Trenchless Water Line Replacement
A new water service from the meter to the house — under your yard, not through it
When the buried water line between the meter and your house fails, there are two ways to replace it: dig a trench across everything in its path, or bore underneath and pull the new line through. Stollwerck Plumbing & Sewer does it the second way wherever the run allows, replacing failed water services in Everett, Mukilteo and Edmonds without sacrificing the driveway, the retaining wall or thirty years of landscaping on the way.
What We Do
Full Water Service Replacement by Directional Boring
The bore runs from the meter to the house beneath the surface, and the new line is pulled through the path. What gets opened up is two modest access points — one at each end — instead of a trench across the yard.
The Tie-Ins at Both Ends
The bore is half the job; the connections are the other half. We build the new tie-in where the line enters the house — new valve included, so the next person can actually shut it off — and make the meter-side connection cleanly at the setter.
Pressure Testing and Verification
Every new line gets pressurized, bled of air, and proven: we watch the meter with everything shut off to confirm nothing is moving, and we physically check each new connection before anything is buried.
Utility Locates, Handled
A bore path shares the ground with power, gas and communications. Locates get called in and flagged before any work starts — it is the unglamorous step that keeps a water line job from becoming a neighborhood story.
Repair When the Line Deserves It
Not every failed service needs replacing. When a line is sound apart from one wound, we say so and fix the section — replacement is for lines that are done, not for every leak.
Real Trenchless Work in Mukilteo
At a home in Mukilteo this winter, Logan and Carlos replaced a failed water service from the meter to the garage. With locates flagged and the bore shot along the marked path, their work was the part that decides whether a new line actually serves the house well: they cut out the old gate valve at the garage, adapted onto the existing copper in the wall, and gave the homeowners a new ball valve they can actually operate. At the meter, the old poly line was cut and unspun, and the new line connected through a new adapter.
Then the proving: system pressurized, air bled out through the hose bib, the meter checked to confirm it sat still with everything off, and every new connection inspected by hand before backfill.
The photos tell the story better than we can: flags on the lawn, one small pocket of open ground, and a front yard that never knew anything happened.
Why Trenchless Fits This Area
Everett and Mukilteo yards have usually had decades to become what they are — established beds, mature trees, terraced slopes with retaining walls, and driveways between the meter and the house. An open trench through any of that costs real money to restore, and some of it, like a mature tree's roots or a tiered wall, doesn't restore at all. Boring underneath leaves the surface alone.
The new line itself goes in with a tracer wire run alongside, so it can be located precisely from the surface for as long as it serves the house — a courtesy to every future project on the property.
How a Trenchless Water Line Job Runs
1. Confirm the Line Is the Problem
A spinning meter with the house shut off, pressure loss, or a wet stripe in the yard — we verify the service line is truly the cause before anyone plans a replacement.
2. Locates and the Bore Path
Utilities flagged, path planned, access points chosen at each end.
3. Bore and Pull
The new line goes in beneath the surface along the marked path.
4. Build the Tie-Ins
New connections at the meter and the house, with a new shutoff valve where it serves you best.
5. Prove It, Then Bury It
Pressurize, bleed, watch the meter, check every joint — then backfill and put the surface back.
Trenchless Water Line FAQ
How much digging does a trenchless water line job actually involve?
Two access points — one near the meter and one where the line reaches the house — plus whatever small pocket the bore path needs. On a recent Mukilteo job the visible footprint was a patch of open soil about the size of a doormat, with the rest of the yard untouched under its locate flags.
How long is the water off during a replacement?
Usually a matter of hours, not days. Much of the work — locates, boring, building the new tie-in points — happens while the old line is still serving the house. The shutdown comes at the switchover, and we bleed the air and verify pressure the same visit.
Can my old water line be repaired instead of replaced?
Sometimes, and we will tell you honestly which side of the line yours sits on. A single mechanical failure on an otherwise sound run earns a repair. A line that has failed more than once, or old poly that is failing by material, earns replacement — patching it again just schedules the next emergency.
What is the new water line made of?
Modern polyethylene service pipe, pulled through in a continuous run so there are no buried joints along the path, with a tracer wire laid alongside so the line can be found from the surface later. The connections at each end are built in copper and brass with a proper shutoff valve.
Do you handle the utility locates?
Yes — locates are called in and flagged before any boring happens, and we plan the path around what the flags say. Where a job needs a permit, that gets handled too. You should not have to coordinate the underground bureaucracy of your own water line.
Why Homeowners Call Us for Water Line Work
We Prove the Problem First
A meter test costs minutes. Replacing a line that wasn’t the problem costs a great deal more, and we have seen the difference matter.
The Connections Get Craftsmanship
A bore is only as good as its tie-ins. Ours end in new valves, clean copper work, and connections checked by hand before burial.
Every Tech Is a Licensed Plumber
Working under Washington license STOLLPL780CJ, with insurance above the state mandate.
One-Year Guarantee
Every job carries a full one-year guarantee on our workmanship.
A Water Line on Its Last Legs
Call the Mukilteo office — we'll start with the meter, not the excavator.