A neighborhood of shared walls and shared pipes

Much of Speer's housing is multifamily: early and mid-twentieth-century brick apartment buildings, some converted to condominiums, plus larger complexes and older houses divided into units. Single-family homes, many of them older brick houses, are mixed in. Many residents rent.

In an older apartment or condo building, plumbing is shared. Drain stacks run vertically through the building, and a clog or failure low in the stack can push water out of fixtures on a lower floor or in a garden-level unit. Supply lines and heating pipes run between floors, so a leak upstairs reaches the unit below through the ceiling. Older buildings may have original steam or hot-water heating with radiators, and those systems can leak at valves and joints.

Garden-level units are common in older Speer buildings. They sit partly below grade, which exposes them both to building drain backups and to window wells and areaways at the sidewalk.

Sorting out who to call in a Speer building

  • IfYou rent and water is coming from above or from a drainNotify your landlord or property manager right away, in writing with photos, and protect your belongings if it is safe.
  • IfYou own a condo and the leak comes from another unitContact the HOA or management company and the other owner; your HO-6 policy and the association's master policy may both be involved.
  • IfSeveral units are getting water from drainsThe building's shared drain line is likely involved; the owner or HOA should call a plumber for the main line.
  • IfWater is near electrical fixtures in your unitTurn off the breaker if you can safely reach it, avoid switches, and call 911 if there is sparking or smoke.
  • IfYou own a single-family houseThe same steps as elsewhere around the park apply: stop the source, check the floor drain and lateral, document and dry.

Questions for your landlord, manager or HOA

Ask these before there is a leak if you can, and keep the answers.

  1. Where is the water shutoff for my unit, and who has access to the building main?
  2. Who should I call after hours about a leak, and how?
  3. Does the HOA master policy cover the inside of my unit, and from what point does my HO-6 policy take over?
  4. When were the building's drain stacks last cleaned or inspected?
  5. Are garden-level units protected from drain backups in any way?
  6. If my unit cannot be lived in during repairs, what happens with rent or fees?
Map of Speer. It shows an area, not an office or a job site.

General information for Washington Park, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.