We come from Port Orchard over the Narrows and through Tacoma, about 45 minutes, and we bring the jetting truck when the job calls for it. Flat-rate pricing before any work starts, a four-hour window, and a text when the plumber is on his way.
Washington Plumbing & Drain is veteran-owned and family-run, with over 200 five-star Google reviews from homeowners, property managers and business owners across three counties.
Fife at a glance for plumbing
Water
The City of Fife runs its own water utility, drawing from city wells and purchasing supplemental water from Tacoma Water. Fife Heights and some edges are served by neighboring systems.
Sewer or septic
City sewer throughout the valley, with Fife's wastewater treated through Pierce County's system. A few of the older farm parcels on the valley floor and in Fife Heights were on septic historically, and some may remain.
Homes
A valley floor that was berry farms and truck gardens until the 1960s, then filled with 1960s to 80s ramblers and manufactured homes, with apartment complexes and 2000s subdivisions added as the warehouses arrived. Fife Heights on the hill has older homes with crawlspaces; the valley has slab-on-grade and raised floors over wet ground.
Ground and weather
Tideflat and river floodplain. The water table under much of Fife is only ten to fifteen feet down, and in places the ground moves slightly with the tide. The Puyallup River floodplain covers the southern part of the city, and Hylebos and Wapato creeks carry a lot of water through it. The valley sits in the Puyallup River floodplain and a Mount Rainier lahar zone. Big winter rains push groundwater up under slabs and crawlspaces, and the December 2022 and January 2024 freezes hit manufactured homes and exposed meter boxes hardest.
Wet ground and what it does to drains
Fife's valley soil is silt and peat over river gravel, and it settles. A drain line that left the house with good slope can sag into a belly in a few decades, and a belly holds water, sludge and eventually a full clog. If your main drain backs up every few months and a cable only buys you time, a camera will show the low spot. Fixing it means replacing that section with new pipe bedded properly, not cabling it again.
The same settling pulls joints apart. Groundwater, which is never far below a Fife slab, flows into the gap and the sewer runs full even when nobody is home. We camera, locate, and dig the bad section, and we add a cleanout on the way out so the line is easy to service.
Crawlspaces, slabs and the water table
In winter, the water table under Fife rises until it is just under the floor. Crawlspaces take on standing water, slabs wick moisture, and water heaters and ductwork sitting in that crawlspace rust early. A sump pump with a sealed basin and a discharge line that carries water to a storm connection or a dry well is the fix, and we install Liberty pumps with battery backup for the storms that take the power with them.
Manufactured homes, which are common on the valley lots, have their own weak point: the water line where it comes up through the skirting. That is where it freezes and where it leaks. We insulate it, heat-tape it, and replace the underbelly lines when the original polybutylene has given up.
Restaurants, truck stops and the jetting truck
Pacific Highway and the I-5 interchanges are lined with restaurants, hotels and fueling stations, and their drains work hard. Grease lines, floor sinks and parking-lot catch basins clog on a schedule. We hydro jet grease lines and storm drains from our own jetting truck, clear floor sinks and floor drains, and set up a maintenance interval so you are not calling us during a Saturday dinner rush.
Commercial accounts in Fife also need backflow preventers tested and replaced, water heaters sized for a commercial kitchen, and gas lines for cooking equipment. We do that work for owners and property managers, and we send photos and a summary when the job is done so nobody has to drive out to check.
Water heaters, pressure and city water
Fife runs its own water utility from city wells with Tacoma Water as a supplement. Pressure is generally steady on the valley floor, but Fife Heights homes up the hill can run low, and a booster pump solves that at the house. Where pressure runs high we replace the pressure reducing valve and add an expansion tank to protect the heater.
Water heaters in Fife live in damp places. We replace rusted tanks with Bradford White and A. O. Smith, raise them off the floor where they sat in a wet crawlspace, and install Rinnai tankless for gas homes on Puget Sound Energy service. Every install includes a drain pan where the location calls for one.
Plumbing problems we see most in Fife
Local patterns
- High groundwater seeping into crawlspaces and under slabs every winter
- Settling in soft valley soils cracking drain lines and pulling joints apart
- Manufactured-home water lines freezing at the skirting
- Sump pumps and crawlspace drainage failing in heavy rain
- Commercial floor sinks and grease lines in restaurants along Pacific Highway
- Backflow preventers on commercial and irrigation connections needing replacement
- Water heaters rusting out early in damp crawlspaces and garages
Neighborhoods and areas in Fife we serve
We work throughout Fife, including Downtown Fife along Pacific Highway, Fife Heights, Hylebos and the Port of Tacoma edge, Valley Avenue and the farm parcels, Radiance and the newer subdivisions, Wapato Creek area and 54th Avenue East corridor, and around Emerald Queen Casino, Dacca Park and the Fife Community Center, Fife History Museum, Port of Tacoma, Interstate 5 and Pacific Highway. Population is about 11,000, with a daytime population far larger from the warehouses and the port; ZIP codes include 98424.
Fife plumbing questions
Do you take residential calls in Fife or just commercial?
Both. We handle homes, manufactured homes, apartments and commercial buildings in Fife. The drive from Port Orchard is about 45 minutes and the flat-rate pricing is the same.
Why does my main drain keep clogging every few months?
In Fife it is usually a belly in the line from ground settling, or a joint that pulled apart and lets groundwater in. A camera inspection finds it, and replacing that section ends the cycle.
There is standing water in my crawlspace every winter. Is that a plumbing problem?
Sometimes it is a leak, but in Fife it is more often the water table rising. We check for leaks first, and if the water is groundwater we install a sump pump with a proper discharge.
Can you jet the grease line at my restaurant on Pacific Highway?
Yes. We own a hydro jetting truck and clear grease lines, floor sinks and catch basins for commercial accounts, with scheduled maintenance if you want it.
Do you test and replace backflow preventers in Fife?
We install and replace backflow assemblies on commercial, irrigation and fire connections. Ask when you call and we will confirm what your connection needs.
My manufactured home's water line froze in January. How do I prevent that?
Insulate and heat-tape the riser where it comes through the skirting, seal the skirting against wind, and keep a trickle running in a hard freeze. We do the insulation and heat tape as a service call.
