Plumber in West Hempstead, NYEmergency Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lines & Water Heaters

A railroad name, a pond and a state park.

Wikipedia says the name West Hempstead first appeared on maps in 1893 as a Long Island Rail Road station, and the hamlet still has three stops on the West Hempstead Branch: West Hempstead, Hempstead Gardens and Lakeview. Pine Stream runs through the middle of the hamlet into Halls Pond, the main park, which Nassau County dedicated in 1961; Echo Park, named for the first four Little League teams (Eagles, Cardinals, Hawks, Orioles), has an indoor public pool. Hempstead Lake State Park, home to the largest freshwater lake in Nassau County, forms the eastern edge, and the Southern State Parkway the southern one. In a 2001 vote residents kept the name West Hempstead over "Mayfair Gardens" by 94 votes.

Older than most of Nassau.

The Census Bureau's latest five-year survey counts about 6,300 homes, with a median year built of 1952. 24% are older than 1940, 19% went up in the 1940s and 40% in the 1950s; only 4% were built after 1980. 92% are single-family detached houses, and 91% are owner-occupied.

That's plumbing 65 to 100 years old in most houses. In the oldest ones, look for galvanized steel water pipe (rusty or brown water, low pressure at one tap), cast-iron drain stacks that crack along the bottom, and clay or cast-iron lines to the street that collect roots.

Heating fuel.

The ACS shows 68% of West Hempstead homes heat with utility gas and 24% with fuel oil. Switching from oil to gas means new gas piping to the equipment, and often to the water heater, range and dryer. We do the gas line work. We don't sell or deliver oil.

On the county sewer.

Nassau County's health department lists West Hempstead's sewers under the Nassau County Department of Public Works (516-571-6841). A backup that stops at your house is usually in your own line to the street, often roots or a sag in an old clay or cast-iron pipe; we clear it. If neighbors are backed up too, call the county. FEMA's flood map puts none of the hamlet in the high-risk (1% annual chance) flood zone.

Water: West Hempstead Water District, mostly.

The district covers about two square miles: West Hempstead and parts of Cathedral Gardens, Franklin Square and Garden City South. Its May 2026 report on 2025 water says it served about 32,000 people from seven wells in the Magothy aquifer through about 75 miles of mains. Roughly 60% of the water goes through the iron-removal and air-stripping plant at district headquarters on Birch Street, and two wells have advanced oxidation plus carbon filters for 1,4-dioxane. Sodium hydroxide raises the pH to cut corrosion of mains and household plumbing. Total hardness ran 15 to 39 mg/L, which is soft; 1,4-dioxane was no more than 0.056 micrograms per liter (limit 1.0), PFOA no more than 3.19 parts per trillion (limit 10), and nitrate no more than 1.3 mg/L. The report also discloses a non-emergency violation: the district missed 2025 nitrate tests at three wells and resampled in March 2026. On lead, the district has identified three lead service lines; its inventory filed with the state lists 51 lines of unknown material out of 7,626. Some streets are on Liberty Utilities' Lynbrook system instead (EPA's service-area map puts roughly 29% of residents there), so check your bill. For a leak at the curb, call the district at (516) 483-1180 or Liberty at 1-877-426-6999.

Permits and licensing: Town of Hempstead.

West Hempstead is an unincorporated hamlet, so plumbing and gas permits go through the Town of Hempstead Building Department (One Washington Street, Hempstead), which also handles plumber licensing.