When the meter keeps moving in a quiet Brighton house, or a patch of floor turns warm or damp, a supply line under the slab may be leaking. The city's responsibility ends at the meter; from the valve on the house side of the meter to the home and everything under it, the owner is responsible. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Brighton.
Brighton began as a farming and railroad town and is now the Adams County seat and a largely urban part of the metro. City of Brighton Utilities draws mainly on South Platte and Beebe Draw groundwater, treated by reverse osmosis and greensand filtration, and blends in water bought from Thornton and Denver Water. The city says it cannot repair a break or clog on the homeowner side. Some newer subdivisions and nearby areas with Brighton addresses are on metro or water districts instead, so confirm your provider on your bill. The city also keeps an online map of service line materials for city-owned and customer-owned lines. Inside the house, the pipe under a slab could be decades-old copper or newer plastic depending on when the home was built, and both can leak.
What to do first
- Test the meter. With every fixture and sprinkler zone off, read the meter, wait an hour, and read it again.
- Rule out the simple stuff. Check toilets for silent refilling and outdoor faucets for drips.
- Split hot and cold. Close the cold supply into the water heater; if the meter stops, suspect a hot line.
- Use the right shutoff. Close your house valve, the hand valve on the house side of the meter, if water is coming up through the floor.
- Document it. Photos of stains and a note of when the bill rose help later.
- Book a proper locate. Pressure tests and acoustic listening should come before any concrete is cut.
Reading the signs
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Warm floor in one band | Hot water line leaking under it |
| Meter moving, house feels normal | Cold-side leak, or the yard line from the meter |
| Soggy lawn between meter and house | Leak on the private service line, not the slab |
| Carpet wet at the edges | Water seeping up through the slab |
| Water heater recovering constantly | Hot water escaping somewhere |
Cost factors
- Time spent isolating and pinpointing the leak
- Spot repair through the slab versus a reroute above the floor
- Tile, wood or finished basement surfaces to restore
- Any drying or drywall repair
- A city permit, handled through Brighton Community Development's OpenGov system
Ask the plumber to explain both repair routes before deciding; the option with the smallest bill today is not always the one that holds up longest.
Slab Leak Repair questions in Brighton
Who pays to fix a leak between the meter and the house?
The water bill jumped but nothing looks wet. What should I check?
Should I call the water utility or a plumber first?
Will homeowners insurance pay for a slab leak?
More plumbing services in Brighton
Slab Leak Repair nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
Last updated: