Do you have a lead water service?
According to the City of Ottawa, homes built before 1958 are the ones most likely to have a lead service pipe, about 15% of Ottawa homes. Lead was used until the 1950s. A newer home connected to an older watermain can also have a lead public portion.
A quick check: find where the water pipe comes through your basement floor or wall, just before the meter. Gently scratch it with a key or coin.
- Lead is dull grey, soft, and scratches easily to a shiny silver
- Copper is reddish-brown, like a penny
- Galvanized steel is grey and hard, and a magnet sticks to it
Not sure? We'll look at it with you.
Who owns which part
- You own the private portion: from the house to the shut-off valve near the property line.
- The City owns the public portion: from the shut-off valve to the watermain under the street.
The City runs a Lead Pipe Replacement Program with two routes. Under a full replacement, the City coordinates replacing both sides together, and you can spread your share over five or ten years on your property tax bill. Under a partial replacement, where the City's side is already copper, you replace the private side yourself and can claim a rebate of up to $1,000, which the City describes as about 20% of a typical private-side replacement.
Your porch, walkway and garden matter
In the Glebe, Old Ottawa East and other older neighbourhoods, the water line often runs under a stone porch, steps, mature trees or a front garden that took decades to grow. A water service quote should explain the route, not just the price.
Before we quote, we look at:
- Where the line enters the house, and whether we can come in beside the porch or under a basement window instead of through it
- Whether a trenchless method can pull or bore the new line with less surface digging
- What has to be lifted and set aside (interlock, flagstone, sod) and who restores what
- Where the shut-off and the City's side are, so both ends line up
Every property is different, and only a site assessment can confirm what's possible. But you should never get a quote that doesn't tell you what happens to your front yard.
Planning a water service replacement?
Get a site assessment and a written plan for the route, the restoration and the City's steps.
Getting a second opinion
If you've been told you need a new water line, or you're comparing two very different quotes, we're happy to look. Two quotes can differ because one includes restoration and the other doesn't, or because one plans to dig through the porch and the other goes around it. Ask both contractors the same questions, and compare like with like.
Neighbours on the same street
Lead services often run along a whole block of homes built in the same years. When neighbours replace around the same time, the site set-up, locates and scheduling can be shared. Ask us about coordinating with the house next door.
Other water line problems we fix
Not every water service is lead. We also replace aging copper and galvanized lines with low pressure or leaks, lines that froze and split, and old main shut-off valves that won't close.
