Empire, CO
Mountain plumbing built for Clear Creek country.
Master plumber and licensed GC serving Empire and the upper Clear Creek Canyon. Old cabins, year-round homes, and high-altitude properties handled right.
Plumber in Empire, CO
Up the canyon, on the job.
Empire sits at roughly 8,600 feet in Clear Creek County, tucked between the canyon walls where US-40 climbs toward Berthoud Pass. It is a small town, fewer than 400 residents, but the plumbing needs here are anything but simple. Freeze cycles run longer than on the Front Range, water pressure swings with altitude and old infrastructure, and the drive to find a licensed plumber who will come up the canyon can be a real hassle for homeowners.
Western Plumbing Solutions covers Empire, and Wes makes the drive. As a master plumber and licensed plumbing contractor under one hat, he handles the plumbing and the build-back around it. That means one pro owns your whole job, from scoping a sewer to patching the drywall after a repipe, without a second contractor involved.
- Drain & sewer cleaning
- Water heater repair & install
- Leak detection & repair
- Fixture & faucet work
- Repiping
- Gas line work
What Empire homes deal with
Freeze-thaw, altitude, and older stock.
Empire and the surrounding Clear Creek Canyon towns have a distinct set of plumbing problems that Front Range plumbers do not always know. The freeze-thaw cycle at elevation is more aggressive. A supply line that would survive a Denver winter without incident can split at 8,600 feet when temperatures drop fast overnight and the heat in a cabin stays low. Burst pipes are a serious call up here, and we handle them.
A lot of Empire’s housing stock dates to the mining-era and early ski-resort period, which means galvanized supply lines, cast iron drains, and fixtures that are well past their service life. Low water pressure from corroded pipe is a constant complaint. A copper or PEX repipe fixes it for good and removes the leak-after-leak cycle that old galvanized creates. On the drain side, root infiltration and accumulated buildup in cast iron lines lead to slow drains and periodic backups that a proper camera inspection locates before any digging starts.
- Bathroom & kitchen remodels
- New construction plumbing
- Sump pumps
- Water softeners
- Frozen & burst pipes
- 24/7 emergency service
Empire and Clear Creek Canyon
High country work done honestly.
Empire is the kind of place where the contractor who shows up matters. The town is small enough that reputation travels fast, and the drive up US-40 keeps plenty of tradespersons from bothering. That is not us. Wes covers Empire as part of the broader Clear Creek County service area that includes Idaho Springs, Georgetown, and the communities along the canyon corridor.
Water heater work is a big part of what we do in mountain towns. Tank water heaters in a cold garage or uninsulated utility space fail faster here than they do in a suburban home. Tankless units have become popular in the area because they hold up better in freeze-prone installations, and we install both. When the existing unit gives out in the middle of a Colorado winter at altitude, waiting days for a plumber is not an option. We pick up 24 hours a day and move on emergencies.
Gas line work is another common call in Empire, where homes often rely on propane or natural gas for heat and appliances. Wes is licensed to handle gas line installation and repair, which keeps everything under the same licensed pro instead of splitting the work between trades.
One pro, the whole job
Full plumbing service for Empire.
Empire homeowners and property managers call Western Plumbing Solutions for the same reason everyone across the Front Range does: one master plumber and licensed GC handles the job from the first pipe to the last fixture, with no subcontracting and no finger-pointing between trades. Take a look at our work to see the standard we hold ourselves to on every job, big or small.
The full service list covers drain and sewer cleaning, water heater repair and installation both tank and tankless, leak detection and pipe repair, full repipes in copper or PEX, fixture and faucet replacement, water softener installation, gas line work, and complete bathroom and kitchen remodels. For Empire properties, frozen and burst pipe repair is a regular call, especially after a cold snap that catches an older uninsulated line.
Clear Creek County properties often have unique considerations: well-water systems, older septic setups connecting to the main line, and construction methods from an era when plumbing codes were a suggestion. Wes has worked on enough mountain homes to know what to expect and how to handle it without turning a straightforward repair into a weeklong project.
Wherever your Empire property sits, the standard is the same: clean work, honest pricing, and one licensed pro who owns the whole job. That is why people up the canyon call us back and send their neighbors our way.
Around town
Serving Empire and Clear Creek County.
We cover Empire and the surrounding Clear Creek Canyon communities. Whether your property is in town, up a side road off US-40, or in one of the cabins along the creek corridor, Wes makes the drive. Clear Creek County plumbing work is a regular part of the schedule, not an exception.
Empire · Idaho Springs · Georgetown · Silver Plume · Dumont · Downieville-Lawson-Dumont · Floyd Hill · Lawson
Call (303) 883-9075How an Empire call goes
Straight answer, fair price, up the canyon.
Same standard in Empire whether it is a frozen pipe at midnight or a full kitchen remodel.
You call Wes.
Tell us what is going on at your Empire property. We pick up day or night, and for burst pipes or other emergencies up the canyon, we move as fast as we can.
We look first.
We find the real problem before quoting. That might mean scoping a sewer, checking supply pressure, or tracing a leak behind a wall in an older cabin.
You get it straight.
We explain what we found in plain terms and give you an honest number before any work starts. No mystery charges for the drive up the mountain.
We do it right.
Clean copper or PEX, code-tight gas, quality parts, and a tidy site when we pack up. Built to handle Clear Creek winters for years to come.
We stand behind it.
One licensed pro owns the whole Empire job. If anything is ever off, you know exactly who to call, and Wes makes it right.
Straight answers
Questions we get a lot from Empire homeowners.
Do you come all the way up to Empire?
Yes. Empire and Clear Creek County are part of our regular service area. Wes makes the drive up US-40 and the canyon corridor. The distance is already built into how we schedule, so there is no surprise fee for the trip.
My pipes froze last winter. What should I do before it happens again?
The most reliable fix is insulating any supply lines that run through unheated spaces, crawlspaces, or exterior walls. We can inspect the vulnerable spots, add insulation, and in problem areas install heat tape on lines that have a history of freezing. If a line has already frozen and cracked, we repair or replace the damaged section and protect it going forward. Call (303) 883-9075 to schedule a pre-winter inspection.
Water pressure in my Empire house has been dropping for years. What causes that?
In older mountain homes, the most common cause is corroded galvanized supply pipe that has narrowed from the inside out over decades. A repipe in copper or PEX restores full pressure and ends the slow deterioration. We can also check the pressure regulator and any shutoff valves that may be partially closed as a first step.
Can you install a tankless water heater at altitude?
Yes. Tankless units do require proper venting and, at higher elevations, the combustion air setup needs to account for the thinner air. We install tankless water heaters in mountain properties regularly and size the unit correctly for the elevation and your household demand. A tankless unit is often a good fit for Empire homes because it handles freeze exposure better than a tank sitting in a cold garage.
My drain has been slow for months. Should I worry about the sewer line?
A single slow drain is usually a localized clog, but if multiple drains are slow or you are getting backups, the main sewer line is worth scoping. We camera the line to see whether there is root infiltration, a break, or buildup. Empire and the canyon area have some older clay and cast iron lines where roots find their way in over time. Seeing it first means you know exactly what you are dealing with before spending anything on repairs.
Are you licensed to work in Clear Creek County?
Yes. Wes holds a Colorado Master Plumber license (#MP.03001972) and a Colorado Plumbing Contractor license (#PC.0005413), and the company is fully insured. Both licenses are valid statewide, including all work in Clear Creek County and anywhere in the canyon corridor.
How do I reach you for an emergency in Empire?
Call (303) 883-9075 any time, day or night. For burst pipes and active leaks, we treat it as urgent and get moving. You can also send a message from the contact page for non-emergency scheduling, but the phone is always the fastest way to reach us.
Need a plumber out Empire way?
Call Wes for mountain plumbing done right the first time, day or night, up the canyon.