We help Calgary homeowners find local plumbing contractors, understand what a plumbing job should cost here, and know which work needs a permit and a certified tradesperson before they sign anything.
Plumbing in a Calgary house has its own local problems. The water is hard, so scale builds up in water heaters and fixtures. Cold snaps freeze pipes in older homes and in communities close to the river. Many houses built from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s were plumbed with Poly-B, and older inner-city homes still have clay or cast iron sewer lines that tree roots find their way into. Basements are the other worry: a sewer backup or high groundwater can ruin a finished one in an afternoon.
Plumbing is also one of the trades with the most rules that homeowners rarely see explained. In Alberta, plumbers and gasfitters are compulsory certification trades. Much plumbing and gas work needs a permit, the rules differ from Calgary to Airdrie to Cochrane, and in Calgary a homeowner cannot take out a gas permit at all unless they are a certified gasfitter. Quotes for the same water heater or sewer repair can differ by thousands of dollars.
Calgary Plumbing Pro is a matching service, not a plumbing company. We do not do plumbing or gas work and we do not employ plumbers. You tell us what is going on, and we send your request to local plumbing contractors listed in the Calgary Construction Network directory, who reply to you by email. Our cost ranges, permit guidance and Plumbing IQ answers are here so you know what a fair job looks like before the first quote arrives.
Choose the job type and your area, and add what you are seeing: a leak, a slow drain, no hot water, a backup in the basement. The age of the home and where the problem is help. No phone number needed.
We send your request to local plumbing contractors in the Calgary Construction Network directory who work in your area. They contact you by email to arrange a visit and a written quote.
Compare quotes line by line, ask to see the plumber's or gasfitter's trade certificate, the Alberta prepaid contracting licence and a WCB-Alberta clearance letter, get the contract in writing, and ask who will take out the permit.
This site covers one trade. Your request goes to plumbing contractors, not general contractors or other trades, for leaks, drains, sewer lines, water heaters, repiping, gas lines, rough-ins and backwater valves.
Every service page gives the range a job usually lands in here, and what moves it: hourly and after-hours rates, access to the pipe, how much concrete or ground has to be opened, and the equipment you choose. Know the range before you compare quotes.
We explain the protections that matter when you hire a plumber here: trade certification, permits and inspections, the prepaid contracting licence, what a written contract must include, the 10-day cancellation right, and how to check WCB coverage.
Our free knowledge base answers Calgary plumbing questions: what a repair or replacement should cost, when a permit is needed, what to do about Poly-B, and how to tell a fair quote from a bad one.
The jobs Calgary homeowners bring to us most, with the range each usually lands in:
Leaking pipes and fittings, failed shut-off valves, frozen and burst pipes and running toilets in Calgary homes, with what an hour of a plumber's time costs.
Repairs are usually billed by the hour plus parts: about $85 to $150 an hour during the day and $150 to $250 an hour after hours, often with a call-out or service fee of $50 to $150 (more for an emergency visit). Most small repairs are one to three hours of work.
Slow and blocked drains, snaking versus hydro-jetting, and camera inspections that show what is really in the line before anyone digs.
Snaking a sink or tub drain often costs $150 to $300 and a main line around $400. Hydro-jetting a main line usually runs $400 to $800, and a camera inspection $200 to $600. After-hours visits cost more.
Sewer backups, tree roots and cracked service lines in Calgary, which part of the line is yours, and spot repair versus trenchless versus dig-and-replace.
A spot repair on one section commonly costs $1,000 to $3,000. Lining or bursting a full line is usually $5,000 to $12,000, and a full dig-and-replace $4,500 to $15,000 or more depending on depth, length and what sits on top of the line. A camera inspection should come first.
Tank and tankless water heater replacement in Calgary: sizing, gas versus electric, venting, and when a swap needs a permit.
A standard 50-gallon gas tank, supplied and installed, usually runs about $1,500 to $3,500. A tankless gas heater installed is commonly $2,200 to $5,000, plus $400 to $1,500 more if the gas line has to be upgraded.
Replacing Poly-B and other older supply piping with PEX or copper: what repiping involves, how long it takes and what it costs in a Calgary house.
A whole-house Poly-B repipe in Calgary typically costs $8,000 to $15,000, with most homes landing around $10,000 to $13,000. Larger two-storey homes can reach $12,000 to $18,000. Drywall patching and painting may be priced separately.
Gas lines for ranges, dryers, barbecues, fireplaces and garage heaters, and why gas work in Calgary needs a certified gasfitter and a gas permit.
A simple gas line to a range or dryer near an existing line is often $300 to $800. A longer new run through finished space commonly costs $600 to $1,200 or more. Barbecue and garage heater lines vary too much with the route to quote a range: ask for an itemized price that includes the permit.
Toilets, faucets, sinks and showers, plus the rough-in plumbing for a new basement bathroom or laundry move in a Calgary home.
Installing a toilet usually costs $150 to $400 in labour, or $300 to $1,000 with the toilet supplied. A faucet is often $150 to $500. A basement bathroom rough-in commonly runs $2,500 to $5,500, and up to about $8,000 where a lot of concrete has to be cut.
Backwater valves and sump pumps to protect a Calgary basement from sewer backup and groundwater, with the permit and maintenance each needs.
A sump pump installed usually costs $800 to $3,000, plus $200 to $500 for a battery backup. Backwater valve prices depend on how deep the line is and how much concrete has to be cut, so get an itemized quote that includes the permit.
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