- Leaks don't stand a chance.
Plumbing Services in Clay County, FL
Leaks don’t stand a chance.
Rather text? Send a photo of the problem to 352-377-9447 and we’ll tell you what it sounds like.
Licensed Florida Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748
Locally owned, owner on site. Find it or you don’t pay. Emergency plumbing
to come out, waived on larger jobs
$
69
flat leak detection, find it or free
$
375
parts and labor warranty, then the manufacturer's
2
yr
First Choice Plumbing is a licensed plumber serving Clay County, FL, working Keystone Heights, Lake Geneva, Melrose and the State Road 21 corridor from our shop in Hawthorne. We handle leak detection, pipe repair and repipes, water heaters, drain clearing, well water filtration and septic installs. It’s $69 to come out. Leak detection is $375 flat, and if we don’t find it, you don’t pay. Call or text 352-377-9447.
- Two different Clay Counties
Why is it so hard to get a good plumber out to this part of Clay County?
Because the plumbing companies with the biggest ad budgets in this county are pointed at Orange Park and Fleming Island, where the houses are close together, the water comes from a utility and there’s no septic tank to worry about. A tech can run six calls in a day up there. Out here on the ridge, one call can eat a morning. So the trucks that do come tend to come with a minimum charge, a rushed look and a number that has the drive time baked into it.
Meanwhile you own the whole chain. You own the well, the pump and the pressure tank. You own whatever is trying to pull the iron and the sulfur out of your water. You own the septic tank and the drain field. Nobody sends you a bill for any of it, and nobody comes to look at it either, until the day it stops working.
That’s the part that wears people down. It isn’t the water on the floor, it’s the not knowing. Is that a slab leak or a running toilet? Is the well losing prime or is the pressure switch going? Is the drain backing up from a clog, or did the drain field quit two years ago and nobody told you? A plumber who only knows subdivision plumbing will guess, and you’ll pay for the guess.
You shouldn’t have to become a plumber to keep from getting taken. You should get a straight answer, a real number, and somebody who’ll tell you when the cheap fix is the right fix.
- Wells, drought and sulfur on the sand ridge
Why is my well pumping air, and why does the water smell like rotten eggs?
Two different problems, and around here they’ve both been busy.
Start with the air. This region has been in a hard drought, and Floridan aquifer levels in north central Florida dropped to their lowest since 2011 this past spring. Well drillers around here have been reporting water tables down roughly five to ten feet. When the level drops toward the bottom of your well, the pump starts pulling air along with water. You’ll hear it spit at the tap, the pressure will surge and fall, and sand or grit will start showing up in the aerators. If that’s what your house is doing, it’s a well and pump problem before it’s a plumbing problem, and we’ll say so and point you to a well contractor rather than sell you a filter that won’t fix it. What we do handle is everything from the pressure tank into the house: the treatment, the fixtures, the water heater and the lines that took a beating while the pressure was jumping around.
Now the smell. That’s hydrogen sulfide, and on this sand ridge it’s usually the aquifer, the water heater, or both. The Floridan Aquifer runs naturally high in iron and sulfur because the limestone it moves through is porous and it picks things up on the way. It’s common enough here that the county utility aerates several of its own systems, including the Keystone grid, specifically to strip odor out of the water before it reaches the tap. If a utility with a treatment plant has to deal with it, your well certainly does.
Here’s the part that surprises people. If the smell only shows up in the hot water, your well isn’t the problem. Your water heater is. The magnesium anode rod inside the tank reacts with sulfur bacteria and makes the odor. Swapping to an aluminum rod and flushing the tank often clears it, and that’s a couple hundred dollars of work instead of a filtration system. We’ve told plenty of people exactly that and left without selling them anything.
When the water itself is the problem, we build for it. Air injection and chlorine free systems for sulfur, media tanks for iron, softeners for hardness, and a gas-off tank on the sulfur setups. We size it off a real test, not a guess.
How often should I test a private well?
The Florida Department of Health recommends testing a private well every year for bacteria and nitrates, and a fuller panel every three years. Nobody regulates your well for you. Iron and sulfur are a nuisance you can taste and smell. Bacteria and nitrates are the ones that matter for your family, and they don't smell like anything at all. Get your water tested free, no obligation.
Free water testing
We test, we show you the numbers, and we tell you what you actually need. Sometimes that's an anode rod. Sometimes it's a full system. You get the same honest read either way.
- What we do in Clay County
What do you actually do out in Clay County?
This is what we’re known for. We find hidden leaks under slabs, inside walls, in yard lines and in irrigation, using listening equipment and pressure testing instead of a sledgehammer and a hunch. If we don’t find it, you don’t pay, and we write the whole thing up for your insurance carrier.
Iron staining the tub, sulfur in the hot water, hardness chewing up your fixtures and your water heater. We build air injection and chlorine free systems, softener and media tank trains, and sulfur setups with a gas-off tank. Water testing is free.
New tanks, replacements, drain field installs, locating a tank when nobody knows where it is, and abandonment done to code. We don’t pump tanks and we don’t do inspections, and we’ll tell you that up front instead of after you’ve booked. Drain field install and replacement
Electric, gas and propane, which matters out here where plenty of houses run on a propane tank in the side yard. Repairs, swaps, tankless installs and the annual tankless flush we do with vinegar rather than chemicals. Tankless water heaters
Two different jobs, and we price them that way. Clearing is a clog, and we’re usually in and out in about an hour and a half. Cleaning is descaling old cast iron with a milling machine until it’s smooth inside again, which is a one to two day job. Drain cleaning and descaling
If your house went up between the late seventies and the mid nineties, there’s a real chance it’s on polybutylene, and it fails at the fittings. We repipe in PEX or copper, and where it fits we line the pipe from the inside as a NuFlow Certified Contractor instead of cutting up your house. Polybutylene and galvanized replacement
Not sure which one you need? Call or text and tell us what’s going on. Kim will get you on the board.
- What happens when you call
What does it look like to get this handled?
Call or text and tell us what's going on.
Kim will get the details and where you are in the county, and get you on the board. Tell her if you’re on a well or on utility water, because it changes what we bring. If it’s an emergency, say so, and it moves.
We come out for $69 and find the actual problem.
Not a guess and not a scare. You get told what’s wrong, what it’ll cost, and what happens if you wait. If it’s a leak hunt, that’s the $375 flat and the find-it-or-free guarantee.
- Septic and permits
Who permits septic and plumbing work in Clay County?
Two different offices, and it trips people up constantly.
Septic goes through the Florida Department of Health in Clay County, Environmental Health, on Walburg Street in Green Cove Springs. They review the site, an environmental health specialist comes out, and the permit is issued before a certified installer can start. That covers new systems, modifications and repairs.
One thing worth knowing before you budget a new system. Since 2023, Florida has required enhanced nutrient reducing systems for new installations on smaller lots inside adopted basin management areas, and parts of Clay County sit inside the Lower St. Johns basin. Whether your parcel is affected comes down to the address and the lot size, so ask the health department before you assume. That answer can move the number by a lot, and we’d rather you find that out from us early than from a permit denial late.
Regular plumbing work goes through the Clay County Building Department. And yes, replacing a water heater is permitted plumbing work here, same as most work that alters or replaces part of a plumbing system. Plenty of homeowners find that out the hard way when they sell the house. We pull the permits on the work we do, so it’s inspected, it’s on the record, and it doesn’t come back on you at closing.
- Meet the owner
Who's actually going to show up?
Will Harrod owns this company and holds the license, CFC1430748. He does the estimating, the new construction, the remodels and the repipes, and he’s the one who’ll walk your property with you and look at the well house before he quotes anything.
That’s the whole shop, and that’s on purpose. Will ran six and seven man crews before and pulled it back to people he’d trust in his own house. When the owner is standing in your kitchen instead of a rep working a commission sheet, the conversation changes. He’s not collecting money from behind a curtain.
- Mike runs service calls and drain work.
- Ben is the helper, and he's catching on fast.
- Kim answers the phone and runs dispatch.
- How we compare
The difference is in the details
No pressure and no upsell. If the smaller repair is the right one, that’s the one we’ll quote you.
| What Matters | First Choice Plumbing | Typical Plumbing Company or Big-Name Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Price to come out | $69 flat, published on the website, waived on larger jobs | Not published anywhere. You find out when the tech is in your driveway |
| Leak detection | $375 flat. If we don't find it, you don't pay. Written up for your insurance carrier | Hourly, open ended, and no guarantee anything gets found |
| Who is on the estimate | The owner and license holder, Will Harrod, CFC1430748 | A commissioned sales rep. The license holder is a name on a filing |
| Wells and septic | Filtration, softening, tanks, drain fields and locating, all in house | Built for utility water and city drains. Wells and septic get subbed out or declined |
| Distance to the sand ridge | About twenty minutes from Hawthorne to Keystone Heights, and Melrose is closer still | An hour down from the north end of the county, and the drive shows up in the price |
| Repair method | Trenchless lining where it fits, so the floors and the yard stay intact | Open cut by default, because that is the only method on the truck |
| After the work | We patch every hole we cut, with a professional drywall contractor | Holes left open. Patching is your problem and your second contractor |
| Warranty | Two years parts and labor, then the manufacturer's warranty on top | Commonly one year, or parts only |
| Turning down work | We tell you when the cheap fix is the right fix, and when someone else is the better call | Every visit is an opportunity to sell the bigger ticket |
- Septic in Clay County
What septic work do you do in Clay County, and what don't you do?
We install new septic tanks, replace failing ones, put in drain fields, locate a tank when nobody knows where it is, and handle abandonment and decommission when a property moves onto a different system. On an abandonment we empty the old tank, break it up, crush it and bury it, done to code.
Here’s what we don’t do, and we’d rather you hear it now than after you’ve booked. We don’t pump tanks. We don’t do septic inspections. We don’t pull tanks out whole. If that’s what you need, call anyway and we’ll point you to somebody who does it properly. Sending you to the right person is worth more to us than taking a job we’re not set up for. See what we handle on septic
- What to do while you wait
What should I do while I'm waiting on the plumber?
Call us first, then do this. It costs you nothing and it can save you thousands in damage.
Shut the water off. If you’re on a well, that’s the valve on the outlet side of the pressure tank, and if you can’t find it, kill the breaker to the well pump. If you’re on utility water, it’s the valve at the meter or where the line enters the house. Go find that valve today, before you need it, and make sure it actually turns. A seized shutoff valve on a Sunday night is how a small leak becomes a floor replacement.
Kill power to the water heater if the leak is at the tank, at the breaker for electric or the gas valve for gas or propane. Open the lowest faucet in the house to let the lines drain down. Move anything that can be ruined off the wet floor and get air moving on it. Take photos and video before you clean anything up, because your insurance carrier will want them, and so will we when we write up the claim.
Then sit tight. We’re on our way. Emergency plumbing
- Where we work in Clay County
What parts of Clay County do you cover?
Our shop is on SE 221st Street in Hawthorne. From the door, Melrose is a short run and Keystone Heights is about twenty minutes up State Road 21. Lake Geneva, the Gold Head area and the stretches along State Road 100 and State Road 21 are regular ground for us. If you’re on a lake or a sand road in the southwest corner of the county, you’re close work.
We’ll be straight with you about the rest of it. Green Cove Springs, Middleburg, Lake Asbury, Orange Park, Fleming Island and Oakleaf are a long way north of Hawthorne, and there are good plumbers up there already. Call and ask. If we can get to you and do the job right, we’ll tell you yes and tell you when. If it’s a small repair and somebody closer is the better call, we’ll tell you that too, and you’ll have lost nothing but a phone call.
Kim runs dispatch and batches jobs by geography on purpose, so our tech isn’t crossing the county twice in a day. That’s part of how we keep the trip charge flat instead of pricing the drive into every invoice.
Not sure if you’re in range? Call or text 352-377-9447 and we’ll tell you straight.
Price to come out
$69 flat, published on the website, waived on larger jobs.
Leak detection
$375 flat. If we don't find it, you don't pay. Written up for your insurance carrier.
Distance to the sand ridge
About twenty minutes from Hawthorne to Keystone Heights, and Melrose is closer still.
Warranty
Two years parts and labor, then the manufacturer's warranty on top.
- Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Plumbing in Clay County
Yes, $69 flat. It covers the trip and the diagnosis, and it gets waived on larger jobs, generally in the $800 to $1,000 range and up. We publish it because you deserve to know what a call costs before you make it, not after the truck is in your driveway.
$375 flat, anywhere we serve in Clay County. That's the whole hunt, however long it takes. If we don't find the leak, you don't pay us. We also document everything for your insurance carrier, which matters if you're filing a claim on water damage.
Yes, regularly. We're based in Hawthorne, so Melrose is a short run and Keystone Heights is about twenty minutes up State Road 21. Lake Geneva and the Gold Head area are close work too. For the north end of the county, call and ask and we'll give you a straight answer on whether we can get there.
The Florida Department of Health in Clay County, Environmental Health, on Walburg Street in Green Cove Springs. They review the site, send an environmental health specialist out, and issue the permit before a certified installer can begin. That covers new systems, modifications and repairs.
Maybe, and it depends on your address. Since 2023 Florida has required enhanced nutrient reducing systems for new installations on smaller lots inside adopted basin management areas, and parts of Clay County fall inside the Lower St. Johns basin. Ask the county health department about your specific parcel before you budget the job, because it changes the number significantly.
Yes. A water heater changeout is permitted plumbing work here, the same as most work that alters or replaces part of a plumbing system. We pull it as part of the job so the work is inspected and on the record, which is what you want when you sell the house.
Usually because the water level has dropped toward the bottom of the well and the pump is pulling air along with water. That's been common in this region during the drought. It's a well and pump issue rather than a plumbing issue, so we'll tell you straight and point you to a well contractor, then handle the treatment and the house side once your water is steady again.
Yes, on larger jobs, generally from around $500 up. It's a quick application and you'll know before we start. Repipes, water heaters, filtration systems and septic work are the ones people usually finance. Financing
- Ready when you are
Clay County, you've got a plumber who'll make the drive.
Whether it’s a leak you can’t find, a well that smells wrong, a heater that quit, or a drain field that’s finally done, you’ll get a straight answer and a real number. $69 to come out. Licensed CFC1430748. Two years parts and labor, and we patch every hole we cut.
Leaks don’t stand a chance.
Call Now 352-377-9447 | Book Your Visit Online
Text the same number if that’s easier. Kim will get right back to you.
- Leaks don't stand a chance.
Tell us what's going on and we'll take it from there
You get a real person, a $69 visit, a flat price before we start, and a company that patches what it cuts and answers the phone when you call back. If a smaller fix is the right call, we’ll tell you that too.
First Choice Plumbing is a locally owned, owner led plumbing company working Gainesville, Hawthorne and Greater Alachua County. Leak detection, repipes, water heaters, drains, trenchless lining, well water filtration and septic. We find it, we fix it, we guarantee it.
Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748
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First Choice Plumbing
6940 SE 221st St
Hawthorne, FL 32640 - Office Mon to Fri, 8 to 5. Emergency line 24/7.
Copyright © 2026 First Choice Plumbing Inc. All rights reserved. FL Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748.
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