Meter test firstKnow whether water is still moving
Pipes, fittings, fixturesTracked down and repaired
Freeze splitsThawed and repaired safely
Start at the meter: a Maple Valley leak check
Before anyone opens a wall, the meter can answer the first question: is water leaving the system right now? Most meters in both of Maple Valley’s water districts have a leak indicator on the dial, and both districts publish the same basic test. Turn off everything that uses water, indoors and out, and watch the indicator. On most Covington Water District meters it’s a small blue pinwheel. On newer Cedar River Water and Sewer District registers it’s a red triangle. If it moves, you have a leak.
The indicator is moving
Water is escaping from a pressurized pipe, fitting or fixture. Close the main shut-off at the house and look again. If the indicator stops, the leak is indoors. If it keeps going, the leak is in the buried line outside, which is a water line repair.
The indicator is still
The supply side is tight. Water you’re finding is coming from a drain, which leaks only while a fixture is running, or from the ground. Around Lake Wilderness, Pipe Lake and Lake Lucerne, the city describes hard glacial till and high groundwater in long wet spells.
Toilets deserve their own check, because a leaking flapper makes no noise. Both districts suggest food coloring in the tank. Don’t flush, give it a little while, and look in the bowl. Color in the bowl means the tank is leaking through.
Leaks we repair in Maple Valley homes
- Supply lines and shut-off valves under sinks and behind toilets
- Pipe joints and fittings in walls, ceilings and crawlspaces
- Toilets leaking at the fill valve, the flapper or the floor seal
- Tub and shower valves dripping behind the wall
- Water heater connections and relief valves
- Hose bibs and the pipe that feeds them
- Washer, dishwasher and ice maker lines
Maple Valley’s housing is mostly from 1980 or later, according to the city’s housing study, and the majority was built between 1990 and 2010. In homes that age, leaks tend to come less from pipe that has rotted through and more from the parts attached to it: braided supply lines, plastic fittings, valve stems and rubber seals that have had twenty or thirty years of pressure on them.
Cold snaps: what the water district tells Maple Valley customers
Covington Water District publishes a cold-weather reminder for its customers, and it’s good advice for anyone in the city. The first sign of ice in a pipe, the district says, is reduced flow at a faucet. If flow slows to a trickle in a cold snap, act before the pipe splits.
- Insulate pipes in the crawlspace and attic. Exposed pipe freezes first.
- Take garden hoses off. The district warns that even frost-proof faucets can burst with a hose attached.
- Keep the garage door closed if water lines or the water heater are out there.
- Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
- Let a faucet trickle on the coldest nights. Moving water is much less likely to freeze.
A frozen pipe often doesn’t leak until it thaws. If you’ve lost flow to part of the house, don’t put a torch on it. Call us, and we’ll thaw the line and repair any split safely.
Fixing the reason, not only the drip
A repair that ignores the cause is a repair you’ll make twice. So after the leak is stopped, we look at what was behind it: a worn part, corrosion at a joint, a freeze, or water pressure that’s too high. Pressure is worth a special mention in Maple Valley. Covington Water District notes that a home well below one of its storage tanks can see far more than the 80 psi the plumbing code allows, and steady high pressure is hard on every seal in the house. We test it, and if a pressure-reducing valve is missing or worn out, we’ll say so.
Every repair is priced by the job, not by the hour, and you’ll have the price before we start. We stand behind the work, and we work with you to get it fixed right.
Not sure it’s a leak at all? A faucet that drips or a toilet that runs is a plumbing repair. Water around the base of the tank is a water heater question.
Water Leak Repair FAQs
How do I check for a leak at my Covington Water District meter?
The district’s method: turn off all water inside and outside, lift the meter box lid and note the reading and the low-flow indicator, which is often a small blue pinwheel. Use no water for at least an hour, then look again. If the reading changed or the pinwheel is moving, water is getting out somewhere. Cedar River Water and Sewer District meters work the same way, with a red triangle as the leak indicator on newer registers.
My meter isn’t moving, but the crawlspace is wet. Is that a plumbing leak?
Probably not a supply leak. It could be a drain line, which only leaks when a fixture is used, or it could be groundwater. The city’s stormwater plan notes hard glacial till and naturally high groundwater in some neighborhoods around Lake Wilderness, Pipe Lake and Lake Lucerne, and the area gets around 62 inches of rain a year. We can check the drains and tell you which it is.
Will the water district credit my bill for a leak inside the house?
Both have a policy, with limits. Covington Water District considers an adjustment for a severe leak once it’s repaired and documented, generally once every five years. Cedar River Water and Sewer District offers what it calls a 4th tier adjustment for leaks in interior plumbing, sinks, toilets and irrigation lines, also once every five years. Both want proof of repair, so keep your invoice.
A pipe let go in the middle of the night. What do I do?
Close the main shut-off valve at the house, or the valve at the meter if you can’t reach it, and turn off the water heater. Then call 360-829-7440. We’re on call 24/7, weekends included. After hours, the first job is stopping the damage, so we’ll talk you through shutting the water off over the phone and then get you on the schedule, often the next day.
I have frost-free outdoor faucets. Can they still freeze in Maple Valley?
Yes, if a hose is left on. Covington Water District’s cold-weather reminder says even frost-proof outdoor faucets can burst with a hose connected. The reason is simple: the hose holds water in the part of the faucet that’s meant to drain. Take hoses off before the first hard freeze. If one has already split, we repair or replace it.