Every WaterMainReplacement.ca guide, by topic
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Basics
2 guides
What is a water service line?
What a water service line is: the corporation stop, curb stop, service pipe, main shut-off and meter, how deep it runs, its size and who owns it.
Who pays for water line repair: the city or the homeowner?
Who pays for a leaking or broken water service line in Canada: where the utility side ends, leaks, freezing, lead programs and home insurance.
Frost
1 guides
Lead
4 guides
How to identify a lead water pipe
How to tell if your water pipe is lead: where to look, what lead looks like, the scratch and magnet tests, joints, utility records and why to test.
Lead service line replacement: doing both sides, in the right order
How a lead water service is replaced in Canada: full vs partial, the four ways cities coordinate both sides, the work day, flushing and testing.
Lead water service lines: are they dangerous, and what should you do?
Lead water pipes in Canadian homes: when they were used, why they matter most for children and pregnancy, whether they are legal, what to do.
Testing your tap water for lead
How to test tap water for lead in Canada: free city testing, how samples are taken, what µg/L results mean against the guideline, and filters.
Materials
3 guides
Galvanized water lines: why they fail and when to replace them
Galvanized steel water lines: how they corrode shut, the warning signs, the lead they can hold, and replacing the service and house piping in order.
Poly-B (polybutylene) water piping: keep it or replace it?
Poly-B water piping in Canadian homes: how to identify it, why fittings matter, Calgary's advice on pressure and heat, insurers, and replacement.
Copper, PEX or polyethylene for a new water service line
Choosing pipe for a new water service in Canada: type K copper, polyethylene and PEX compared on joints, thawing, trenchless use, size and code.
Pressure
2 guides
Low water pressure in the whole house: what causes it and how to find it
Why a house has low water pressure: valves, pressure-reducing valves, galvanized scale, the service line, leaks, softeners, frost and the city.
Pressure-reducing valves: lowering high water pressure, and what goes wrong
What a pressure-reducing valve does, when the code requires one (550 kPa), how to tell if it is failing, lowering house pressure, expansion tanks.
Replacement
2 guides
Trenchless water line replacement: four ways to skip the trench
Trenchless water service replacement: pulling the old line out, splitting or bursting it, moling and small directional drilling, risks and pits.
Replacing a water service line, step by step
The water service replacement process: records, city programs, quotes, permits, locates, the curb stop, main shut-off, testing and restoration.
Tools, costs & reference
19 pages
Water service line replacement cost in Canada
What replacing the water line from the street to your house costs in Canada: published city figures, per-metre pricing, cost drivers, grants and loans.
Lead Water Line Check
Is your water service line lead? Enter your city, build year, the pipe at the meter, a magnet and scratch test, records and tests for a likelihood.
Low Water Pressure Diagnosis
Low water pressure? Enter where and when it happens, your pipes, PRV and any gauge or flow reading to rank the likely causes, with a test for each.
Lead service line programs, city by city
Canadian lead service line programs compared: ownership splits, grants, loans, cost shares, deadlines and free testing in 13 cities, checked in 2026.
Calgary: lead water service lines and who owns the pipe
Calgary water service lines: the property-line split, lead from 1939–1947, why the City waits for owners, free tap sampling, cover depth and pressure.
Edmonton: lead water service lines and EPCOR
Edmonton lead water service lines: EPCOR's side versus yours, why partial replacement is avoided, free testing and NSF 53 filters, and service depth.
Guelph: lead service replacement grant
Guelph lead service replacement: the City side at no cost, grants up to $2,000 for your side, the permit-first rule, filter rebates and free tests.
Halifax: Get the Lead Out
Halifax Water's Get the Lead Out: free replacement of both sides of lead service lines by 2038, the 25% rebate route, the lateral loan and testing.
Hamilton: lead water service replacement
Hamilton lead water pipe replacement: property-line ownership, the City side in 12–16 weeks, the $3,000 water-bill loan, permits and testing.
London, Ontario: lead water service replacement
London, Ontario lead water services: property-line ownership, the City side replaced free, the ten-year tax-bill loan for your side, and free tests.
Montréal: lead water service lines (entrées d'eau en plomb)
Montréal lead service lines: the mandatory private replacement, the per-metre cost the City bills, 15-year payment, free screening and filters.
Ottawa: the Lead Pipe Replacement Program
Ottawa's Lead Pipe Replacement Program: the shut-off valve ownership split, full or private-only replacement, at-risk homes and free filters.
Québec City: private lead service connections
Québec City lead water connections: the by-law requiring private replacement within four years, the $2,500 grant, free testing and filter pitchers.
Regina: lead service connection replacement
Regina's lead service connection program: mandatory private replacement, interest-free deferral up to $10,000, filter rebates and the 2036 target.
Saskatoon: lead water service line replacement
Saskatoon lead service line replacement: both sides replaced together by January 1, 2029, the homeowner's 40% share, no partials, and testing.
Toronto: replacing a lead water service
Toronto lead water service pipes: who owns which side, the Priority and Capital replacement programs, free testing, filter rebates and private cost.
Winnipeg: lead water pipes and replacement
Winnipeg lead water pipes: the shut-off valve split, when the City replaces its lead pipe, licensed water contractors, free testing and service cover.
Water service line glossary
Plain definitions for water service line terms: corporation stop, curb stop, lead service, PRV, PEX, type K copper, poly-B, frost cover, pulling.
Water service line questions, answered
Short answers about water service lines in Canada: lead and testing, city programs, ownership, low pressure, frost, materials, trenchless work and cost.
Describe the problem once. Get a straight answer.
Describe the water-service issue and anything you already know — pipe material, affected taps, utility records and the scope you have been quoted. The HAUSE Sewer desk replies with next steps and, where available, a local contractor for the job.
Sewage backing up right now? Stop using water, keep people away from the water, and do not touch electrical equipment near it.