Plumbing questions, answered
Plumbing FAQs for Boerne, TX Homeowners: Leaks, Water Heaters, Permits and Plumber Credentials
The short answer comes first, then the detail. If your situation does not fit what you read here, call and describe it.
Or call (833) 571-0120 and describe what you are seeing.
How these FAQ answers are grouped, and where to start
Every answer below starts with the direct answer. The longer version lives on the page named in the answer, so nothing here is a substitute for a diagnosis.
The questions are grouped by what is going on: something wrong right now, water and fixtures, leaks and drains, rules and licenses, and what it costs. If water is moving where it should not, start with the first group and call.
Water where it should not be: what to do in the first minutes
Water is coming out where it should not be. What do I do in the first few minutes?
Close the main shutoff valve, then open a low faucet to let the pressure out of the pipes. The main is usually where the water line enters the house. If the water heater is involved, switch off its power or gas as well, and stay out of any room where water has reached outlets or appliances. The valve at the street meter belongs to the utility, so if yours will not turn, call before forcing anything. Then call us and say what you saw and where. The burst pipe guide has the longer version.
How do I tell an emergency from something that can wait until morning?
It is an emergency when the water cannot be stopped, when it is reaching electrics, when sewage is coming back into the house, or when you smell gas. A dripping faucet, a slow drain or a running toilet can usually wait for a scheduled visit, and so can a water heater that has simply stopped heating, as long as nothing is leaking. If you smell gas, leave the building first and call 911 from outside, then see gas line safety guidance.
Water, heaters and fixtures
Is the water in Boerne hard, and does a house on city water need a softener?
Not necessarily, and it depends on whether the house is on city supply or a private well. The City of Boerne's 2025 water quality report shows a blend of about 79 percent surface water and 21 percent Trinity Group groundwater, so a house on city supply is not on straight limestone groundwater. A private well is the clearer softener case. We do not quote a city-wide hardness figure here: the city's published report carries the measured value, Boerne Utilities at (830) 248-1538 can read it to you, and a test at your own tap settles it. See water softeners and water filtration systems.
How many years should a tank water heater last?
Most conventional tank heaters last somewhere between eight and twelve years. Age is only part of it. A leak at a fitting or valve can often be repaired, but water seeping from the tank itself means the tank has failed and needs replacing. Rumbling, rust-colored hot water and a pool at the base are the usual warnings. If yours is in its last years and has just failed, price a replacement next to the repair. The heater repair guide and the heater replacement guide split the two decisions.
Why does a toilet keep running when nobody has flushed it?
Usually the flapper at the bottom of the tank has stopped sealing, or the fill valve is not shutting off. To test the flapper, add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait fifteen minutes without flushing. If color appears in the bowl, the flapper is leaking. If the water still runs after a new flapper, the fill valve or float is the next suspect. A running toilet can add to the water bill without any sign of a leak. The faucet and tap repairs cover the fixture work we handle.
Heater failing or a fixture running when it should not? Call and describe what you see.
Call (833) 571-0120Leaks and drains
What are the signs of a hidden leak under the house?
Water you cannot account for: a bill that jumps, a meter that keeps moving with every fixture off, the sound of running water in a quiet house, or a damp or warm patch on the floor. To check the meter, turn everything off and watch the leak indicator for a few minutes. If it moves, water is escaping somewhere past the meter. Finding the spot comes before any breaking of floors, which is the order the slab leak detection and the leak detection steps both follow.
Do drains need cleaning on a schedule?
Most households do not need scheduled cleaning. Clear a drain when it shows symptoms: slow flow, gurgling, or the same blockage coming back. Kitchen lines are the exception, because grease builds up gradually. High-pressure water jetting is one method used within drain cleaning when a clog keeps returning. Two drains backing up at once points away from a single clog and toward the main line. The blocked drain symptoms has the symptom guide.
Lining or digging for a damaged sewer line
When is lining a better choice than digging up a sewer line?
Lining suits a pipe that is cracked, root-invaded or worn but still roughly straight and continuous. Digging is needed where the pipe has collapsed, sagged so water sits in it, or separated at a joint. A camera inspection decides which one your line needs, so be wary of anyone who names a method before looking. The table below sets the two side by side, and the trenchless sewer repair and sewer line repair options carry the detail.
| Question | Lining | Excavation |
|---|---|---|
| Pipe condition it suits | Cracked, root-invaded or worn, still continuous and roughly straight | Collapsed, sagging, separated or badly offset |
| What happens to the yard | Usually access openings at either end of the run | A trench along the line |
| How the choice is made | Camera inspection of the whole run | Camera inspection of the whole run |
| Where to read more | Trenchless page | Sewer line page |
Permits, watering rules and verifying a plumber
Does replacing a water heater in Boerne need a city permit?
Inside Boerne city limits, normally yes. The City has adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code, and contractors must be registered with the City to work within city limits and to submit permit applications. Permitting and Code Compliance, at 447 N. Main Street on (830) 248-1529, can confirm what your job needs. A Boerne mailing address is not the same as being inside city limits, so ask which side of the line you are on. See the City's permitting page.
Are there watering restrictions in Boerne right now?
Check the City's water restrictions page for the current stage before you set a sprinkler timer. The rules posted there are staged. Under the Stage 2 rules shown, sprinklers run one assigned day a week set by the last digit of the street address, from 7 to 11 a.m. and 7 to 11 p.m., hand watering is allowed at any time, and fines can reach one thousand dollars. When we checked in October 2026 the page still showed Stage 2 with a 2023 start date and did not say whether it was current, so confirm with the City. See the City's water restrictions page.
How can I look up a Texas plumber's license before work starts?
Ask for the Responsible Master Plumber's license number and enter it in the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners' public license search. It shows whether the number is valid and whether a certificate of insurance is on file. Master Plumber numbers begin with the letter M. Inside Boerne city limits the contractor must also be registered with the City. Calls to this number are answered by a dispatch line and routed to an independent plumber, so ask whoever arrives for their number, as you would with anyone. Use the Board's consumer page.
When these rules were last checked
The City of Boerne pages and the state licensing page cited above were last checked on October 16, 2026. Permit rules and watering stages change, so treat the City as the final word and confirm before you rely on any of it.
Not sure whether your job needs a permit? Call, give the address and describe the work.
Call (833) 571-0120What a job costs and what happens on the call
Can I get a price before anyone comes out?
You can get a range from our plumbing price ranges and a firm figure once the plumber has seen the problem. The same symptom can be a short fix or a long job, so a number given without looking is a guess. Ask for the price before work starts, and treat a plumber who will not give one as a reason to stop. Describe the problem on the phone and the dispatch line will tell you what happens next.
Is your plumbing question missing from this FAQ?
Call and describe what is happening. If it is a plumbing problem we will point you to the right next step, and if it is not, we will say so.