Signs you need this fixed
- Meter dial creeping with every tap off
- Grey, soft pipe entering at the meter
- Hiss inside a wall at night
- Brown ring spreading on a ceiling
Who is likely to have lead
Plenty of pre-1955 Toronto homes still draw water through lead: the pipe that carries drinking water from the City main to your house. Lead was used because it bends easily around corners. Later homes usually have copper, and some have plastic. Older neighbourhoods across the old City of Toronto, York and East York, and parts of Etobicoke and Scarborough, have more lead services than newer suburbs.
Checking your service pipe
- Find where the water pipe enters the house, usually low on the front wall, before the meter.
- Inspect the short length rising from the slab to the main valve. Lead is dull grey, soft and has a bulbous joint.
- Scratch it gently with a key. Lead shows shiny silver and does not attract a magnet.
- Copper shows a bright penny colour; galvanized steel is hard and a magnet sticks.
Replacing the private portion
The service has two parts. The private portion runs from your foundation to the property line. We replace it with new copper or approved plastic pipe sized for today's use, often 3/4 inch or 1 inch. In many cases trenchless methods let us pull new pipe through without opening the whole yard. Inside the house, we check for any lead or galvanized pipe that should also go.
Coordinating with the City
The stretch between the lot line and the street main is City property. Toronto has a program to replace public lead service pipe, and replacing both halves together gives the best result. Replacing only one half can disturb the remaining lead and briefly raise levels. Call 311 to ask about City replacement timing before we book your side, and we will coordinate with their crew if possible.
What is included on the visit
Tools on the truck
- Moisture meter and thermal camera
- Pipe cutters, torch and lead-free solder
- Pressure gauge on a hose-bibb fitting
What we open
Drywall at the leak line, the access panel or the meter shut-off
How we test it
Static pressure test and a dry-paper check on every new joint
How the job runs
Ring the line
Say what is dripping, backing up or banging. Water still flowing? We guide your hand to the valve first.
Find the cause
The plumber traces the fault, with a scope or gauge where one earns its keep.
Pick the fix
Options come in everyday language, and nothing starts until you choose.
Repair & prove it
We finish, run the water to prove it, wipe up and leave a short written record.
Calls we field, answered plainly
Is my water safe to drink in the meantime?
Let the cold tap run until it turns noticeably colder, cook only with cold, and look at a filter certified for lead.
Do I need a permit?
Replacing the supply pipe on your side typically requires a permit. We handle it.