Fargo · West Fargo · Moorhead
Plumbwise is plumbing service and repair, and only that: water heaters, softeners, faucets, disposals, valves, hose bibs and sump pumps, set right by a master plumber and backed by a lifetime warranty on all service and repair.
Master License ND-2112 · MN-PJ738927
01What we do
Our advertisement says it in five words: “Faucets, Disposals, Outdoor Hose Bibs, Valve Replacement, Water Heaters, Etc.” Here is the “etc.”
Repair and replacement for tank water heaters that have to turn near-freezing winter water into a hot shower.
Water softeners and treatment equipment installed, repaired and set correctly for the water you actually have.
The parts of the plumbing you touch every day, and the valves that have to work the day something goes wrong.
Keeping the basement dry in a river valley, and repairing the pipes and drains behind the walls.
A master plumber's read on a house before you buy it, and service for shops, offices and rental property.
02Why Plumbwise
“Plumb” means true and exactly vertical, the way a weighted line hangs. It is a good standard for a repair, and these are the promises we publish under that name.
Lifetime
From our advertisement
It is printed on our advertisement and it is the first thing we say about ourselves. A repair that is plumb and true should not need doing twice, and we are willing to print that promise where everyone can read it.
Products
From our Nextdoor page
The part matters as much as the hands that fit it. We choose faucets, valves, pumps and heaters for how long they last in a Fargo house, because we are the ones standing behind them.
Repairs only
From our advertisement
We say it plainly because it is why we can answer the phone. Plumbwise does service and repair, and nothing else, so a remodel never sits between you and a working water heater.
Anytime
From our Nextdoor page
Leaks do not keep office hours. When something is wrong, pick up the phone. And yes, we mean the rest of that post as well: “We love our customers.”
03From the neighbors
Public recommendations from Fargo neighbors on our Nextdoor page, word for word.
DJ is my go-to handyman. Honest, dependable, and very reasonable.
They do the best work!
04Local knowledge
Deep frost, a flat clay plain, a river that floods and water that starts out very hard. A Fargo-Moorhead house has to answer all four.
4 ft+
In a Fargo winter the ground freezes four feet down and more, deeper still under plowed driveways and streets. Water lines are buried well below that, and anything shallower is at risk in a hard January.
17 → 7
Fargo's treatment plant softens Red River water from an average of 17 grains per gallon to a target of about 7. That is still moderately hard, which is why softeners and water heater maintenance matter here.
Apr 1
In Fargo, sump pumps may not discharge into the sanitary sewer from April 1 to September 30. From October 1 to March 31 the city allows it with an approved seasonal waiver, so the line does not freeze outside.
40.84 ft
The Red River crested at a record 40.84 feet in Fargo in March 2009. In a flat valley of heavy clay, a working sump pump, drain tile and a backwater valve are what keep a basement dry in spring.
05Service area
Plumbwise serves Fargo, Moorhead and the surrounding areas, with licenses for both sides of the Red River: North Dakota and Minnesota.
06Straight answers
Frozen pipes and service lines, sump pump rules in Fargo, water heaters and winter inlet water, softener settings for city water, and how to check a North Dakota or Minnesota plumbing license.
Read all 42 answersWater pipes are at real risk once the air around them stays at about 20°F or colder for several hours. In Fargo, where January nights average near 0°F and stretches of 20 below are normal, any pipe in an outside wall, a rim joist, a crawl space or an unheated garage can freeze in a single night if the heat does not reach it.
If your home has a basement, almost certainly yes. The Red River Valley is flat, the soil is heavy clay that drains slowly, and the water table rises sharply with spring snowmelt. Most basements here are built with drain tile around the footing that leads to a sump pit, and the pump is what empties it.
Because the water coming into the house is far colder. In midwinter the incoming water here is only a few degrees above freezing, so the heater has to raise it roughly 80 degrees or more instead of 50 or 60. The tank recovers more slowly, and you mix less cold water into each shower, so the hot water runs out sooner.
Fargo's water treatment plant softens Red River water from an average of about 17 grains per gallon to a target of about 7 grains per gallon, roughly 120 parts per million. That is moderately hard: much better than the raw river water, but still enough to leave scale. West Fargo is supplied with Fargo-treated water, and Moorhead Public Service also softens its water at the plant.
In most Fargo-Moorhead homes the main shut-off is in the basement, on the pipe where the water line comes up through the floor or through the foundation wall, right next to the water meter. It is often on the street side of the house, near the water heater or in the utility room.
Use the License Lookup on the North Dakota State Plumbing Board's website, ndplumbingboard.gov, or call the board in Bismarck at 701-328-9977. Anyone performing plumbing in North Dakota must be licensed with the board.
Plumb, true, and warrantied
Plumbing service and repair for Fargo, Moorhead and the surrounding areas, from a master plumber, with a lifetime warranty on all service and repair.
701-306-2074