Burst pipes, hidden pinhole leaks, slab leaks, and failing galvanized lines. We locate the leak electronically before anyone cuts drywall, then quote a fixed price in writing.
Shut the main off. Usually in the basement, crawlspace, or near the front-facing wall by the meter. Turn clockwise until it stops.
Kill power to wet areas. If water is near outlets, panels, or appliances, switch off those breakers before going in.
Photograph everything. Before you mop up. Your insurer will want to see the damage as it happened.
Pipe repair in Denver, CO typically runs $150 to $400 for accessible repairs, rising to $800 to $3,000 or more for slab leaks, buried service lines, and whole-home repiping. Cost depends on pipe material, how accessible the line is, and whether the leak is exposed, behind drywall, or under concrete.
A leaking or burst pipe is a race against the clock to protect your floors, drywall, and foundation. Whether it is a frozen line in a January cold snap, a pinhole leak hiding inside a wall, or corroded galvanized plumbing in a century-old Denver home, Grig Plumbing delivers fast, accurate pipe repair services in Denver, CO.
Our licensed plumbers use non-invasive leak detection to find the fault before opening anything up, then repair it properly — copper soldering and press fittings, PEX-A replacement, trenchless lining or bursting on underground runs, and full repipes where a line is past saving.
Denver pipes take a beating. Freeze-thaw swings, hard mineral water, and shifting clay soils age plumbing faster than most of the country and make failures sudden rather than gradual. Four patterns account for most of the pipe repair work we do across the metro.
When a sub-zero snap hits, uninsulated pipes in exterior walls, crawlspaces, and unheated basements freeze and split. We isolate the break, relieve pressure, and replace the damaged run in freeze-tolerant PEX-A or copper — then point out the other lines next in line to fail. Frozen pipe repair is our highest-volume emergency call between December and February.
Copper lines past about 25 years commonly develop pinhole leaks from mineral buildup and internal corrosion. Acoustic detection pinpoints the leak inside the wall cavity before drywall comes down, so the repair stays small and the mould never gets started.
Plenty of older Denver homes in Wash Park, Park Hill, Baker, and Capitol Hill still run original galvanized steel. It rusts from the inside out, choking pressure and turning hot water brown. We do targeted bypasses or clean one to two day whole-home PEX-A repipes.
A leak under the foundation quietly undermines the slab and sends water bills climbing. We use pressure testing and electronic locating to fix the position, then either open a small access point or reroute the line overhead as a slab bypass — whichever damages less.
Each material fails in its own way and needs its own repair method. Matching the two correctly is most of what separates a lasting pipe repair from one that leaks again in a year. Here is what we see across Denver housing stock.
| Pipe material | Common failure points | Our repair approach |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | Pinhole leaks, corrosion at soldered joints, freeze splits | Spot replacement with press-fit or soldered copper; transition to PEX where runs are failing repeatedly |
| PEX | Fitting degradation, puncture damage, poor original installation | Expansion fitting replacement, crimp ring correction, section splicing |
| Galvanized steel | Internal rust scaling, thread corrosion, severe pressure loss | Targeted bypass or complete PEX-A whole-home repipe |
| Cast iron (drains) | Age cracking, bottom channel erosion, root intrusion | Localised PVC section insertion with heavy-duty couplings, or trenchless lining |
| Polybutylene (grey pipe) | Sudden brittleness, chemical breakdown, joint failure | Full replacement — polybutylene cannot be reliably repaired |
| Lead service line | Corrosion, leaks, lead leaching into drinking water | Full replacement in copper, never a patch — see the Denver Water section below |
For buried water and sewer lines, trenchless pipe repair means digging a trench across the yard is no longer the only option. Which method suits your line depends on its condition, material, and how far it runs.
A resin-saturated liner is pulled through the existing pipe and cured in place, forming a seamless new pipe inside the old one. Usually needs only one or two small access points rather than a full trench.
Best for: cracked or root-damaged lines that still hold their shape
A bursting head is drawn through the old pipe, fracturing it outward while pulling new HDPE line into the same path. You get a full-diameter new pipe without excavating the run.
Best for: collapsed, badly corroded, or undersized lines that lining cannot save
Sometimes still the right call — severe misalignment, a bellied section, shallow runs, or lines tangled with other utilities. We will tell you honestly when digging is genuinely the better outcome rather than selling you trenchless for its own sake.
Best for: severe structural failure, re-grading, or awkward utility conflicts
If your Denver home was built before 1951, the pipe running from the street to your house may be lead — and the rules for a leak on that line are different from any other pipe in your home.
Properties in Denver Water’s service area estimated to have a lead service line.
Homes built before this date are the most likely to have one. You can check your address on Denver Water’s map.
Denver Water is replacing customer-owned lead service lines with copper at no direct cost, over a 15-year programme.
A long-range construction outlook sets out which neighbourhoods are scheduled in which year.
Do not want to wait for your neighbourhood’s turn? Denver Water offers a one-time $3,800 reimbursement for owners who replace their lead service line at their own expense — roughly half the utility’s own cost.
Apply and get approved before the work starts. Replacements done without advance approval are not eligible.
Why this matters for a repair call. Denver Water’s guidance is clear: if a lead service line is leaking, it should be replaced with copper in full — not patched. So before we quote any repair on a service line in an older home, we identify the material first. If it turns out to be lead, we will tell you about the replacement programme and the reimbursement rather than selling you a repair you should not have. Grants and low-interest loans may also be available through the Denver Urban Renewal Authority or the city’s 311 line.
Every pipe repair starts the same way: we find the leak before we open anything. That is the difference between patching a square of drywall and replacing half a ceiling.
If water is still running, we help you shut down the supply and stop the damage. Then hydrostatic pressure testing tells us which line has lost integrity and roughly where.
Acoustic listening equipment and thermal imaging fix the exact position of hidden leaks inside walls, under floors, or beneath the slab — before a single hole is cut.
We show you what failed and lay out the options: spot repair, section replacement, trenchless, or repipe. One fixed written price, approved by you before work begins.
We replace the damaged run, repressurise, check every new connection for watertight integrity, and clean up. You get photos and an itemised invoice for your insurer.
Minor repairs generally land between $150 and $400. Larger work — slab leaks, buried service lines, sewer repair, and whole-home repiping — typically runs $800 to $3,000 or more. Five things move the number:
How we keep pipe repair pricing honest. Send photos of the leak, the surrounding area, and your shut-off valve, and we will give you a realistic range by text before anyone drives out. The exact figure is confirmed in writing on site, and it does not move mid-job.
Often, but not always. Denver Water is explicit that water damage may or may not be covered separately under a typical homeowner’s policy, and that the utility is not responsible for damage caused by a property’s own service line or internal plumbing. Property owners are responsible for their service line and meter pit. Check your policy with your agent — we are plumbers, not insurers.
We document every pipe repair with dated photographs and an itemised invoice describing exactly what failed and what was replaced, so you have something substantive to hand your adjuster.
Garik is a professional. Super kind and quality work. Explained everything and asked if I was happy with the results.
— Native HippyCame in 30 min to fix a emergency pipe leak. 10 out of 10 good solid people! Honest and trustworthy.
— Dave RiveraGarik was on time, excellent, and completed the job quickly. I would definitely recommend his work and his company.— Mark Sneden
We handle pipe repair and leak repair throughout Denver proper and the surrounding suburbs, with priority dispatch on active leaks.
In most Denver homes it is on an interior wall facing the street, in the basement, crawlspace, or utility room, close to where the service line enters. Look for a round handle or a lever on the main supply pipe near the meter. Turn a round handle clockwise until it stops, or turn a lever a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe. Find it and tag it now, before you need it in the dark.
Minor, accessible repairs generally run $150 to $400. Slab leaks, buried service lines, sewer repair, and whole-home repiping typically run $800 to $3,000 or more. The main drivers are accessibility, pipe material, how much detection work is needed, and whether drywall, concrete, or landscaping has to be restored afterwards. Grig Plumbing gives you a fixed written quote on site before any work starts.
Unexplained spikes in your water bill, the sound of running water when every tap is off, damp or unexpectedly warm patches on floors, peeling paint or bubbling wallpaper, and musty odours from hidden mould. A useful test: turn off every fixture and watch your water meter. If it is still moving, water is going somewhere it should not.
Possibly. Denver Water estimates 60,000 to 64,000 properties in its service area may have one, and homes built before 1951 are the most likely. You can check your address on Denver Water’s lookup map. If your line is lead and it develops a leak, it should be replaced with copper in full rather than repaired — and Denver Water’s programme replaces customer-owned lead lines at no direct charge.
Yes. For buried water and sewer lines we offer cured-in-place lining and pipe bursting, both of which usually need only small access points instead of a trench across your yard. Suitability depends on the pipe’s condition, material, and alignment. Where a line is badly collapsed or misaligned, open-cut excavation is still the better outcome, and we will say so.
Denver’s mineral content and water chemistry react with older copper over decades, corroding the pipe from the inside. The result is tiny pinhole perforations that often go unnoticed inside wall cavities until stains appear on a ceiling or baseboard. Copper past roughly 25 years is the usual candidate.
As a stopgap only. A repair clamp or epoxy putty can slow active flooding while you wait for a plumber, and that is worth doing. But Denver’s municipal water pressure will work through a temporary patch, often at the worst possible moment. The damaged section needs proper replacement.
Two routes. We either open a small access point in the slab and repair the fitting directly, or cap the buried line and reroute a new PEX supply through the walls or attic as a slab bypass. Which one we recommend depends on the leak’s location, the condition of the rest of the line, and which option damages less of your home.
Most Denver homes take one to two days for a full PEX-A repipe, depending on size, layout, and how much of the existing pipe is accessible. Water is usually restored by the end of each working day.
Yes. Burst pipes do not keep business hours. Call (983) 218-4929 any time for priority dispatch across the Denver metro.
Don’t let a small leak become structural damage. Same-day pipe repair and leak repair with electronic detection, fixed written pricing, trenchless options, and claim-ready documentation.
