A1 Handyman & Home Plumbing
(215) 380-6666

Roxborough · Manayunk · Philadelphia, PA

We fix what water breaks.

A1 Handyman & Home Plumbing Services has been working out of Pawling Street for years, keeping the old rowhouses of Northwest Philadelphia dry. Burst supply lines, dead water heaters, slow drains, faucets that have dripped since the last owner — we take the call, we show up, we fix it right the first time.

No surprise pricing. No waiting until Tuesday. No mess left behind.

  • 4.8 average from 16 Google reviews
  • 24 hours Monday through Saturday
  • Licensed & insured in Philadelphia
Plumber tightening a fitting under a kitchen sink with a pipe wrench
Under-sink supply and trap work — Wissahickon Ave, a Tuesday night call.
24/7Mon–Sat dispatch
19128Home ZIP code
30 minTypical emergency ETA

Chapter one

Plumbing & repair work

Everything below is work we do ourselves — no subcontractors, no call centre between you and the person holding the wrench. Prices are quoted before we start, and the quote is what you pay.

  • Emergency leaks & burst pipes

    Supply line failures, frozen-and-split copper, water coming through a ceiling. We shut it down, find the break, and repair or replace the run the same visit.

    Same-day
  • Water heater repair & replacement

    Gas and electric tanks, 40 to 75 gallon. Pilot and thermocouple faults, sediment flush, element swaps, and full replacement with haul-away of the old unit.

    Repair or replace
  • Drain & sewer clearing

    Kitchen stacks, bathroom groups, main line blockages. Cable and jetting for roots and grease, plus camera inspection when the blockage keeps coming back.

    Cable & jet
  • Faucets, toilets & fixtures

    Cartridge and seat replacement, running toilets, wax rings, shut-off valves, new faucet installs. We carry common parts on the truck so most jobs finish in one trip.

    One trip
  • Garbage disposals & dishwasher lines

    Jammed or leaking disposals, new installs, dishwasher supply and drain hookups, air-gap replacement.

    Install
  • Sump pumps & basement water

    Pump replacement, float and check-valve service, discharge line rerouting. Important in the lower blocks near the Wissahickon when the creek runs high.

    Seasonal
Close-up of newly soldered copper supply pipes running along a basement joist
Sweated copper supply run, replacing galvanised steel in a 1920s Roxborough twin.

Handyman work, same visit

  • Drywall & plaster patching

    Cut-outs from leak repairs closed up, taped, and painted-ready before we leave.

  • Caulking & grout

    Shower and tub surrounds resealed, failing grout raked out and replaced to stop water getting behind the tile.

  • Doors, trim & hardware

    Sticking doors, deadbolts, cabinet hinges, weatherstripping on old single-pane doors.

  • Outdoor spigots & hose bibs

    Frost-free sillcock replacement, backflow preventers, winterising before the first hard freeze.

Not sure which of these you need? Describe what you're seeing on the phone and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a five-minute fix or a real job.

Chapter two

When it's an emergency

Water doesn't wait for business hours, so neither do we. Monday through Saturday, any hour, someone answers the phone at Pawling Street.

  1. 01

    Shut the water off

    Find the main valve — usually in the basement near the front wall or under the kitchen sink in these rowhouses. Turn it clockwise until it stops.

  2. 02

    Kill the water heater

    If the leak is at or above the tank, shut the gas valve or flip the breaker. A tank that keeps heating with no water in it will ruin itself.

  3. 03

    Call us

    (215) 380-6666. Tell us the address, what you're seeing, and whether water is still moving. We'll tell you what to do while we're on the way.

Sunday is our closed day. If you have an active flood on a Sunday, call anyway — if we can't get to you we'll tell you straight away rather than leave you waiting.

Technician connecting lines to a residential water heater in a basement
Tank swap in a Manayunk basement — old 40-gallon out, new one piped and lit the same afternoon.

The number goes to a phone in the truck, not a call centre.

Call (215) 380-6666

What to have ready

  • The street address and nearest cross street
  • Whether the water is clean or backing up from a drain
  • Whether you've already shut the main valve
  • Where the water heater is and whether it's gas or electric

Chapter three

The shop on Pawling Street

A1 started the way most good trades do — one van, one set of tools, and a neighbourhood that kept calling back. The address on Pawling Street sits in the middle of Roxborough, a few blocks off Ridge Avenue, which means we're usually closer to the job than anyone dispatching from Center City.

Most of the housing stock out here went up between 1890 and 1950: twins, rowhouses, and the occasional detached stone house up toward the ridge. That means galvanised steel supply lines that have quietly rusted from the inside, cast iron drains with a hundred years of scale, and water heaters tucked into closets that were never designed to hold them. We've worked on all of it, and we know what's behind the walls before we open them.

We're a small crew. The person who answers your call is the person who shows up, and the price you're quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice — parts, labour, and cleanup included. If a job turns out to be bigger than it sounded, we stop and talk to you before we keep going.

Rowhouses along a residential Philadelphia street in late afternoon light
The blocks we work most — Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, Andorra.

How we work

  • Quoted before we start

    You hear the number and approve it. No hourly meter running while you wonder.

  • Shoe covers and drop cloths

    We work in your house, not a construction site. Floors get covered, and we vacuum up after.

  • Old parts left with you

    If we replace something, you keep the old one until you've seen the new one work.

  • Straight answers on age

    If a fixture has another two years in it, we'll say so instead of selling you a replacement today.

Chapter four

Where we drive

We stay close to home on purpose. A tight radius means shorter waits and a plumber who actually knows your block.

  • RoxboroughRidge Ave, Henry Ave, Pechin St, Lyceum Ave
  • ManayunkMain St, Umbria St, Green Ln, Cotton St
  • East FallsMidvale Ave, Indian Queen Ln, School House Ln
  • AndorraCathedral Rd, Henry Ave corridor, Fairmount Park edge
  • Chestnut HillGermantown Ave, Bethlehem Pike, Willow Grove Ave
  • Wissahickon & GermantownWissahickon Ave, Chelten Ave, Wayne Ave

Just outside these? Call and ask. If it's a real job and not a fifteen-minute drive, we'll usually still come.

Open tool bag with pipe wrenches and hand tools on a workbench
What rides in the van every day — wrenches, torch, fittings, common cartridges.

Common calls by neighbourhood

  • Roxborough & Andorra

    Galvanised supply replacement, low water pressure on the second floor, water heater swaps in tight closets.

  • Manayunk & Wissahickon

    Basement sump pumps and backwater valves, especially on the blocks that sit low near the creek.

  • Chestnut Hill & Germantown

    Older cast iron drains, radiator and steam system leaks, bathroom fixture updates in stone houses.

Chapter five

Hours & address

Opening hours
MondayOpen 24 hours
TuesdayOpen 24 hours
WednesdayOpen 24 hours
ThursdayOpen 24 hours
FridayOpen 24 hours
SaturdayOpen 24 hours
SundayClosed
Shop & mailing address 6953 Pawling St
Philadelphia, PA 19128

Pawling Street runs off Ridge Avenue in Roxborough. Street parking on the block; if you're dropping something off, pull up in front and call first.

The fastest way to reach us

(215) 380-6666

Call, don't email. We're on the road most of the day and the phone is the only line that reaches us reliably — Monday through Saturday, any hour.

Tap to call
Modern bathroom sink and faucet after a fixture replacement
New faucet and shut-offs set in a Roxborough hall bath.

We don't take bookings through this website yet. Everything goes through the phone number above — that's the one thing that hasn't changed since we started.

Colophon

A1 Handyman & Home Plumbing Services

Licensed and insured plumbing and handyman work, serving Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, Andorra, Chestnut Hill and Germantown from a shop on Pawling Street. Open 24 hours Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday.

(215) 380-6666

  • Address6953 Pawling St, Philadelphia, PA 19128
  • Phone(215) 380-6666
  • HoursMon–Sat, open 24 hours · Sunday closed
  • Rating4.8 average across 16 Google reviews