When a pipe bursts, homeowners grab the first name they recognize or the top paid ad. Neither is guaranteed to be you.
For plumbing companies
Plumbing leads from older homes, before the pipe bursts.
Spur finds homes in your service area old enough for aging water heaters, galvanized supply lines, and cast-iron drains, writes a postcard for each owner, and mails it with a QR code. When the leak comes, yours is the number on the fridge.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Mark Sullivan4418 N Ashland AveChicago, IL 60640Scan to book a free check
Mark S. scanned your water heater postcard · 6 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
8–12 yrstypical life of a tank water heater
Pre-1960homes most likely to have galvanized supply pipes
2 daysfrom approval to USPS first-class
The problem
Plumbing calls go to whoever the homeowner remembers at 11pm.
Repipes, water heater swaps, and sewer inspections are high-margin jobs, but homeowners rarely ask until something fails.
Generic mailers can't tell you who read them, so warm homeowners never hear from you again.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
The same five steps every time, set up for plumbing companies.
app.usespur.com
Plays for Plumbing
Plumbing plays you can run in Spur today
Water heater replacement
Homes where the tank is likely past 10 years.
Owned 10+ yrsOwner-occupied
See the full play →Repiping older homesGalvanized and polybutylene-era homes with aging supply lines.
Built pre-1960Single-family
See the full play →Sewer line leadsOlder homes with clay or cast-iron laterals and mature trees.
Built pre-1975Lot 0.2+ acre
See the full play →Maintenance plansAnnual inspection plans for owners who've never had one.
Owned 7+ yrsOwner-occupied
See the full play →New homeownersBuyers find plumbing problems in the first year. Be the first name they see.
Sold last 90 daysBuilt pre-1990
See the full play →Neighbor marketingMail the block around every repipe or sewer job.
Radius 0.25 miSame era
See the full play →Landlord marketingOwners with several rentals need a reliable plumber on call.
Absentee owner2+ properties
See the full play →Past customer reactivationReach customers you haven't seen in 18+ months.
Your listLast job 18+ mo
See the full play →Plumbing postcardsA card for each home that names its age and likely plumbing, with a QR code per household.
Per-home copyQR tracked
See the full play →Direct mail programEra-based water heater, repipe, and sewer mail, measured by cost per job.
Postcards + lettersBy campaign
See the full play →Seasonal campaignsFreeze prep, spring sump checks, and fall water heater mail, set once.
Auto-scheduleService area
See the full play →Leads without AngiExclusive plumbing leads under your own name instead of shared ones.
ExclusiveQR tracked
See the full play →See it in Spur
What a plumbing list looks like in Spur
A sample list for one Chicago zip: owner-occupied homes built before 1960 and held 10+ years. Names are partly masked.
Zip 60640Built pre-1960Owner-occupiedOwned 10+ yrs1–4 units
- Mark S.4418 N Ashland AveTwo-flat · built 1914Owned 11 yrsLikely galvanized
- Ellen & Raj P.1521 W Leland AveSingle-family · built 1922Owned 19 yrsClay lateral era
- Teresa O.4712 N Hermitage AveSingle-family · built 1908Owned 24 yrsMature trees
- James W.1349 W Wilson AveThree-flat · built 1926Owned 14 yrs3 water heaters
- Andrea K.4639 N Paulina StSingle-family · built 1955Owned 12 yrsLikely original tank
AI draft for Mark S. · 4418 N Ashland Ave
Hi Mark,
Your two-flat on Ashland was built in 1914, and a lot of buildings that age on the block still have sections of original galvanized supply pipe. Galvanized corrodes from the inside, so the first signs are usually low pressure or rusty water before a leak.
We're offering free water heater and supply-line checks in Uptown this month. We'll look at both units, check pressure, and tell you plainly whether anything needs attention now or can wait a few years.
Scan the code on this card to pick a time. If you ever have an emergency, our line is answered 24/7.
Joe Brennan · Lakeview Plumbing · (773) 555-0114
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
How to market plumbing services before the emergency
Plumbing demand comes in two kinds. Emergency calls (burst pipes, failed water heaters, backed-up drains) are urgent and go to whoever the homeowner remembers. Planned work (repipes, tankless upgrades, sewer replacements) is high-margin but rarely gets requested until something goes wrong. Good plumbing marketing does both: it keeps your name in the house for the emergency and pitches the planned work while the homeowner still has time to choose.
Build year tells you a lot. Homes built before about 1960 commonly used galvanized steel supply lines, which corrode and restrict flow after 50+ years. Homes from roughly 1978 to 1995 may have polybutylene, which is prone to failure. Cast-iron and clay sewer laterals in pre-1975 neighborhoods crack and take in roots, especially under mature trees. Each of those is its own campaign, with copy that names the specific risk.
Water heaters are the most predictable job in the trade. A standard tank lasts roughly 8–12 years. Owners who bought their home 10+ years ago and haven't moved are likely on the tank that came with the house, or one installed soon after. A free water heater check is a low-friction offer that puts a technician in front of a replacement candidate.
Lead service lines are a growing opportunity in older cities. The EPA's 2024 lead and copper rule requires most water systems to replace lead service lines over the next decade, and homeowners often need a plumber for the private side of the line. Check your local utility's program before you mail so your copy is accurate.
Whatever the campaign, the response path matters. Link the QR code to a page with one offer and a booking form, call scans back within the hour, and keep a quarterly reminder going to everyone who didn't book. When the emergency comes, they'll remember who kept showing up.
7×return on a year of Spur Team from one $4,000 repipe
One repipe pays for years of Spur.
- Spur Team: $49/mo billed annually = $588/yr
- 300 postcards on Team at $0.94 each = $282
- One $4,000–$8,000 repipe = 7–13× your annual subscription
Example math. Your job mix and close rate will vary. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual plumbing marketing stack
What you needThe usual waySpur
Find homes by build year and ownershipEDDM routes or purchased lists✓ Built in
Homeowner name and mailing addressList broker or skip-tracing service✓ Built in
Copy that names the likely problemGeneric template from the printer✓ Built in
Design, print, and mailPrint shop or mailing house✓ Built in
Know who scannedNot available✓ Built in
Email and SMS follow-upSeparate marketing tool✓ Built in
From plumbers using Spur
Results from the mailbox.
“I mailed 60 postcards to homes built before 1985 in my service area with an offer for a free water heater inspection. Got 9 scan alerts. Booked 7 inspections. Sold 4 water heater replacements and 1 full repipe. That campaign paid for 2 years of Spur from a single afternoon of mail.”
FAQ
Questions from plumbing companies
How do I get more plumbing leads without paying for shared leads?
Generate your own. Target homes by build year and ownership length, mail a specific offer like a free water heater check, and follow up on every scan. The lead is exclusive to you, and you know exactly who responded.
Which homes are most likely to need a repipe?
Homes built before about 1960 often have galvanized steel supply lines, and homes from roughly 1978–1995 may have polybutylene. Owners who have held those homes a long time are the most likely to have the original piping.
Can I target landlords and rental owners?
Yes. Filter for absentee owners and owners with multiple properties. Spur mails them at their own address, not the rental, which is where the decision gets made.
How often should a plumbing company mail the same homes?
Quarterly works well. Emergencies are unpredictable, so the goal is to be the name they remember whenever it happens. Spur can repeat the campaign on a schedule.
What does Spur cost for a plumbing company?
Solo is free forever with no card. You pay per postcard when you mail. Team is $49/mo billed annually and includes more searches, enrichments, QR codes, and lower postcard pricing.
Keep exploring
Related trades and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
Be the plumber they already know when the leak starts.
Build a list of older homes in your service area and mail your first plumbing postcard today.
Find homeowners who need a plumber — freeFree forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
Prefer a walkthrough? Book a demo