Find Alabama Plumbers
Snipes Plumbing & Mechanical
4.8(39 reviews on Google)
7113 Spring Dr, Cottondale
(205) 553-7586Two towns share this page: Cottondale and Coaling, the smaller neighbor whose own shop sits among the five. The plumbers here hold 125 Google reviews averaging 4.6, a compact record where repeat households do the talking, and the trade leans practical: water heaters at three shops, 24/7 emergency coverage at three, drain cleaning and leak detection at two each. Jason's Drain Service leads the record at 5.0 from 28, and drains come first in the name even though the work runs well past them. Coaling's shop keeps leak calls and general plumbing as its trade.
One repeat Cottondale household counts emergency work among the plumbing jobs Jason's Drain Service has done over several years, along with one project that proved more extensive than expected; another two-job visit replaced a hot water heater and the cartridges in both bathtub faucets. Water heaters and sewer lines sit on its list beside the drain work, and 24/7 emergency service comes with it.
The Scales Company Inc. has run as Scales Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning since 1985, rated 4.7 from 26, covering Tuscaloosa, Northport, Brookwood and Cottondale plus the Gulf Coast from Gulf Shores to Orange Beach and Foley. Plumbing shares the banner with heating and air conditioning, and septic system work is licensed too, with credentials posted by number: AL Cert #18012, Master Plumber #3452 and Master Gas #3452. Alabama certifies plumbers and gas fitters who contract for the trade through its Plumbers and Gas Fitters Board, whose public search lets a customer check a credential before hiring.
Featured plumbers in Cottondale
What a featured listing costs · from $29 a month
What plumbers charge near Cottondale
Planning bands from the federal wage survey for the Tuscaloosa area, which covers Cottondale, next to the statewide number for context. They are estimates, not quotes — call two or three businesses and compare the written numbers.
| Job | Tuscaloosa | Alabama statewide |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber's hourly rate | $70–$110 | $70–$110 |
| Unclog a drain | $70–$310 | $70–$300 |
| Toilet replacement | $200–$630 | $190–$620 |
| Tank water heater replacement | $810–$1,760 | $810–$1,750 |
Full table: $80–$125 an hour in Decatur down to $60–$95 in Dothan — every area and every job, with the assumptions shown.
Best plumbers in Cottondale
Jason's Drain Service
5.0(28 reviews on Google)
2010 Mountainbrook Dr, Cottondale
(205) 764-8182
The Scales Company Inc.
4.7(26 reviews on Google)
, Cottondale
(205) 556-4987
Henson Plumbing
4.8(17 reviews on Google)
5937 Jaybird Rd, Cottondale (based in Coaling)
(205) 657-1689
Gamble Plumbing Co.
3.5(15 reviews on Google)
, Cottondale
(205) 229-5517Snipes Plumbing & Mechanical works out of Cottondale at 4.8 from 39, and its reviews are built on return visits: a homeowner in McCalla has used the company on three different occasions, each time arriving as promised, and a customer who woke to a hot water heater spilling water across a storage room floor on a Sunday had a response that day. Water heaters, tankless units and drain cleaning fill out its range.
Henson Plumbing, based in Coaling, keeps 4.8 from 17 on repeat households, with one outdoor leak found and fixed promptly enough to earn a wish for ten stars. Gamble Plumbing Co. rates 3.5 from 15 Google reviews, with a kitchen faucet replacement at the center of its feedback.
Weekend trouble is covered, with emergency response at Jason's Drain Service, Snipes Plumbing & Mechanical and The Scales Company Inc., and financing is available through The Scales Company Inc. as well. Tuscaloosa, Hueytown, Bessemer, Alabaster and Homewood have pages of their own nearby for the towns around Cottondale.
Hiring a plumber in Cottondale: local notes
Central Alabama — Birmingham and its ridge-and-valley suburbs, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden.
What the climate does here
- Ridge-and-valley red clay moves with the weather, and the region's older neighborhoods — Birmingham's pre-1950 stock above all — still run on galvanized steel and cast iron that age out together.
- Central Alabama sits in Dixie Alley: the April 2011 outbreak tore through Birmingham's suburbs, and post-storm re-pipes and meter sets follow every severe season.
- Ice storms are the winter signature — a thin glaze is enough to snap tree limbs onto service lines and cut power for days, which is why battery-backup sump pumps sell here.
- Summer storms drop intense rain on narrow valleys, so yard drains, area drains and sewer laterals take the water all at once.
Before you sign
- In Birmingham's older neighborhoods, ask whether the supply lines are original galvanized; a whole-house repipe quote is easier to take before the pinhole leaks start.
- Camera the sewer lateral before buying an mid-century house — big clay laterals under these neighborhoods root-in and belly where the clay soil has moved.
- Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden carry the same aging-mains issues as Birmingham with fewer contractors per capita, so book non-emergencies early in the week.
- Ask for the company's state registration and the individual's certification level — apprentice, journeyman or master — before any quote is scheduled.
- Check the certificate in the Board's own business search; the record here shows the license number and issue date, the Board shows the current status.
- Confirm who pulls the permit for anything beyond a like-for-like swap, and make the inspection schedule part of the written estimate.
Licensing: Plumbing is a state-certified trade in Alabama: the Plumbers & Gas Fitters Examining Board certifies every level from apprentice to master, and registered companies must carry a Principal Master. City building departments add local licenses and pull permits for code-covered work. Verify a license in the Board's business search (status and expiration live there, not here) — see Alabama Plumbers & Gas Fitters Examining Board. Before any job that digs, Alabama 811 locates buried lines free.
Common questions about plumbers in Cottondale
Who works both Cottondale and the Gulf Coast?
The Scales Company Inc. covers Tuscaloosa, Northport, Brookwood and Cottondale plus the Gulf Coast from Gulf Shores to Orange Beach and Foley, with plumbing under the same banner as heating and air conditioning since 1985. Septic system work is licensed too, with credentials posted by number.
Who covers Coaling, the small town beside Cottondale?
Henson Plumbing is based in Coaling and keeps a 4.8 average from 17 Google reviews built on repeat customers. Leak calls and general plumbing are its visible trades, and one household's outdoor leak was found and fixed promptly enough to earn a wish for ten stars.
Who clears drains and stubborn clogs near Cottondale?
Jason's Drain Service puts drains first in the name, with clog and blockage work behind a 5.0 rating from 28 reviews and sewer lines on its list. Snipes Plumbing & Mechanical adds drain cleaning to a range that covers water heaters and tankless units, so a slow drain or a backed-up line has two shops to call.
Which Cottondale shops answer calls on weekends?
Snipes Plumbing & Mechanical did exactly that for a customer whose hot water heater spilled water across a storage room floor on a Sunday, with a response that day. Jason's Drain Service and The Scales Company Inc. both run 24/7 emergency service, so after-hours trouble stays covered across both towns.
Who offers financing on plumbing work here?
Financing sits with The Scales Company Inc., the shop that also spans Tuscaloosa to the Gulf Coast, so a bigger plumbing or heating job there can be spread across payments instead of settled all at once.
How do I check a plumber's certification in Alabama?
Ask the business for its license number, then look it up in the Board's own business search. Listing pages on this directory show the license number and the year it was issued where a Board record exists; the Board's search is where the current status lives, so check there before you hire.
Are repipes as common in Birmingham as it sounds?
Yes. Birmingham's pre-1950 neighborhoods were plumbed in galvanized steel and cast iron, and that stock ages out in clusters — once one neighbor is repiping, the street usually follows within a few years. Most local plumbers quote whole-house PEX or copper repipes, and the listing tiles on this site show which businesses confirm repiping work before you call.