Drain backups are the call we get most often from Rochester. A city with this much rental housing, this many older apartment buildings, and this many commercial kitchens running hard every day puts a lot of stress on drain lines. Grease, scale, and years of buildup narrow the pipe gradually until a backup shows up at the worst possible moment. We handle that call, and every other plumbing call that follows it, for homes and businesses across the city and the surrounding Monroe County area.
John Kuhn Plumbing Heating & Cooling covers the full range of residential and commercial plumbing work, from a dripping faucet in a single-family home to a sewer line repair in a multi-unit building. Work is performed by licensed plumbers, and we are available every day from 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM. Same-day service is often available. Call (585) 822-8289 for a quote.
Every home's plumbing tells a different story, and in a city with housing stock as varied as Rochester's, that is especially true. Pre-war apartment buildings, mid-century single-family homes, and newer commercial builds all have different pipe materials, different pressure histories, and different failure patterns. What we bring to each one is the same: licensed plumbers who assess the situation before any work begins, and plumbing done to the standard the next inspection expects.
Hard water is common across this region, and it shortens the life of fixtures, water heaters, and appliances faster than most people realize. A water softener or whole-house filtration system is installed at the main supply line and treats the water before it reaches anything else in the building. We size the system to the property, handle all the connections, and confirm the flow before we leave.
Outdoor plumbing takes a beating through regional winters. A standard hose bib that is not frost-free will split when water sitting in the line freezes. We replace failing outdoor taps, install frost-free hose bibs, and handle irrigation system connections on the supply side. If an outdoor line has already let go, we locate the break and repair it before it causes damage inside the wall.
A drain snake clears a blockage. Hydro jetting clears the pipe. High-pressure water scours the interior of the line and removes grease, scale, and root intrusion that a snake leaves behind. For restaurant drain lines and main sewer runs that back up repeatedly, hydro jetting is the method that actually resets the line rather than buying a few more months.
When water pressure drops throughout a building, or swings between too high and too low, the pressure regulator is often the cause. A failing regulator lets pressure creep up past safe levels, which stresses every fixture and fitting in the system. Replacement is a straightforward job once the regulator is located, and it makes an immediate difference to how the whole building feels.
Some plumbing problems announce themselves all at once. A burst pipe in a basement, a main line backup affecting every drain in the building, a water heater that stopped working overnight. These are not situations that can wait for a scheduled appointment later in the week. We take urgent calls every day from 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM, and same-day service is available for situations that need it. When you call, describe what is happening and we will work to get someone out as quickly as scheduling allows.
A plumbing repair in an occupied apartment or a restaurant that opens at eleven is a different job from a repair in an empty house. We protect your floors and finishes while we work, and we plan the visit around what the property needs. Shutting off water to a building that has tenants requires coordination. We talk through the timing before we arrive so the disruption is as short as possible.
A dishwasher, a refrigerator ice maker, a washing machine, a garbage disposal. Each one connects to the water supply or the drain, and each connection is a point where something can go wrong. A supply line that was not properly seated, a drain connection that was not vented correctly, a fitting that worked loose over time. The appliance gets blamed, but the plumbing is often where the fault actually lives.
We handle appliance connections for new installs and for situations where an existing connection has failed. That includes supply line replacement, drain hookups, and garbage disposal installation and replacement. Getting it plumbed in correctly the first time means the appliance runs the way it is supposed to and the connection does not become a leak six months later. With a local shop, your questions go straight to the people doing the work.
You get a price before any work starts. When you call, we discuss what is happening and what the visit will cover. The quote is confirmed before we schedule, and before a licensed plumber shows up at the property. The job is scoped first, and the price reflects what we find.
What moves a quote is straightforward. A faucet replacement is a different conversation from a sewer line repair. A leak in an accessible basement is easier to reach than one behind a finished wall. The fault itself and what has to come apart to reach it are the two things that change the number. If the situation turns out to be more involved than the initial description suggested, we explain that before we proceed. Call for a quote at (585) 822-8289 and we will walk through what the visit covers.
A lot of plumbing calls in Rochester start with something that has been getting worse for a while. A slow drain that finally stopped moving. A leak that showed up as a stain on the ceiling before anyone saw water. A toilet that has been running for months. We diagnose the source, not just the symptom, because a repair that does not address the underlying cause comes back. Leak detection, drain inspection, and pressure diagnostics are how we find what is actually wrong before we start pulling things apart.
Replacement work comes up on its own schedule. A water heater that has reached the end of its life, a toilet that has been repaired too many times, a faucet that is corroded past the point of fixing. For landlords managing multiple units, this kind of work tends to cluster. We handle toilet repair and replacement, faucet replacement, and water heater replacement for both tank and tankless units. The service page carries the full breakdown of what each job involves.
Renovation work and tenant fit-outs bring a different kind of plumbing call. New fixtures going in, a kitchen being reconfigured, a bathroom being added to a commercial space. Planned installation is scheduled differently from a repair call, and it involves code-compliant plumbing from the rough-in through to the final connection. We scope the work up front and confirm what is involved before anything is scheduled.
Repiping comes up when targeted repairs stop making sense. Galvanized steel pipe corrodes from the inside, and once it gets to a certain point, the scale and rust are narrowing every run in the house at once. Pressure drops, water discolors, and small leaks start appearing in different places. Fixing each one individually is a losing approach when the pipe itself is the problem.
A whole-house repipe in Rochester typically means working through a basement-foundation home, which gives access to the main supply runs without opening every wall. We stage the work to keep water available to the property as much of the time as possible. That means planning the sequence before we start and being clear about which periods require a full shutoff. Most of the disruption happens in the basement and at the fixture connections. Living in the house through a repipe is manageable when the staging is handled well, and we walk through what to expect before the job begins.
Choosing the right plumbing fix is easier than it sounds, and for a property with genuinely deteriorated pipe, a repipe is often the fix that ends the cycle of recurring repairs. Call and we'll get the water running right.
We serve Rochester and the surrounding area, including Irondequoit, Gates, Brighton, North Gates, and Greece. If you are in Monroe County and searching for a plumber, we cover your area. Service is available every day from 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM, and the same response and scheduling process applies across the whole service area. Call (585) 822-8289 to confirm coverage for your address and get a quote.
If you are working out what the job needs, our guide to plumbing work goes through it.
It can, because older buildings often have pipe configurations that are harder to access or materials that require different repair approaches. A finished basement or a wall that has been closed up since the original build takes more time to open than an exposed utility space. We assess the access and the condition of what we find before confirming the price, so the quote reflects the actual job rather than a best-case assumption.
Yes, as long as access to the property can be arranged. If a key can be left with a neighbor, a lockbox code can be provided, or access can be arranged through a property manager, we can work with that. Call and describe the situation so we can confirm what access we will need before the visit.
Call us at (585) 822-8289 with the correct address and any landmarks or details that help locate the property. We correct the destination on our end and get the right information to whoever is on the way. Do not rely on a map application alone for an emergency call.
Yes. If you have multiple addresses close together that need service, call and let us know. Scheduling them on the same day in sequence is straightforward and avoids the need for separate visits on separate days.
It depends on what the work involves. If the issue affects a shared line or a system that serves the whole building, it makes sense to treat it as a single job. If each unit has a separate problem, we can schedule the visits back to back or stage them in a way that minimizes disruption to residents. Call and describe the building and the scope, and we will work out the right approach.
Yes. If you manage a rental property and want tenants to be able to call directly for urgent plumbing issues, that arrangement works. Call us to set up how you want service calls at your properties to be handled, and we can work within whatever process makes sense for your situation.
Yes, and coordinating with other contractors on a job is something we can work around when the schedule allows. Let us know when you call that another trade is involved and what the timing constraints are. We will do our best to fit the visit into the window that works for the site.
Rochester has a lot of homes built before copper and PEX became standard, which means galvanized steel supply lines and cast iron drain stacks are common. These materials corrode over time, leading to low pressure, discolored water, recurring leaks, and slow drains that get worse gradually. A diagnostic visit identifies whether the issue is isolated to one section or widespread enough that repiping makes more sense than another targeted repair.
Ask what the diagnosis is based on, what the full scope of the work involves, and what access to the home or property is required. It is also reasonable to ask whether a camera inspection or pressure test was used to confirm the diagnosis, and what the repair leaves behind in terms of wall or floor openings. Getting a clear picture of the process before agreeing to the work is the right approach for any job of significant size.
John Kuhn Plumbing Heating & Cooling takes plumbing calls from Rochester and across Monroe County every day from 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM. Same-day availability is common, and for urgent situations we work to get someone out as quickly as the schedule allows. Call (585) 822-8289 for a quote and we will get your job on the calendar.
We pick up the phone. We book the visit. We test before we leave.
See the whole of our coverage details. Nearby areas we cover: Brighton, North Gates, Greece, Pittsford.
We handle the full range of residential and commercial plumbing work across Rochester, Monroe County and Monroe County, every day from 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM. The table below covers what each service includes, who it is right for, and a practical note to help you decide what to schedule. Every job is scoped and priced before a wrench comes out, so you know exactly what you are agreeing to. Call for a quote and we will walk you through the rest.
| Type of Job | What the Job Covers | Typical Situations | Things to Keep in Mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen & Burst Pipe Repair |
| pipes in unheated spaces, exterior walls, or crawl spaces during or after a hard freeze | Rochester, Monroe County's older housing stock often has exposed pipe runs that are vulnerable during extended freeze periods. Emergency service is available. |
| Faucet & Fixture Installation |
| dripping faucets, fixture upgrades, and appliance connections | We protect your floors and finishes while we work and clean up before we leave. |
| Sump Pump Installation |
| basements at risk from spring snowmelt and Monroe County runoff | A properly sized sump pump is the most reliable defense against a flooded basement. We handle repair and replacement of existing units too. |
| Toilet Repair & Installation |
| toilets that run, leak at the base, or need full replacement | A running toilet can waste a significant amount of water before it is noticed. Most repairs are completed in a single visit. |
| Emergency Plumbing |
| situations that cannot wait for a standard scheduled visit | We are available every day from 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM. Describe what is happening when you call and we will work to get someone out as quickly as scheduling allows. |
| Sewer & Main Line Service |
| multiple slow drains, sewage odors, or backups affecting more than one fixture | A camera inspection shows exactly what is happening in the line before we recommend clearing, repair, or replacement. |
| Water Heater Repair & ReplacementMost Popular |
| households with no hot water, discolored water, or a unit past its useful life | Same-day service is often available for no-hot-water calls. We test the new installation before we leave. |
| Leak Detection & Repair |
| unexplained water bills, staining, or pressure loss | We trace the source before opening anything up, so the repair is targeted and the scope is confirmed with you first. |
| Garbage Disposal Service |
| disposals that hum but do not spin, leak, or have stopped working entirely | Most disposal replacements are completed in a single visit with no major disruption to the kitchen sink. |
| Drain Cleaning & Clog Removal |
| slow or completely blocked drains in any part of the home | We locate the clog before choosing the method, which tells us whether there is a deeper line issue involved. |
| Frost-Free Hose Bib Installation |
| homes with standard hose bibs that freeze or have failed in past winters | A frost-free hose bib drains back automatically and is one of the simpler upgrades that prevents a recurring cold-weather problem. |
| Water Pressure & Shutoff Valve Repair |
| whole-house low pressure or valves that no longer close fully | A pressure diagnostic visit covers the full supply system and identifies the cause before any repair work begins. |
| Pipe Insulation & Winterization |
| homeowners preparing for Monroe County's freeze season before pipes become a problem | Preventive insulation costs far less than a burst pipe repair. Best scheduled before the first hard freeze of the season. |
Call (585) 822-8289 and we will talk through what you are seeing, scope the visit, and get you a price before anything is scheduled.
(585) 822-8289