First Aid Plumbing Specialist Houston Heights · Since 2009

Licensed master plumber · RMP #18442

Water where it shouldn't be, gone before breakfast.

First Aid Plumbing Specialist has answered the phone at 1126 W 26th Street for fifteen years. Two trucks, one shop, and a plumber who will tell you honestly whether it's a Tuesday afternoon job or a call-you-back-tonight job.

  • 24 hrMon–Fri dispatch
  • 4.9★60 Google reviews
  • 15 yrsIn the Heights
Plumber tightening a fitting on pipework beneath a kitchen sink
Under-sink supply line replacement, Norhill — 40 minutes door to door.

01 — What we do

The work, in plain terms

Tap any line to open it. Prices below are the honest starting ranges we quote on the phone — the real number depends on what's behind the wall, and we tell you before we cut.

01 Emergency leaks & burst lines

A supply line lets go at 2 a.m. and you're standing in an inch of water. We walk you through shutting the main at the street while the truck is rolling — that call alone saves most of the damage. Once we're there: locate the break, isolate the run, repair or replace the section, then pressure-test before we leave.

  • Slab and wall leak location with acoustic and thermal detection
  • Copper, PEX, and galvanized repair — we carry all three
  • Main shut-off valve replacement, Houston Heights gate valves included
  • Water damage containment and a written report for your insurer

Most Heights homes built before 1955 still have original galvanized supply. If yours does, ask us about a repipe estimate while we're on site — it's free.

02 Drain clearing & sewer camera

Slow drains are rarely the drain. In this neighborhood they're usually roots in the clay lateral, or a belly in the line where the yard settled. We cable first, then run a camera so you can see the actual problem on the screen instead of taking our word for it.

  • Kitchen, bath, and laundry branch clearing
  • Main sewer cabling to the city tap
  • Camera inspection with a recorded video you keep
  • Hydro-jetting for grease and scale build-up
  • Root cutting and spot repair recommendations

If the camera shows nothing wrong, you pay for the cable and the camera and we say so. We'd rather lose the job than sell you a line replacement you don't need.

03 Water heaters — repair & replacement

No hot water is the call we get most on a Saturday morning. Thermocouple, element, dip tube, or the tank itself — we diagnose before we quote. Replacements are usually done the same day, and we haul the old unit off with us.

  • 40 and 50 gallon gas and electric tank replacement
  • Tankless install, descaling, and flow-rate diagnosis
  • Thermostat, element, and thermocouple repair
  • Expansion tank and T&P valve replacement to current code
  • Pan, drain line, and flue correction on older installs

We pull the permit and handle the City of Houston inspection. You don't have to be home for either.

04 Fixtures, faucets & toilets

The unglamorous half of the trade, and the half we're happiest doing. A toilet that rocks, a faucet that drips into the cabinet, a shower valve that scalds when someone flushes — all of it is a same-visit fix.

  • Toilet rebuild, reset, and wax ring replacement
  • Faucet and shower valve replacement — you supply or we do
  • Garbage disposal replacement and jam clearing
  • Dishwasher and ice maker supply line hookup
  • Angle stop replacement behind every fixture we touch

Bring us the fixture or let us pick it up. We keep a standard stock of Moen, Delta, and Kohler cartridges on the truck.

05 Gas lines & appliance hookups

Gas work is where we're strictest, because it has to be. Every run is pressure-tested and every job gets a permit and a city inspection — no exceptions, no shortcuts, no "it'll be fine."

  • New gas runs for ranges, dryers, and outdoor kitchens
  • Leak detection and pressure testing
  • Flex connector and shut-off valve replacement
  • Grill and fire pit line installation
  • Post-storm gas line inspection and certification

If you smell gas, leave the house and call CenterPoint first at 888-876-5786. Then call us.

06 Remodels & repipes

Kitchen and bath rough-in, whole-house PEX repipes, and the odd job where a contractor needs a plumber who shows up when he says he will. We work with several Heights builders and we're happy to work with yours.

  • Whole-house PEX and copper repipe
  • Bathroom and kitchen rough-in and trim-out
  • Washer box and hose bib additions
  • Cast iron to PVC under-slab conversion
  • Insurance and real-estate inspection reports

Repipes are quoted after a walkthrough, never over the phone. Expect a written scope with a fixed price and a start date.

02 — The shop

Two trucks, one address, fifteen years

First Aid Plumbing Specialist opened on West 26th in 2009, in a small bay behind what was then a tire shop. The Heights was mostly renters and old bungalows then. It's neither now, and we've stayed put through all of it — same address, same phone number, same habit of answering it ourselves.

We're a small outfit on purpose. Two service trucks and a shop, which means the person who takes your call is usually the person who shows up. It also means we turn down work when we're booked, rather than send someone we don't know into your house. If we can't get to you today, we'll say that on the phone and give you a real time.

What we're known for around here is the unglamorous stuff: the 6 a.m. water heater, the Sunday-night drain, the slow leak behind the washing machine that's been quietly ruining a floor for a month. We charge by the job, not the hour, and we tell you the number before we start.

Ray Delgado

Owner · Licensed Master Plumber, RMP #18442

Plumbing hand tools laid out on a workbench
The truck stock, restocked every Friday afternoon.
Chrome bathroom faucet and basin in a renovated bathroom
Trim-out on a Norhill bathroom remodel, spring 2025.

03 — Where we go

The neighborhoods we know by street

We stay close on purpose. Knowing which blocks have clay laterals and which have already been repiped saves you an hour of diagnostic time on every call.

  • Houston HeightsHome base. Most calls land here.
  • Norhill & Woodland HeightsOlder galvanized supply, frequent repipes.
  • Shady Acres & TimbergroveNewer builds, mostly fixture and heater work.
  • Garden Oaks & Oak ForestRoot intrusion in the laterals, regularly.
  • Montrose & River OaksOlder cast iron, careful work in finished rooms.
  • Downtown & MidtownCondos and lofts, stack and riser access.
  • Bellaire & West UniversitySlab leaks and post-renovation corrections.
  • EaDo & Second WardCommercial and mixed-use service calls.

Outside these areas? Call anyway — if it's a real emergency and we can get there, we will. We just won't pretend a 45-minute drive is a 15-minute one.

04 — When we answer

Hours

Weekday calls are answered around the clock. Saturday we're on until two, and Sunday we're closed — genuinely closed, not "leave a message and hope."

After-hours emergency rate applies outside 7 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekdays. We tell you the number on the phone before we dispatch, every time.

Business hours by day
MondayOpen 24 hours
TuesdayOpen 24 hours
WednesdayOpen 24 hours
ThursdayOpen 24 hours
FridayOpen 24 hours
Saturday8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
SundayClosed

05 — Find us

1126 W 26th St, Houston, TX 77008

The shop sits on the north side of West 26th between Durham and Yale, in the Heights. There's a gravel lot in front and a hand-painted sign on the bay door — if you've reached the taqueria, you've gone one door too far.

Walk-ins are welcome for parts and small fixtures, but for anything that needs a plumber at your house, call first. We're often out on calls and we'd rather not have you standing in the lot.

Parking
Gravel lot in front, street parking on 26th
Payments
Cash, check, all major cards · Financing on repipes over $4,000
Call (832) 279-3065
Copper pipework and a water heater installation in a utility room
50-gallon replacement in Shady Acres — installed, permitted, inspected.