Water, Sewage or Gas Smell in Your Building? Do This First
In a commercial space, the first few minutes decide how much of the building gets wet. Staff and customers come before inventory, and the building comes before the schedule.
- If you smell gas, leave at once, keep everyone out and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. Do not call us first.
- If water is near outlets, panels or equipment, stay clear and shut off power at the breaker only if the panel is dry and you can reach it safely.
- Close the main water shutoff, and the shutoff to the affected restroom or kitchen if you know where it is.
- Sewage on the floor means the area is closed to customers and staff until it is cleaned and sanitized.
- Move stock, paper and electronics off the floor, then call the 24/7 line and describe what you see.
If the leak is in the street or at a hydrant, call the borough water emergency line or 911. The pipe from the curb into your building is the owner's responsibility, so tell us if the leak sits on that side.
Buildings and Businesses We Work In
Commercial calls differ from house calls because the system is bigger and the downtime costs real money. These are the settings we see most often.
Shops and storefronts
Small retail spaces share restrooms, mop sinks and one or two drain lines. A single clog can close the whole space, so we clear it and check the fixtures nearby.
Restaurants and kitchens
Grease, food solids and heavy dish-room flow load the drains every day. We clear lines, service interceptors and fix leaking prep sinks and dishwashers.
Offices and professional suites
Restroom fixtures, break-room sinks and water coolers need steady supply and quiet repairs. We schedule noisy work around business hours when we can.
Multi-unit buildings
Two-family and larger buildings share risers, stacks and building drains. We trace which unit is the source before we open anything.
Mixed-use buildings
A shop under apartments means one failed pipe can reach both. We coordinate the shutoffs so the tenants above are not left without water longer than needed.
Backflow Testing and Repair
A backflow preventer keeps dirty water from flowing backward into the building's drinking water. Restaurants, car washes, irrigation systems, boilers and some fire lines often have one. The device has springs, seals and check valves that wear, so it needs periodic testing by someone qualified.
We test and repair assemblies, replace worn parts and replace the device when it cannot be restored. Ask the Borough Building Department and your water provider which testing schedule and paperwork apply to your property. We will tell you what the gauge readings mean, and we will write them down so the record is clear.
If an assembly is dripping from its relief port, do not plug it. That drip is the device doing its job or failing, and plugging it can hide a real problem.
Grease Traps and Interceptors
Fat, oil and grease cool inside the drain and harden into a plug. A grease trap or interceptor catches most of it before it reaches the building drain, but only if someone empties it on a regular schedule. When the trap is full, the grease passes through and clogs the line downstream.
We clear lines past the trap, check the baffles and fittings, and look for the sinks that feed it. Pumping the tank itself is usually done by a hauler, and we will say so when that is the next step.
If a kitchen drain smells or runs slowly again a few weeks after cleaning, the trap is the first place to look. Hydro jetting often follows when the pipe wall has built up a layer of grease.
Storm Drains, Floor Drains and Roof Leaders
Commercial buildings have large roofs and paved lots, and all that water must go somewhere. Roof leaders, area drains and trench drains clog with leaves, silt and trash, and they overflow into doors and loading areas. We clear them, and we flag pipe that has collapsed or separated.
Interior floor drains deserve the same attention. A dry trap lets sewer gas into the space, and a clogged one is where a backup shows first. Pouring water down rarely used drains is a cheap habit that helps.
When Commercial Work Needs a Permit
Plumbing permits in Hawthorne come from the Borough Building Department at 445 Lafayette Avenue under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. The office is open weekdays from 8:30 to 4:30, and it does not issue permits after 3 PM. Use this table as a starting point and confirm with the office.
| Work | Permit question | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing a clog or sealing a leak. | Usually repair only. | Ask the office if the work changes any piping. |
| Replacing a water heater or boiler. | Permit list names heaters and boilers. | We confirm the filing before we start. |
| Adding restrooms or moving fixtures. | New or rearranged piping needs review. | Plan drawings may be needed. |
| New sewer connection. | Separate borough sewer connection permit through Public Works. | Contact Public Works first. |
| Backflow assembly replacement. | Rules depend on the property and utility. | Ask the building department. |
Plumbing work must be done by a master plumber or authorized contractor, and the licence number belongs on vehicles and invoices. You can check any licence on the state's online verification site.
What Commercial Plumbing Costs
Commercial work varies too much to quote by phone. We look at the problem, explain the options, and give you a clear price before work starts so you can decide with the manager or owner.
If damage may be covered by your business insurance, ask your insurer what they need. We can describe the cause and the repair in writing, and coverage decisions stay with your insurer.
Why Hawthorne Buildings Need Storm-Ready Plumbing
The borough's environmental inventory records flooding on Lafayette Avenue between Warburton and Central, on Wagaraw Road, on Rea Avenue and at Goffle Road near North 8th Street during Tropical Storm Henri on August 22, 2021. If your space sits on or near those roads, keep floor drains and roof leaders clear before heavy rain. A drain that was slow last month is the one that backs up in a storm.
The water here is also hard, at roughly 236 to 278 ppm at several plants. In coffee machines, dishwashers and boilers, that scale shortens equipment life, so ask us whether a softener is worth discussing. Water softeners appear on the borough's permit list, so confirm with the building office first.
How an After-Hours Call Works
Call the 24/7 line
Tell the dispatcher what the building is, what is leaking or blocked, and whether anyone is still inside.
Make safe and stop the water
We help you close the right valves, then arrive and contain the problem before we plan the repair.
Repair, test and write it up
We fix or temporarily secure the line, test it, and give you a written summary for your records.
Keeping the Building Running
Many commercial calls repeat because the cause was never found. A camera inspection after cleaning shows whether the main needs repair, and our sewer line repair page explains what happens next.
We also work with businesses in nearby Fair Lawn, where Route 208 runs through the same corridor of shops and offices.
Common Questions
Yes. Our 24/7 emergency line takes calls on evenings, weekends and holidays. A flooded restroom, a kitchen backup or a burst line in a shop is treated as an emergency at any hour.
Whenever the problem allows it, yes. Non-urgent repairs can be scheduled before opening or after closing. Urgent leaks and sewage backups come first, because waiting makes the damage bigger.
We test and repair backflow assemblies and replace them when needed. Ask the Borough Building Department and your water provider which schedule applies to your property. We keep the test readings in writing for your records.
Slow kitchen drains, foul smells or grease surfacing in a floor drain point to the trap. If the trap is full, the line downstream clogs again soon after cleaning. We can clear the line and tell you if the tank needs pumping.
Yes. About one housing unit in four in Hawthorne is in a two-unit building, and larger buildings share risers and drains. We confirm which unit is the source before opening walls or lines.
Simple repairs often do not. Moving fixtures, adding restrooms or replacing boilers and water heaters is different, and the Borough Building Department handles those under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. We tell you what we expect and you can confirm with the office.
Local figures on this page come from the Hawthorne Water Department's 2026 Water Quality Report, the borough's Environmental Resource Inventory, the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23) and the NJ State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers. Check current numbers with those sources before you rely on one.