Main Water Line Repair in Kirkland, WA: New PEX A From the Meter to the House
Done Right Plumbing repairs and replaces main water lines across Kirkland, from Houghton and Lakeview on the south end to Juanita, Finn Hill and Kingsgate in the north. We replace worn-out service lines with one continuous run of PEX A, bored under driveways and established yards, with a tracer wire alongside and a fifteen-year warranty on the pipe.
Real Work in Kirkland
In mid-October, Ashton replaced the water service at a house in Houghton, on Kirkland's south end. The line ran about eighty feet from the meter to the basement and crossed the driveway on the way. Rather than trench through the yard and cut the concrete, the crew opened one pit at the meter and another where the line comes through the basement foundation, and a third on the far side of the driveway, so the drill could make a second shot and change direction partway along. Before anything was drilled, 811 marked the buried utilities on the property. Through those pits the crew pulled a new one-inch PEX A line inside a two-inch HDPE conduit, with a tracer wire alongside so the plastic pipe can be located from the surface later. In the basement, the homeowner also had us install a Moen smart shutoff on the main, a valve that monitors the water flowing into the house and can shut it off automatically when it detects a leak. The permit was part of the job, and the new line carries our two-year warranty on parts and labor and a fifteen-year warranty on the pipe. A week earlier, Ashton, Joshua, Theoren and Jayden replaced about fifty feet of service at a house in the Inglewood area of Finn Hill. That line went in the same way, PEX A inside a protective conduit with a tracer wire, and the crew located the side sewer first so the bore would stay well clear of it.
What We Do on a Kirkland Water Line
Replace the service from the meter to the house
A water service that has started leaking, lost its pressure or simply outlived its material gets replaced in one piece. The new line is PEX A from the meter to the house, with new connections at both ends, a tracer wire and, on most of our jobs, a protective HDPE conduit around it. Houses built from the 1960s through the 1990s often have black poly pipe, which tends to fail at around 30 to 40 years old, and once a poly line starts leaking it has reached the end of its life. On a poly line we recommend the replacement every time.
A spot repair, where the pipe still has years left
When the line is sound and the failure is local, such as a fitting that let go or a line nicked during someone else's digging, we open that one spot, rebuild it in PEX A and leave the rest alone. We are honest about when that applies, and if you still want a repair priced on a leaking poly line, we price it beside the replacement so you can compare.
Bored under driveways, rockeries and lawns
Our own boring rig runs the new line underground between small pits, so a driveway, a rockery or a mature garden stays where it is. When the path has to bend, as it did in Houghton, a third pit lets the drill take a second shot in a new direction. Our trenchless water line replacement page explains the method in more detail.
The valves where the line enters the house
A replacement is the right time to deal with the main shutoff: a new quarter-turn valve where the old one is worn, a pressure regulator where the street pressure runs high (our water pressure page covers it), and a smart shutoff if you want one, as the Houghton homeowner did.
What Makes a Kirkland Water Line Job Different
Two water systems since the 2011 annexation
Kirkland has two water providers. The City of Kirkland's own water utility serves the city from parts of South Juanita and Totem Lake southward, including Houghton, Lakeview, Norkirk and Rose Hill, and it buys its supply from Seattle Public Utilities through the Cascade Water Alliance. Finn Hill, Kingsgate and North Juanita, which joined Kirkland in 2011, kept their district water: Northshore Utility District serves most of those neighborhoods, with Woodinville Water District serving some of the area. Either way the water itself comes mostly from Seattle's Tolt River watershed, and either way the line from the meter to your house belongs to you.
Houghton and the south end
Houghton was its own city until it merged with Kirkland in 1968, and the old city covered what are now the Central Houghton and Lakeview neighborhoods and part of Bridle Trails. The streets climb from Lake Washington, and a house set back on a hillside lot can sit a long way from its meter. That is where boring pays for itself: the eighty-foot Houghton line went under the yard and the driveway without opening either one.
Finn Hill, Juanita and Kingsgate
North of Totem Lake are the neighborhoods that joined the city in 2011. Kingsgate was built as a planned community between 1965 and 1976, and much of Finn Hill sits under tall evergreens, on lots whose owners would rather keep their trees than trench past them. Water lines put in during those decades are reaching the end of their lives now, and the roots are the reason we bore.
Permits through MyBuildingPermit
The City of Kirkland issues its plumbing permits through MyBuildingPermit.com, the online portal it shares with several Eastside cities, and a replacement water service is permitted and inspected plumbing work. The meter itself belongs to the utility, so our work starts at the meter's outlet and ends inside your house.
Our Process
1. Confirm the leak is on the service line
With every fixture off, we read the meter and then close the main valve at the house. If the meter still moves, the water is leaving between the meter and the house, and we find out where before we quote.
2. Check the pipe and the provider
We look at the line where it enters the house to see what it is made of, and we confirm whether the house is on City of Kirkland or Northshore water.
3. Locate everything buried
811 marks the utilities on the property, the side sewer is located where it could cross the path, and the pits go where they disturb the least.
4. Bore, pull and connect
The drill runs between the pits, the new PEX A goes through in one piece with its tracer wire, and both ends get new fittings, with a new shutoff at the house.
5. Restore and walk you through it
The pits are backfilled, the yard is put back as closely as we can, and we show you where the new line runs.
FAQs About Water Line Repair in Kirkland
Does it matter whether my Kirkland house is on City water or Northshore Utility District?
Not for the replacement itself. Whether you are on the City of Kirkland's utility or the Northshore Utility District, the line from the meter to your house is yours, and the work, the permit and the pipe are the same. The provider owns the meter, decides any leak adjustment on your bill, and handles problems on the main.
Most of Kirkland south of Totem Lake is on City water; Finn Hill, Kingsgate and North Juanita are mostly on Northshore. The name on your water bill settles it, and our leak responsibility guide explains how leak adjustments work.
What does it cost to replace a water line in Kirkland?
Most full replacements from the meter to the house in our area run $6,000 to $16,000, and spot repairs $2,000 to $6,000. In Kirkland, the length of the run, what it passes under and any extra bore pits decide where a job lands, so an eighty-foot run with a bend costs more than a short, straight one.
Do I need a permit to replace my water line in Kirkland?
Yes. Replacing a water service is plumbing work that the City of Kirkland permits and inspects, and its plumbing permits are issued online through MyBuildingPermit.com. We apply for the permit, include it in the quote and book the inspection, and the Houghton replacement this October was permitted the same way.
Why would a trenchless water line job need a third pit?
Because a bore runs in a straight line and not every water line can. When the path from the meter to the house has to bend around a driveway, a foundation corner or another utility, a pit at the bend lets the drill start a second shot in a new direction. In Houghton, that pit sat across the driveway.
Extra pits also go wherever another buried line crosses the path, so the crew can see it and keep the new pipe clear of it.
Should I add a smart water shutoff when I replace my water line?
It is a good time to, if you want one. A smart shutoff sits on the main where the line enters the house, watches the water flowing in, and can close the valve itself when it detects a leak. With the water already off and the main exposed, adding one is simpler than at any other time.
Serving Kirkland From Lynnwood
Our shop is on 204th Street SW in Lynnwood, a straight run down I-405 to Kirkland. Finn Hill, Juanita and Kingsgate are usually about twenty minutes away outside rush hour, and Houghton, Lakeview and Rose Hill a little longer. We work the whole city, from the lakefront neighborhoods to Totem Lake and Bridle Trails.
Why Kirkland Homeowners Choose Done Right
We prove where the water is going before we quote, we tell you what your line is made of, and when a line is past saving we say so plainly instead of selling a patch. We own our boring rig, every line we bore gets a tracer wire, and the pipe carries a fifteen-year warranty.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
WA Contractor License #DONERRP852N5
Done Right Plumbing is licensed, bonded and insured in Washington State, family-owned since 2011, with twelve technicians and our own boring, jetting and camera equipment.
Call for a Kirkland Water Line Estimate
A meter that keeps turning with the taps off, a wet patch in the yard that never dries, or a water line older than the house's last remodel? Call for a free estimate, or request a callback and we will reach you at a time that works.