We receive continuous calls from property owners throughout NYC after DEP has turned off their water and most commonly people want the issue resolved for free! Unfortunately in NYC the property owner is responsible for the water main and sewer pipes from the house all the way out to the street. For this reason the city or a city sub contractor is not going to repair the problem for free.
The first thing is to understand why the water was turned off.
- Did you have a DEP 3 day notice violation and either ignored it or were not aware that you received one? Do you have tenants who received the notice yet failed to make you aware? Were you on vacation, were not formally notified about the leaking pipe and for this reason the city turned your water off?
- Did you recently purchase a vacant home that did not have running water for an extended period of time?
- Was your leaking water line causing a dangerous situation while encountering other underground utilities, leading to an emergency shut off?
- Is it possible that your water was not turned off and it has frozen in the middle of the street while you were sleeping? Yes this does happen during the NYC winter months.
- Is it possible that something has clogged your connection point to the city main and you do not have water entering your line from the street?
There are several other variables that may have caused the water to be shut off and must be analyzed in detail by a Licensed Master Plumber. It is very important to speak with a specialist who deals with sub surface water main and sewer installations and not your typical plumber.
