Tallmadge Circle and the streets around it
Tallmadge Circle is an eight-road public square with a traffic circle around it, and the city says its history is focused on it. It is the easiest landmark to give a dispatcher. Saying near Tallmadge Circle sets the general area faster than a list of side streets, and the dispatcher confirms the exact address.
Emergency dispatch day and night
Emergency dispatch for Tallmadge runs around the clock. A burst pipe at 2 am gets the same call line as a dripping faucet at noon.
The Circle as a landmark
Tallmadge Circle Park covers 4.5 acres at 10 Tallmadge Circle. Name it when you call and the dispatcher can place you on the map.
Historic buildings on the Circle
The Tallmadge Historic Church at 115 Tallmadge Circle was dedicated on September 8, 1825, and the Old Town Hall was built in 1859. Buildings that old often hold original piping, so mention the building's age on the call.
Parks as reference points
Lions Park, Maca Park, Memorial Park and Jaycee Howe Road Park all have pavilions. If your street is hard to find, a nearby park is a clean way to describe it.
If you have a burst pipe or an active leak in Tallmadge
Shut off the main valve
Find the main water shutoff where the line enters the house, often in the basement. Turn it clockwise until it stops. In an older house the valve may be stiff, so use steady pressure instead of force.
Kill power near the water
If water is near outlets, a panel or a basement freezer, stay out of the wet area. Switch off the breaker only if you can reach the panel while standing on dry floor.
Clear the area
Move rugs, boxes and stored items away from the leak. Keep kids and pets out of the room, because wet floors and hot water make a bad mix.
Call the 24/7 line
Call (855) 575-2890 and give the street address and what you see. If you smell gas, leave the building first and call 911 or the gas utility from outside.
Older homes and old pipe around the Circle
Homes in Tallmadge come in many ages, and the oldest buildings cluster near the Circle. The city's own history goes back to a settlement in 1807, so some structures here have seen plenty of plumbing repairs. A house with mixed pipe, such as old steel next to newer copper or plastic, tends to leak at the joints where two materials meet.
That is why the building's age is worth mentioning on the first call. A slow drip behind a wall in an older house is a job for leak detection, which finds the wet spot before anyone opens drywall. In a newer home, the same drip is more likely a fitting or a supply line.
Stained ceiling or wall
A brown ring that grows after you run the shower points to a supply or drain leak above it.
Water meter spinning
Shut every fixture off. If the meter dial still turns, water is escaping somewhere on the house side.
Low pressure at one tap
One weak faucet often means a clogged aerator. Scale from moderately hard water is a common cause.
Musty smell in the basement
A damp, earthy odor near a wall can mean a hidden leak or seepage, not just humidity.
Low spots, park-side basements and flood-prone roads
A July 10, 2013 storm flooded East Avenue, as reported by Cleveland Scene. For a homeowner the lesson is simple: basements on low ground near flooded roads need a working sump pump and a way for water to leave the house. If yours runs often, or never ran during the last heavy rain, see our sump pump service page.
A sump that fails in a storm is an emergency, because the basement fills while the rain is still falling. Unplug anything on the floor, keep off wet carpet and call the 24/7 line.
| Question | Tallmadge | Stow |
|---|---|---|
| Water source | Akron, via the city's own reservoirs | Akron, bought by the city |
| Water bill | City of Tallmadge | City of Stow |
| Sewer bill | City of Tallmadge | Summit County, billed quarterly |
| Sewer questions | City Water and Sewer Department, 330-633-0851 | Summit County Environmental Services, 330-926-2400 |
| Permit questions | City of Tallmadge or Summit County Division of Building Standards | City of Stow Building Department |
The table matters most on a high-bill call. In Tallmadge, one office on North Avenue handles both water and sewer billing, open Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4 pm. A burst pipe is ours to dispatch, but a bill question belongs to the city.
Pipe burst or water heater failing in Tallmadge?
Call the 24/7 emergency line. A dispatcher will take your address and arrange a licensed plumber.
Akron water, Tallmadge reservoirs, and what scale does to a water heater
Akron draws surface water from the Upper Cuyahoga River through three impounding reservoirs and treats it at its own plant. Tallmadge buys that water, pumps it to city reservoirs and sends it to homes. The city's 2022 water quality report lists hardness averaging about 7 grains per gallon, range 4 to 8, which is moderately hard.
Moderately hard water leaves scale on heating elements, tank bottoms and faucet aerators. A tank that rumbles or heats slowly is often scaled up. When a water heater leaks from the tank itself, repair is not an option, and a water heater replacement is the next step.
Two sewer districts, one question to ask first
Tallmadge has two sewer districts. District I sewage goes to the Akron treatment plant, and District II goes to the Fishcreek plant that Summit County's Department of Environmental Services runs. We cannot tell you from the street which district your address is in, and we will not guess.
Before a major sewer job, ask the city which district the address falls in. For a backed-up line, a camera look and sewer line cleaning come first, and a plumber can tell whether the blockage is in the house line or farther out. A stubborn kitchen or bath clog usually means a shorter, simpler line cleaning.
Permits in Tallmadge
The city's permit table lists building permits under the Summit County Department of Building Standards, which says it issues plumbing permits and lists Tallmadge among its jurisdictions. Rules vary by job, so ask the City of Tallmadge or the Summit County Division of Building Standards before work starts.
What happens after you call
You describe the problem
Give the dispatcher your Tallmadge address, the nearest landmark and what you see: where the water is and whether it is still running.
A plumber is arranged
The dispatcher arranges a licensed plumber and tells you what to do in the meantime, such as shutting off water.
The plumber finds the cause
On site, the plumber checks the shutoff, traces the leak or blockage and explains the options.
Price first, then work
You get a clear price before work starts, so you decide with the facts in front of you.
Questions Tallmadge callers ask us
Call the City of Tallmadge Water and Sewer Department at 330-633-0851. The city bills water and sewer itself, so one office can check your meter reads and charges. If the meter shows water moving with every fixture off, call us and we can look for the leak.
Yes. Our emergency line runs 24/7 and a dispatcher takes your Tallmadge address and problem, then arranges a licensed plumber. Same-day appointments are available when the schedule allows for jobs that are not urgent.
44278 is the Tallmadge ZIP on city pages, and we serve it. For an address on the edge of town, the dispatcher confirms the service area by street address.
Yes. Both buy water from Akron, which draws it from the Upper Cuyahoga River through three reservoirs. The difference is billing, because Tallmadge bills water and sewer itself.
Tallmadge has two districts, and we do not know which one your address is in. Ask the city before a major sewer job. District I goes to the Akron plant and District II goes to the Fishcreek plant.
Rules vary by job. Ask the City of Tallmadge or the Summit County Division of Building Standards before work starts. They can tell you what your repair needs.
Tallmadge sits next to Stow on the south side, so we serve it from our Darrow Road office. We also cover nearby towns, including Cuyahoga Falls and Munroe Falls.