In Westminster, the owner is responsible for the water line from the meter pit into the house, so most hidden leaks are a private plumbing repair. A plumber can confirm the loss with a meter test and trace it to a wall, slab, fixture or yard line. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Westminster.
The Westminster setup
The City of Westminster supplies water from Standley Lake and runs more than 550 miles of water lines. The city owns the service line from the main to your meter pit; from the meter into the home, the pipe is yours. The median home here was built in 1987, and about a third went up before 1980, so the housing mix runs from older ranches to newer townhomes.
What to do right now
- Turn off every faucet, the washer, the dishwasher and the ice maker.
- Read the meter, wait an hour without using water and read it again. Movement means a leak past the meter.
- Put a few drops of food coloring in each toilet tank; color in the bowl after 15 minutes means a flapper is leaking.
- If water is actively spraying or pooling, close the main shutoff.
- If water is coming up at the meter pit or in the street, call Westminster Public Works and Utilities at 303-658-2500.
- Write down when you first noticed the problem and take photos of any stains.
Symptoms and what they usually mean
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Meter creeps with everything off | A leak somewhere on the pressurized side |
| Soggy strip between the meter pit and the house | A break in the owner-side service line |
| Warm spot on a ground-floor tile floor | Hot water line leaking under the slab |
| Stain spreading on a ceiling below a bathroom | Shower valve, drain joint or supply connection |
| Hissing near the water heater | Relief valve or supply fitting |
| White crust on valves and fittings | Slow drip leaving minerals behind; Westminster water is moderately hard |
What affects cost
- How quickly the leak can be isolated to one branch of the plumbing
- Access: finished basement, slab, crawl space or buried yard line
- Equipment used to confirm the location
- The repair, from a valve swap to replacing a section of service line
- Whether a permit is needed; the City of Westminster Building Division requires one for underground water or sewer line repair
If the leak turns out to be in an irrigation system, Westminster's backflow program may also come into play, since irrigation services need an approved assembly tested every year.
Leak Detection questions in Westminster
Who pays to fix a leak between the water main and my house?
Do I need a permit to repair the leak once it is found?
Can a toilet that runs on its own raise my water bill?
Could the sprinkler system be where my water is going?
More plumbing services in Westminster
Leak Detection nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
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