Historical Houston Plumbing Repair Project

Historical Houston Plumbing Repair

Historical Houston neighborhoods are suffering the effects of aging infrastructure. Many neighborhoods are over 100 years old which means that water and sewer lines are most likely original piping.

Settegast is a neighborhood in Houston, TX that was settled in 1892 by German immigrant brothers William J. and Julius J. Settegast. In the 1940s, it was developed as a planned neighborhood and streets and lots were platted for construction of small wood-frame houses. Settegast was settled by African Americans seeking land on the northeast side of Houston. The City of Houston annexed Settegast in 1949 and began providing sewer trunk lines in 1965. (Wikipedia)

This history is important to those who currently live in this Houston community. Many of the residents are multiple generations whose personal history aligns with the history of their neighborhoods. Sadly, over time, Settegast has become an economically challenged, underserved part of Houston.

St. Peter Claver Catholic Church

Faith-based organizations and churches are an important binder for the Settegast community. In 1964, the Galveston Arch Diocese founded St. Peter Claver Catholic Church at 6005 Wayside Drive. It has the distinction of being the first in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston to have an African American pastor, Father Elbert F. Harris, SSJ. It is a unique and proud ministry, dedicated to the African American community and now serves over 300 local families.

An important part of this historical church is that it became a community meeting place. The parish hall was a place for the church to have Sunday school, community gatherings, wedding receptions, and congregational events such as their Annual Spring Bazaar. Besides being a community hub, renting out the hall provided the tiny church with income when it charged fees for special events. In addition to an event center, the hall is a Red Cross Shelter.

Over time, pipes in the hall had intermittent leaks that were patched and repaired; however, on July 17, 2019, everything changed. The main water line to the building burst and flooded the entire hall. The church worked with the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese to obtain a loan for the repairs. At the same time, the air conditioner and hot water heater also had to be replaced. Once the loan was approved, the Diocese recommended TDT Plumbing to do the water main repairs using ePIPE technology. TDT had done a successful leak repair job using ePIPE™ in Amarillo at the St. Mary’s Church School, as well as two other local Galveston-Houston parish churches and they came highly recommended to St. Peter’s.

ePIPE ™ to the Rescue

ePIPE™ was the right solution for St. Peters because it kept them from having to do demolition of the walls in the building to replace pipes, which would have added exponentially to the repair costs. Time was also an important constraint since the building being out of commission meant there was no rental income. ePIPE™ is a patented epoxy coating process that is applied inside of the pipes, blown-in with forced air. The epoxy coating takes about 3 hours to cure and pipes can be ready for use after that. No wall or ceiling repairs are required due to pipe replacement. The process extends the life of pipes for up to 70 years. Those who choose ePIPE™ to repair their pipes feel it is a “miracle” cure for pipe leaks!

The Project

Because it was the middle of the summer heat and the building was without air conditioning, the TDT Plumbing technicians took turns working in the hot building. They went above and beyond during this troubling time for the church because they knew they had to get the building back in working order quickly. Once the main water line was repaired and in working order, TDT Plumbing had a surprise for the church. They donated a new water heater so the facility would have hot water again and saved the church from incurring another expensive repair.

Pictured: Administrator Marco and Father Kingsley

A New Pastor – A New Hall

During the repair work on the Parish Hall, St. Peter Claver welcomed a new pastor, Father Kingsley Ogbuji, S.S.J. who immigrated from Nigeria and was ordained in 2018 in Washington DC as part of the Josephites Order.

Father Kingsley proudly toured us through the completed Parish Hall, restored to once again serve the Settegast community. In addition to events, the church offers a valuable food pantry as well as online services and liturgies.

TDT Plumbing is proud to be a part of the history of this amazing church and the refurbishment and repair work completed to keep it viable. Its services to the parishioners and local families who find faith, fellowship and fun events with St. Peter Claver, have a church at the heart of the Catholic faith community in Northeast Houston for many more years to come.