At a glance
- Older homes
- Galvanized, cast iron, clay laterals
- 1970s to 80s
- Watch for polybutylene
- Newer homes
- Water heaters, slab leaks
- Pricing
- Quoted by the plumber before work
What breaks, by neighborhood age
Downtown, Huntridge, and the older east side: galvanized supply lines that corrode shut, cast iron drains that scale, and sewer laterals that have cracked. Houses from the 1970s and 1980s across the central valley: original water heaters long gone, but polybutylene supply pipe in some tracts, which fails without warning. Houses from the 1990s onward in the southwest and northwest: mostly copper or PEX, ABS drains, and the problem is almost always the water heater or a slab leak.
Slab leaks
Most Las Vegas houses sit on a concrete slab with the water lines inside or under it. A warm spot on the floor, a water bill that jumped, or the sound of running water with every tap off are the signs. A plumber locates the leak with listening equipment and either repairs the section or reroutes the line overhead. Call before the slab is saturated.
Getting a plumber here
Call (702) 996-3289 or use the form, and say which part of the city you are in. Travel time across the valley at 5 pm is real, and the plumber plans around it.
Your questions
Does the City of Las Vegas or Clark County issue my plumbing permit?
It depends on the address. Inside city limits the City of Las Vegas issues it; unincorporated areas such as Spring Valley, Enterprise, and Sunrise Manor go through Clark County. The plumber knows which applies.
Is a slab leak covered by insurance?
Often the damage is covered and the repair to the pipe is not. Read the policy and photograph everything before repairs begin.