Plumbing service in Illinois
Call NowIllinois plumbing is basement plumbing: sump pumps, floor drains and older sewer lines, from Chicago bungalows and two-flats to farm homes on wells downstate.
Illinois weather and your plumbing
Illinois has cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers, with severe thunderstorms in spring and summer. Northern Illinois freezes deeper and longer than the south. Heavy rain over flat terrain and older combined sewers in Chicago-area communities drive basement flooding.
Season by season in Illinois
- Spring and summer storms
- Intense rain overwhelms sewers and sump pits, and basement floor drains back up in older neighborhoods.
- Winter
- Pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and attached garages freeze during arctic outbreaks.
Problems the Illinois climate causes
Basement flooding and sewer backups
Cause: Heavy rain on combined sewers.
Result: Water or sewage enters through floor drains and sump pits.
Do: Keep the sump pump tested, consider a battery backup and ask about an overhead sewer or backwater valve.
Frozen and burst pipes
Cause: Arctic air outbreaks.
Result: Supply lines in exterior walls split.
Do: Keep heat on, open cabinet doors on exterior walls and know where the main shutoff is.
Housing in Illinois
Chicago's bungalows, two-flats and greystones often pair clay sewer connections with cast-iron stacks and steel supply pipe, and many have basements below the street sewer. Suburbs built after World War II often have basements with sump pumps, and many farmhouses downstate still draw from shallow or drilled wells.
Where calls are covered in Illinois
- Covered ZIP codes
- 816
- Cities and towns with coverage
- 679
Most covered ZIP codes
- Chicago · 56 ZIPs
- Rockford · 9 ZIPs
- Peoria · 9 ZIPs
- Springfield · 8 ZIPs
- East Saint Louis · 6 ZIPs
- Joliet · 5 ZIPs
- Aurora · 5 ZIPs
- Schaumburg · 4 ZIPs
Check whether your exact Illinois ZIP code is covered (coverage changes over time)
Illinois questions
What is an overhead sewer in Chicago homes?
It is a system that lifts basement wastewater up to a sewer line that exits above the basement floor, which keeps city sewer backups from flowing into the basement.
Do Illinois plumbing contractors have to register with the state?
Yes. Plumbing contractors register annually with the Illinois Department of Public Health and must have a licensed plumber of record.
How do I check a plumber's license in Illinois?
The Illinois Department of Public Health licenses plumbers and apprentices under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, and plumbing contractors must register with the department every year and name a licensed plumber of record. Chicago has its own additional licensing process.