If you need an emergency plumber in West Roxbury, call (617) 752-0573. Our dispatch team picks up 24/7, and same-day appointments are available when the schedule allows. We work out of 310 Harvard St in Brookline and serve ZIP 02132 along with the rest of the Boston neighborhoods nearby.
While you wait, shut the water off at the main valve if a pipe is spraying, stop running every drain if a sewer line is backing up, and keep everyone away from standing water near outlets or the electrical panel. Then call. We will tell you what else to do before the truck gets there.
The jobs a West Roxbury single-family house tends to need
Boston's own planning profile counts about 70 percent of West Roxbury's properties as single-family houses, and most of those are owner-occupied. A house on its own lot has its own sewer lateral, its own water service line, its own water heater and often its own boiler. Each one is a separate failure point, and each one is yours to deal with.
- Sewer backup. Gurgling toilets, water rising in a basement floor drain or a tub that fills when the washer drains. This is usually a lateral problem, so start with sewer line cleaning.
- No hot water. A tank that has quit, is leaking at the base or is rumbling loudly. Sometimes it is a repair, sometimes the tank is done, and we say which. See water heater replacement if it is the second.
- Heat that will not fire. A boiler that locks out on a cold night needs a technician the same day. Our boiler repair page covers what we check.
- Water in the basement. A sump pump that hums but does not move water, or one that never kicks on. Details are on the sump pump repair page.
- A clog that will not clear. Kitchen lines packed with grease and tub drains packed with hair are the common ones, and we handle both with drain cleaning.
Sewer backing up in West Roxbury?
Stop the water use and call (617) 752-0573. Dispatch is open 24/7.
02132, Centre Street and the streets around it
West Roxbury has one ZIP code, 02132. Centre Street is the main commercial road, and Washington Street, West Roxbury Parkway, VFW Parkway, LaGrange Street and Baker Street all run through it. Give dispatch your street and the nearest cross street and we will route a technician from there.
Roslindale sits next door in ZIP 02131 and Jamaica Plain in 02130, and we serve Roslindale addresses as well. Our Jamaica Plain page covers that side. The drive from our Brookline shop to Centre Street is roughly 7 miles by road, about 15 minutes with light traffic and longer at rush hour. Those are estimates, so we do not promise an arrival window.
When the backup is yours and when it is the street's
Boston Water and Sewer Commission, or BWSC, maintains the sewer main in the street. According to BWSC, the property owner is responsible for the entire lateral, meaning the pipe from your house out to that main. That one rule decides who pays for most backups.
| What you see | Likely location | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| One drain slow or gurgling | Branch line inside the house | Us, usually a same-visit clearing |
| Every drain slow, basement floor drain rising | House lateral or the main | We camera the lateral to find out which |
| Neighbors also backed up | BWSC main in the street | BWSC emergency line, 617-989-7000 |
| Clog returns within weeks | Roots, a belly or a broken joint | Camera first, then sewer line repair options |
A camera inspection of the lateral is how we separate a house problem from a street problem before anyone digs.
Water pressure drop or no water at all
In February 2025 a water main leak at Centre and Willow Streets shut water off to a block of Centre Street addresses. If your whole street is dry or sputtering, check with neighbors before you assume your own pipes failed. If only your house is affected, the problem is on your side of the curb, and that may be a water service line or a failed valve.
What the housing mix means for your plumbing
The same city profile puts two-family homes at about 10 percent of West Roxbury properties and condos at about 19 percent. A condo owner should ask the association whether a stack or a shared drain line is involved before paying for a repair that is really the building's. Single-family owners have no such question: the lateral and the service line are theirs.
Water here comes from MWRA reservoirs through BWSC, and MWRA describes its water as soft, about 1 grain per gallon of hardness. Soft water builds less scale inside a tank heater than hard water does, but sediment still collects, and a tank that is not drained and checked will eventually fail. We do not guess a heater's age from the neighborhood. We read the data plate.
What to do in the first few minutes
A few quick steps keep a bad hour from turning into a bad week.
Find the main shut-off
Look for the valve where the water line enters the house, often near the meter. Turn it clockwise to stop a spraying or running leak.
Stop using the drains
If the basement floor drain is rising, do not run the washer or flush. Every gallon you add goes to the lowest opening.
Cut power near water
If water reaches the furnace, water heater or panel, do not stand in it. Leave the breaker alone if you cannot reach it dry and say so when you call.
Smell gas? Leave
If you smell gas, get out and call 911 or National Grid at 1-800-233-5325 before calling us.
What moves the cost of a West Roxbury call
We give a clear price before work starts, and the number depends on what we find. A small clog and a failed lateral are very different jobs.
- Where the problem isA trap under a sink is a short visit. A lateral running under a front yard or driveway is a longer one.
- AccessA clean-out near the foundation lets us get a cable or camera in fast. Without one, we may have to go in through a toilet or roof vent.
- Pipe conditionRoots, offsets and collapsed sections change a clearing into a repair.
- Hour and urgencyA same-day or after-hours emergency is scheduled differently from a planned visit, and we tell you the price before the work starts.
- PermitsWork that needs a plumbing permit goes through Boston's Inspectional Services Department, and your plumber pulls it.
Homeowner policies often cover sudden water damage but treat a long-running leak or a worn-out pipe differently. Ask your insurer before you file, and we will describe the cause clearly so the claim is accurate.
Want your real number? Call (617) 752-0573.
West Roxbury plumbing questions
Yes. Dispatch answers 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays, and we send a licensed technician when the situation cannot wait. Same-day appointments are available when the schedule allows.
Tell the dispatcher what you see and whether water is still running. We will tell you what to shut off while the truck is on the way.
West Roxbury has one ZIP code, 02132, and we cover all of it, from the Centre Street shops to the streets off the West Roxbury Parkway and VFW Parkway.
If your address uses 02131 for Roslindale or 02130 for Jamaica Plain, call and confirm. We serve Brookline and nearby towns, and dispatch can tell you right away.
BWSC maintains the main in the street. According to BWSC, the owner is responsible for the whole lateral from the house to that main.
If your neighbors are backed up too, call BWSC at 617-989-7000. If only your house is, call us and we will inspect the lateral.
Stop running water in the house, especially the washer and showers. Keep people and pets away from the water, since it may be sewage.
Then call. We will clear the line and tell you whether the cause is in the house or farther out.
Often yes, when the schedule allows and the right tank is available. A leaking tank is a stop-the-water job first, then a replacement.
We check the cold supply, the relief valve and the discharge piping against Massachusetts code (248 CMR) before we call it done.
Replacing or altering plumbing generally needs one, and Boston's Inspectional Services Department issues it. Clearing a blocked drain or fixing a faucet does not.
Your plumber pulls the permit where one is required. Ask Boston ISD if you want to confirm what applies to your job.
Emergency in 02132?
Call (617) 752-0573 and a licensed technician will be routed to you.