If you need a plumber in Lakehills, TX, call (858) 363-8298 at any hour. The trip from Bandera runs about 20 miles, east on SH 16 to Pipe Creek and then south on FM 1283, so plan on about 30 minutes once a plumber is rolling. We say that up front because a lake house with water on the floor deserves an honest number.
Lakehills is the biggest community in Bandera County, with 5,295 residents at the 2020 Census, spread along the shore of Medina Lake. A lot of what we fix here sits in houses that were built as weekend cabins and are now lived in every day. Every plumber we send is licensed and insured in Texas.
Lake cabins that became year-round homes
Lakehills started out as Upper Medina Lake, a place for fishing camps and weekend getaways. Real building did not start until the 1950s, and the community grew from roughly 300 people in the mid-1970s to 4,668 in 2000 and 5,295 in 2020. Many of those early cabins are now full-time homes, often after a few rounds of additions. The plumbing rarely kept up. Lots are small and rocky, so the well, the house and the septic tank sit close together, and the line to the tank is often shallow, laid over rock with little slope and no cleanout.
| Built for | Now asked to handle | What the plumber often finds |
|---|---|---|
| Two people on weekends | A family, plus guests on holidays | A septic tank and house line sized for light use |
| Spring and summer visits | Every winter freeze | Bare supply lines under a raised floor or behind skirting |
| Quick owner add-ons | Daily use for years | Mixed galvanized, copper, CPVC and PEX with patched joints |
| An old pressure tank | Laundry, dishwasher and two showers | Short-cycling and weak pressure upstairs |
Empty weeks add their own damage. A slow leak can run for days before anyone notices, and a freeze can split a line under the floor with nobody there to turn off the well.
The lake swings too. Medina Lake is an irrigation reservoir behind a dam finished in 1913, about 18 miles long, and water is released downstream for farms, so the shoreline moves a long way in dry years. It fell to about 2.3% of capacity in March 2025 and came back up after the July 2025 floods. High water near the shore can reach well heads, cleanouts and septic lines; low water leaves docks and lake-fed lines high and dry.
District water or your own well?
Not every Lakehills home is on a private well. Bandera County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1, created in 1961, supplies water to part of the community, while other homes still draw from their own well. Which one you have decides who handles what:
- On district water: the district is responsible for its mains and the meter. The plumber handles everything on the house side of the meter, and the shutoff to close in an emergency is at the meter box or where the line enters the house. If the leak is at the meter or in the street, call the district.
- On a well: you own all of it. The emergency shutoff is the well pump breaker, then the valve after the pressure tank. The plumber handles the line from the wellhead, the tank, the switch and the house.
Either way, the drains still run to a septic tank on the lot.
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Around Park Road 37, FM 1283 and the lakeshore
Park Road 37 is the main street, about 14 miles of tight curves and grades running from Bandera County Park on Medina Lake out toward SH 16 near Helotes, past Plum Creek Cove. The Medina Lake Volunteer Fire Department sits on Park Road 37, and it is a handy landmark when you give directions. FM 1283 is the usual way in from Bandera. The Lakehills Area Library sits on FM 1283 and serves Lakehills, Pipe Creek and Mico. There is no post office in Lakehills; mail for the shared 78063 zip goes through the Pipe Creek post office on SH 16.
Some streets here are narrow and hard to find at night, and house numbers are not always visible from the road. A landmark, a gate code, or "third drive past the boat ramp turnoff" saves real time. Lake Medina Shores, a separate community on the lake with its own 78003 zip, is covered from this page as well.
For backups that show up when the house is full, our guide to telling a septic backup from a clogged drain is a good first read.
Plumbing services in Lakehills
Septic and Well Plumbing in Lakehills
On tight Lakehills lots the well, house and tank share a small patch of rock. We repair old pressure tanks and switches, add cleanouts, and fix the shallow house-to-tank lines that cabins were built with.
Drain Cleaning in Lakehills
Backups that only happen when the house fills with guests are usually a partial clog or a sag in the line. We clear it with septic-safe methods and run a camera to show you which one it is.
Burst Pipe Repair in Lakehills
Cabins on piers with lines behind skirting are the first to split in a hard freeze. Shut off the well pump breaker, then call. We find the break under the floor and repair or reroute the run.
Plumbing Repair in Lakehills
Years of owner add-ons leave mixed pipe and tired fixtures. We fix leaks, running toilets and seized shutoffs, and replace failing galvanized sections before they let go while the house sits empty.
Why Lakehills residents call Bandera Plumbers
Honest about the drive
Lakehills is about 30 minutes from Bandera by SH 16 and FM 1283, and Park Road 37 is not a fast road. You get a straight estimate, and help shutting the water off while you wait.
Cabin plumbing is familiar work
Lines under raised floors, mixed galvanized and PEX, and house-to-tank lines laid shallow over rock are what Lakehills houses are made of. The plumber we send expects them.
District water or well, sorted out
We ask which you have, so you know whether the problem belongs to the plumber, to Bandera County FWSD No. 1, or to a pump installer before anyone drives out.
Answered 24/7, licensed and insured
A backup on a full holiday weekend gets a person on the phone. Every plumber we send is licensed and insured in Texas, and you approve the price before work starts.
Plumbing trouble in Lakehills? Call and talk to a person now.
Answering 24/7Every plumber we send is licensed and insured in Texas.
Our Lakehills service area
Nearby areas we serve
Lakehills plumbing questions
Do you work on lake cabins and weekend homes around Medina Lake?
Yes, and they make up a large share of our Lakehills work. Older cabins often have supply lines under a raised floor, mixed pipe materials and a septic line never meant for full-time use. We repair what is there, tell you what is likely to fail next, and can set the place up so the water is easy to shut off when you leave.
My drains back up when guests stay. Is my septic system too small?
Maybe, but check the plumbing first. A partial clog or a low spot in the house-to-tank line often shows up only when several people shower and run laundry in one day. A plumber can clear and camera the line. If the line is fine and the tank or aerobic unit is undersized, a TCEQ-licensed septic provider handles that, permitted through Bandera County as TCEQ's authorized agent.
How fast can a plumber reach Lakehills?
From Bandera it is about 20 miles by SH 16 and FM 1283, around 30 minutes of driving. The actual wait depends on where the nearest plumber is when you call, so we do not promise an arrival time. The dispatcher gives you a straight estimate. If water is running, shut off the well pump breaker or main valve while you wait.
Is Lakehills on city water or private wells?
Both. Lakehills is not a city and has no city water or sewer, but Bandera County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1 supplies water to part of the community, and many other Lakehills homes run on their own well. Every home sends its drains to a septic system. Tell the dispatcher which water you have, because it changes where the emergency shutoff is and whether a leak at the meter belongs to the district.
Do you cover Lake Medina Shores?
Yes. Lake Medina Shores is its own community on Medina Lake, with zip code 78003, and part of it lies in Medina County. We cover it from this Lakehills page. When you call, give your street and a landmark, since the drive depends on which part of the shoreline you are on.
Still have a question? Ask the person who answers the phone.
Answering 24/7Every plumber we send is licensed and insured in Texas.
Call for a plumber in Lakehills
Tell us the road, the gate code and whether you are on a well and septic. You get the price before work starts.