumbing repair in Putnam County? Small emergency repairs usually do not need a permit. Larger line repairs or replacements may require one — and we handle that process for you. We know exactly what Putnam County requires and take care of it as part of the job.
What plumbing problems are most common in older Putnam County homes? Corroded galvanized pipes, failing cast iron drains, and worn-out shut-off valves are what we find most often in homes built before 1980. These systems wear down quietly over the years and tend to fail without much warning. If your home is older, ask us what to watch for — we have seen enough of these houses to give you a straight answer.
Copyright © 2026 Lumar Plumbing & Heating - All Rights Reserved.