Old house, old pipes: what fails first in Andover
Andover's own Housing Production Plan says 36 percent of the town's housing was built before 1960, and the water department's reports date the oldest main in town to 1886. Age shows up inside walls as galvanized steel that has narrowed, brass fittings that weep, and supply lines nobody has touched in decades.
We dispatch around the clock for the calls that cannot wait: a pipe that has let go, a heater leaking onto the floor, water running down a ceiling. Call (603) 815-9179 any hour.
Pressure drops and brown water
Galvanized lines corrode from the inside. If only one fixture runs weak, the problem is local. If the whole house is weak, the supply line is the suspect.
Pinhole leaks
Small spray or a damp spot on a ceiling below a bathroom often means a pinhole in aging copper or steel. Shut off the main and call, because pinholes do not heal.
Heater at the end of its life
Rust at the base, water around the tank or a heater that no longer keeps up are all signs it is time for water heater replacement.
Lead service lines
The town's 2024 inventory of 13,149 service lines found 24 lead lines still remaining as of October 2024. Ask the town about yours. The Lead Services line is 978-623-8703.
Pipe failing in an Andover home?
Call the 24/7 emergency line at (603) 815-9179 and tell us the street and where the water is.
Burst pipe or active leak in Andover: before we arrive
Andover's water comes from the town Water Division, so a street-side problem goes to the town. Inside the house, these steps hold the damage down until a licensed plumber arrives.
Close the main valve
Turn the main shutoff clockwise. If water is coming from the street side or the valve will not close, call the emergency number at 978-623-3500.
Cut power to wet areas
Switch off breakers for any room with water near outlets, but only if you can reach the panel dry. If not, stay out and call us.
Clear and contain
Move furniture, rugs and electronics off wet floors. Put a bucket under drips. Open a low tap to drain the lines once the main is off.
Call the 24/7 line
Call (603) 815-9179 and tell us the street, the room and whether the water has stopped. Same-day appointments are offered when available for non-urgent follow-up work.
Soft water and a treatment plant on Lowell Street
Andover's drinking water comes mainly from Haggetts Pond, supplemented by Fish Brook and the Merrimack River, and is treated at the town's plant at 397 Lowell Street. The town lists its hardness at about 40 mg/L as CaCO3, which is soft, and adjusts pH at the plant for corrosion control.
The practical consequence is that scale is rarely the story here. When a heater or fixture wears out in Andover, look at age and leaks first. If your water looks discolored, the town's discolored water line is 978-623-8707.
Soft water helps
- Less mineral crust on faucets and showerheads
- Little scale inside heaters and boilers
- Fewer clogged aerators
It does not stop
- Old galvanized lines from corroding inside
- Rust at the bottom of an aging tank
- Leaks at worn fittings and valves
Water heaters, gas boilers and the permit
Andover requires a plumbing permit for every gas boiler and water heater, and a combination unit needs both a gas and a plumbing permit. Only a Massachusetts licensed plumber or gas fitter may apply for permits and do the work, not the homeowner. Work started without a permit pays double the permit fee, and the final inspection comes before it is closed out.
That is why a mid-winter no-hot-water call is not a weekend project. A licensed plumber pulls the permit. For a cold house, our plumbers also do boiler repair around the clock when the heat goes out.
Permits for this work are issued to licensed plumbers under 248 CMR 3.05, and you can confirm a plumber's licence on mass.gov, which is the standard check before any water heater swap.
| What you see | Likely answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Water pooling at the base of the tank | Replace | A leaking tank cannot be patched |
| No hot water, pilot or igniter trouble | Often repair | Parts are usually the cause |
| Rust-colored hot water only | Inspect | Could be the tank or old supply pipe |
| Boiler cycling or noisy | Repair first | Pump, valve or controls are common culprits |
The Shawsheen, Ballardvale and wet basements
The Shawsheen River runs through the Ballardvale and Shawsheen Village areas, and the state calls it Andover's most flood-prone river. Its flood resilience page notes that the May 2006 and March 2010 floods closed roads and forced some evacuations. Neighborhoods like Shawsheen Heights, south of I-495, are named in that same project.
State projections for 2020 through 2049 call for 23 percent more days with over two inches of rain. For a basement near the river or Fish Brook, that means the sump pump and its check valve will work harder.
A pump that hums without moving water, or a pit that stays full after rain stops, is a call for sump pump repair, and we take those on the emergency line. Floor drains that gurgle during a storm also point to a backup, not a clog you can fix with a plunger.
Ballardvale, Shawsheen Village and the older streets
Ballardvale is a historic village with a commuter rail stop and a dam on the Shawsheen. Shawsheen Village is the former American Woolen mill community centered on Haverhill and York Streets. West Parish Center, Academy Hill and the downtown districts also appear on the town's historic district list.
We do not assume what is behind your walls. Mill-era and historic buildings often have layered repairs, so we trace the supply and drain before quoting a price. If an older property needs new lines, repiping can be planned after the emergency is stopped.
Gas appliances after 2018
In September 2018, high-pressure gas entered low-pressure lines in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. Today Eversource Gas Company of Massachusetts holds the franchise. The lesson for homeowners is simple: gas appliance and piping work is licensed work and needs a town permit and inspection.
If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 and your gas utility from outside. Do not flip switches. We are on call 24/7 for the plumbing side once the area is safe.
Getting to you
Andover sits south of Methuen across the Merrimack River. Route 28 runs south from Broadway in Methuen through Lawrence into Andover, and I-495 and I-93 give us other ways in. Tewksbury borders Andover and runs its own water department, so near the line tell us your street.
We also serve North Andover and Lawrence from the same dispatch.
Questions we hear
Yes. The 24/7 emergency line is open nights, weekends and holidays, and licensed plumbers are dispatched from Methuen. Call (603) 815-9179 with your street.
Andover's residential ZIP is 01810. We cover Andover Center, Ballardvale, Shawsheen Village and West Parish. Tell us the street when you call and we will confirm.
No. The town lists it at about 40 mg/L as CaCO3, which is soft. That means little scale in heaters and fixtures.
Yes. The town requires a plumbing permit for every gas boiler and water heater, and only a Massachusetts licensed plumber or gas fitter may pull it. Work started without a permit pays double the fee.
Call the town's Lead Services line at 978-623-8703. The town's inventory found 24 lead lines remaining as of October 2024. Interior pipes are your responsibility, so a plumber can inspect those.
Shut off power to the basement circuit if you can do it safely, stay out of standing water and call us. A plumber can check the sump pump, check valve and floor drains.
Yes. A boiler that goes out in cold weather is an emergency, and we dispatch around the clock. Boiler and gas permits go through the town.
Andover emergency right now? Call (603) 815-9179 any hour.