Thurston County
Plumber in Olympia, WA
Beaver's Plumbing is based in Monroe, about 88 miles north of Olympia, so Olympia work is scheduled around a long drive on I-405 and I-5. Call to confirm an arrival window for your address; emergency response times vary with distance and traffic.
Olympia's median home was built in 1982: 25% predate 1960 and 48% predate 1980, while 28% date from 1980 to 1999 and 25% from 2000 or later (ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
Key facts
- Serving
- Olympia, WA
- ZIP codes
- 98501, 98502, 98506
- From our shop
- About 88 driving miles from Monroe
- Water
- City of Olympia Public Works Department. About 49 to 54 mg/L at its main sources (2024 report; the city's website cites 55 to 60 mg/L and calls it slightly hard): soft on the USGS scale
- Estimates
- Free, upfront flat-rate pricing
- Emergencies
- 24/7 at (425) 845-3535
Plumbing in Olympia
Olympia runs entirely on groundwater with an artesian history: settlers gathered at a downtown artesian spring, and one still flows at Artesian Commons. Today the McAllister Wellfield supplies most of the city's water, 75% in 2023, with Shana Park Well 11 and two Allison Springs wells covering the rest. Air strippers raise the pH so less lead and copper leach from household plumbing, and the city does not add fluoride.
Olympia's sewer map is a patchwork. Across the city and its urban growth area, the city maintains about 1,800 STEP systems, which pump septic tank effluent into the sewer, alongside 4,150 private septic systems and conventional gravity sewer, with LOTT Cleanwater Alliance treating the wastewater. Thurston County Environmental Health permits septic systems even inside city limits, and the city's Septic to Sewer program offers incentives to convert.
Neighborhoods we serve
Downtown Olympia South Capitol Eastside Northeast Bigelow Northwest Olympia Southwest Olympia Wildwood East Bay Drive
Near Washington State Capitol, Percival Landing Park, Squaxin Park, and everywhere in between.
Local know-how
What's hard on plumbing in Olympia.
Winterize for frequent freezing nights
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals show Olympia's airport averaging 77 nights a year at or below freezing, about three times Sea-Tac's 25. Insulate crawlspace and exterior pipes and disconnect hoses; Beaver's repairs burst pipes 24/7.
Old homes may hide galvanized
A quarter of Olympia homes were built before 1960, when galvanized steel supply pipe was common, and 48% before 1980; homes from before the mid-1970s often have cast-iron drains. Beaver's camera-inspects drains and repipes with PEX or copper.
STEP homes: mind the drains
About 1,800 STEP systems serve Olympia-area homes, and the city says grease, diapers, coffee grounds and paper towels can block them. If the alarm sounds, silence it and call the city, unless power just returned; Beaver's handles clogs inside the house.
Water running right now?
Shut off the main water valve, turn off the water heater, and call us. Our emergency line answers 24/7.
Services
Our services in Olympia.
- 01Plumbing
Drain cleaning in Olympia
Slow sinks, backed-up showers and main-line clogs cleared with professional cable machines and hydro-jetting, with a camera inspection when we need to see what's causing it.
- — Kitchen, bathroom, laundry and floor drains cleared
- — Main sewer line cleaning from the cleanout
- — Hydro-jetting to scour grease, scale and roots off the pipe walls
Typical price: $250–$550 for a standard drain cleaning
Learn more - 02Plumbing
Water heaters in Olympia
Tank and tankless, gas and electric: same-day repairs, code-compliant replacements and upgrades, with the unit sized to your household.
- — Diagnosis and repair of thermostats, elements, gas valves, igniters and leaks
- — Tank water heater replacement, same day when possible
- — Tankless water heater installation and upgrades
Typical price: $2,200–$4,000 for a replacement, depending on the unit
Learn more - 03Plumbing
Leak repair in Olympia
Leaks found with electronic detection instead of guesswork, then fixed for good: pipes, fittings, valves, fixtures, slabs and burst lines.
- — Leak detection behind walls, under floors and in slabs
- — Pipe, fitting and valve repairs (copper, PEX, galvanized, CPVC)
- — Burst and frozen pipe repair
Typical price: $500–$1,100 for most leak repairs
Learn more - 04Plumbing
Repiping in Olympia
Aging galvanized or polybutylene supply lines replaced with PEX or copper, with small access openings, a pressure test and a written warranty.
- — Whole-home PEX or copper repipe
- — Galvanized steel and polybutylene replacement
- — New shutoff valves at fixtures
- 05Plumbing
Sewer lines in Olympia
Main sewer lines camera-inspected, cleaned of roots and grease, and repaired or replaced when the pipe itself has failed.
- — Sewer camera inspection with the footage explained
- — Main line cleaning and root cutting
- — Hydro-jetting for grease and root buildup
- 06Heating & cooling
HVAC in Olympia
Furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners and ductless mini-splits repaired, maintained and installed, plus duct cleaning and repair.
- — Furnace repair, maintenance and replacement
- — Heat pump repair and installation
- — Air conditioner service and installation
Also available in Olympia: faucet, toilet and fixture installation, 24/7 emergency plumbing, and the Dam Good Defenders Club membership.
- Upfront, written flat-rate price before any work begins
- Dam Good Guarantee: if something we fixed isn't right, we come back and make it right, no charge.
- WA contractor license BEAVEPI741J3
Good questions
Olympia plumbing FAQ.
Don't see your question? Call or text (425) 845-3535. A real person answers, 24/7.
Is Olympia's water hard?
Not by the USGS scale. Olympia's 2024 water quality report shows hardness of 49 to 54 mg/L at McAllister Wellfield and the Allison Springs wells, and the city's website cites 55 to 60 mg/L, which it calls slightly hard. Both fall in the USGS soft range of 0 to 60. Scale builds slowly, though tank flushing still clears sediment. The city adds no fluoride and raises pH to protect household plumbing.
Who fixes the sewer line between my Olympia house and the street?
It depends on the cleanout. If one sits at the right-of-way line, the city is generally responsible from the main to that cleanout and you own the rest; without one, you own the side sewer all the way to the main. Either way, clearing blockages and roots is the owner's job. The city says to call a plumber or side sewer contractor first, and Beaver's can camera-inspect the line to show where a problem sits.
Nearby areas we serve
Sources for local facts on this page
- https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/water_utilities/drinking_water/water_quality.php
- https://cms7files.revize.com/olympia/Document_center/Services/Water%20Resources/Drinking%20Water/Water%20Quality/2024-WQR-061124.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia,_Washington
- https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/water_utilities/wastewater/index.php
- https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/water_utilities/wastewater/step_information.php
- https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/water_utilities/wastewater/septic_to_sewer.php
- https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/water_utilities/wastewater/side_sewer_ownership.php
- https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-annualseasonal-1991-2020&stations=USW00024227,USW00024233&dataTypes=ANN-TMIN-AVGNDS-LSTH032,ANN-TMIN-AVGNDS-LSTH020,ANN-PRCP-NORMAL&format=csv
- https://www.olympiawa.gov/community/neighborhood_associations/index.php
- https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US5351300/
- https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/rel2020/zcta520/tab20_zcta520_place20_natl.txt
Plumbing problem in Olympia? Let's fix it right.
Free estimates, upfront flat-rate pricing, and a 24/7 emergency line at (425) 845-3535.