What counts as a plumbing installation
A plumbing installation is any planned job that adds or replaces a fixture, an appliance connection or a section of supply, drain or gas pipe. Think of a new kitchen faucet, a toilet swap, a dishwasher or ice maker line, a basement bathroom or a gas stub for a range. Nothing is flooding at midnight, so there is time to choose parts and pick a day.
If water is already running where it should not, that is a repair, and the burst pipe repair page is the better place to start.
Fixtures
Toilets, sinks, tubs, showers and faucets all connect through a shutoff valve on the water side and a trap on the drain side. A new toilet sits on a closet flange with a wax or wax-free seal and two closet bolts. New toilets installed under Georgia's plumbing code are set at 1.28 gallons per flush, the same figure the WaterSense label uses.
A rusted or seized shutoff valve is the usual surprise on a fixture swap. Replacing it in the same visit takes minutes, while finding out later means shutting off water to the whole house.
Appliance hookups
Dishwashers, ice makers, washing machines and garbage disposals each need a specific connection. A dishwasher takes a 3/8 inch supply line and a drain hose looped high under the counter so sink water cannot flow back. A washer box needs two valves and a standpipe drain, commonly 2 inches, set at the height the manufacturer lists.
A disposal that was never part of the kitchen needs a power source and a drain connection to the trap, and a repair page such as garbage disposal repair covers units that are already in place.
Gas and water lines
New water lines are run in PEX, copper or CPVC, joined by crimp rings, soldering or solvent cement depending on the material. A hose bib or a line to a detached garage means a trench, which brings in the 811 rule further down this page. Georgia assigns fuel gas piping, gas-fired water heaters and their venting to the International Fuel Gas Code, so the gas side follows its own rules.
After gas work, the new section is pressure tested and each joint is checked with leak detection solution before an appliance is lit.
If you smell gas, leave the building and call the gas utility, for most homes Atlanta Gas Light at 877.427.4321, or 911 first. Do not flip switches on the way out, and call a plumber only once you are outside and safe.
Jobs people call about most
Most installation calls start with a short, specific question. These are the kinds of jobs that fit this page.
A disposal, dishwasher or ice maker with no hookup yet
Each needs its own supply stop and drain connection, and the cabinet or wall decides how tight the work will be.
Outdoor faucets for hoses or winter care
A frost-free sillcock slopes slightly downward so the water drains out of the pipe stem before a freeze.
A softener or filter that needs plumbing
Treatment gear needs a bypass valve set, a drain connection and an overflow route to a floor drain or standpipe.
A bathroom going into a basement or garage
Drain height and venting decide the plan, and a wet-room slab may need to be opened.
Remodel rough-in happens before the drywall
Rough-in is the stage where drain, vent and supply pipes are set inside open walls and floors, before drywall or tile covers them. Once the pipes have been tested under pressure and seen by an inspector when one is required, the walls can close. Moving a shower valve afterward means cutting into finished tile.
Drain lines need slope, commonly one quarter inch per foot on small pipe, and every fixture needs a vent so the trap seal is not pulled out. In typical residential work a toilet drain is 3 inches, a shower drain 2 inches and a lavatory or tub drain around 1.5 inches.
The city's own plan says about 60 percent of Suwanee housing units date from 2000 or later, so many remodels meet newer pipe than a 1960s house would. Still, ask the plumber to open the wall before pricing, because only the wall shows what is really behind the drywall.
A basement bath raises one more question. Gwinnett County Water Resources says Georgia plumbing code requires a sanitary backwater valve when your lowest fixture sits below the next upstream manhole, and that the homeowner maintains it. Georgia's amendments also call for a cleanout at or near the junction of the building drain and building sewer, so keep that access reachable when you remodel.
Permits, 811 and the inspection call
The City of Suwanee lists changes to electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other mechanical systems among the work that needs a building permit, and water heater replacement is on the same list. The inspections line is 770-945-8996, so one call before the job tells you what your project needs.
Ask your installer who pulls the permit and whether an inspection is scheduled, and keep the paperwork with your home records. Permit rules for other kinds of work vary, so ask the city rather than assuming.
Before any digging, such as a trench for a new outdoor water line or a gas line to a grill, call 811 or submit a ticket at georgia811.com at least three business days ahead. Georgia 811 defines its tolerance zone as 18 inches on either side of the outer edge of a buried utility line, which means the marked strip is wider than the pipe itself.
Swap it yourself or hire a plumber
Some installs are fair DIY work. Others hide problems inside walls, and a mistake there costs more than the job did.
Doing it yourself
- A faucet or showerhead on existing valves is within reach for a careful beginner.
- A toilet swap works when the flange is sound and level.
- A wrong supply connection can stay hidden until it drips inside a cabinet.
- New drain, vent and gas runs are not beginner work and may need a permit and inspection.
Hiring a plumber
- New drain, vent and supply runs are set to slope and tested under pressure.
- Gas piping is pressure tested before the appliance is lit.
- Permit and inspection questions can be sorted out with the city line before work starts.
- The price is clear before work starts, with same-day appointments when available.
What changes the price of an installation
A faucet swap and a bathroom rough-in are very different jobs, so the price follows the scope. You hear the number before work starts.
Scope
One fixture on existing valves is quick. Several fixtures, or a new room, add pipe, fittings and time.
Access
An open wall, a basement ceiling or a crawlspace is easier to work in than a finished wall or a slab.
Parts and fixtures
Fixtures you buy are separate from the stops, supply lines, seals and fittings the job also needs.
Pipe runs
A new line far from existing supply or drain takes more pipe, and a trench adds digging and the 811 wait.
Permit and inspection
Work that needs a permit adds a step with the city before the walls are closed.
Home insurance generally does not pay for new or upgraded fixtures, and wear is not covered. If an install is part of repairing sudden covered damage, talk to your adjuster before work starts about which parts they will pay for.
Want your real number?
Describe the job on the phone and get a clear price before any work starts.
Related work that often comes up during an install
Low pressure at a brand-new fixture often traces back to the home's pressure reducing valve, which Gwinnett County Water Resources lists as the homeowner's responsibility. A fixture that only needs a new cartridge or washer is a job for faucet repair instead of a full replacement.
If you are replacing the tank as well, water heater installation covers sizing, venting and expansion control. When supply lines behind the walls are corroded throughout, the question moves to whole-house repiping instead of single fixtures.
Homeowners across Gwinnett County, including Lawrenceville, call the same number to book planned work.
The state minimum standard for plumbing in Georgia is the International Plumbing Code with Georgia amendments, and the amendments require high efficiency fixtures in new construction. According to the City of Suwanee's building permits page, changes to plumbing need a permit, and the inspections office is at 770-945-8996.
Plumbing installation questions
The City of Suwanee lists changes to plumbing among the work that needs a building permit, and its inspections line is 770-945-8996. Permit rules vary by job, so ask the city and ask your installer who pulls the permit.
Same-day appointments are offered when available. Call, describe the job and the open slots are checked while you are on the line.
Only if the job involves digging, such as a trench to run a new line. Call 811 or go to georgia811.com at least three business days before the dig, and hold off until the marks are on the ground.
Describe the make and model on the call. Most hookups need a supply line, a shutoff valve and a drain connection, and the price is clear before work starts.
You can look up a plumber's license at the Georgia Secretary of State license verification site, verify.sos.ga.gov. Do it before the work starts.
Leave the building and call the gas utility, for most homes Atlanta Gas Light at 877.427.4321, or 911 first. Call a plumber only after you are outside and safe.