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If you notice a puddle or standing water in your yard for a prolonged period, you may have a water line leak. This leak could either be on your sprinkler irrigation line or, worse, the main water line that supplies water to your home from the Water District’s main line. (Typically, the main water line is located in the street or alley near your property).
To troubleshoot standing water issues, the first step is to determine if your irrigation line is leaking. Most of us run our sprinkler system while we’re sleeping, so it’s best practice to manually run through all the stations and inspect each sprinkler head periodically. Run each zone for a few minutes. If the standing water problem worsens, you’ve likely found the culprit. If not, try shutting off your automated sprinkler system for a few days. If that solves your standing water problem, good news – now you’ll just have to troubleshoot that line further. However, you determine it’s not your sprinkler line that is leaking, you’ll need to investigate your domestic service water line.
WATER LEAK INVESTIGATION:
What If you haven’t noticed any standing water, but your water bill has increased significantly in recent months, If you can’t account for the extra usage, you’ll want to do a water leak investigation. The quickest way to confirm is to turn off the water supply to your home and read your water meter.
- TURN OFF ALL WATER SOURCES: Ensure that all appliances, swamp coolers, toilets, outdoor hoses, and other water sources in your home are turned off. Make sure there are no appliances, swamp coolers, toilets, outdoor hoses, etc. turned on and running.
- LOCATE YOUR WATER METER: The water meter is generally located in the front yard in an underground pit, unless your Main water line is in the alley, then it would be underground in your backyard. If you can’t find the meter outside, it may be inside your home, often in the basement where the water enters and the shut-off valve is located.
- IS THE METER RUNNING: With all water sources turned off, your water meter should not display any changes. If the meter is still running, you need to determine if the leak is inside or outside your home.
- *** If your meter isn’t running at this step, good news – you don’t have a leak! Look for other ways to reduce your water bill.
- TURN OFF THE WATER SUPPLY: Locate the main water shut-off valve where the water enters your home. If you have a lever (ball valve), turn it 90 degrees so it’s perpendicular to the water line.
- TEST THE LINE: Once there is no water running into your house, check the meter again. If the water is turned off at the house, and your meter is still running, you have a leak somewhere between where the water enters your house, and the meter. If you turn off the water to your house, and your meter stops running, you likely have a leaky appliance or fixture in your house. If this is the case, you’ll need to contact a plumber to fix the leak.
LEAK LOCATING OPTIONS:
If you have an idea as to where the leak may be, that will save us time, and you money. However, if you’re not sure where the leak is, we’ve got a few options to search for your damaged pipe.
- Leak Detection Service: A technician will use listening devices or inject helium into the line to determine the approximate location of the leak. This method is more precise and less disruptive to your yard.
- Blind Search: This is the worst option if you’ve got a landscaped yard. This option involves us making assumptions as to where the water line runs by drawing an imaginary line between where the water enters your home, and where we know it connects to the water Main. From there, we’d look for any extra green patches of grass (assuming that area of your lawn likes the extra water) or low points in your lawn (settling due to a leak). If your yard is heavily landscaped, or if there are many trees/bushes in our suspected work zone, this adds yet another layer of difficulty to the search. It’s more disruptive to your yard and less accurate than the leak detection service. Choose this option at your own risk, and please be kind to our operators when they need to rip through your prize rose bush.
If you have had multiple leaks, look for a pattern in the failures. What was the issue with your first leak? If it was just a crack in the pipe, you’re probably fine with a spot repair. If you’ve had multiple leaks, especially at couplers or fittings (where there is joining of two pipes, or changes in direction of the pipe), a complete water line replacement may be more cost-effective in the long run. Depending on the length of your water line, the cost difference between a spot repair and a complete replacement may be minimal.
NO WATER SERVICE:
What do you do if the water leak is so bad, that you need to turn all the water off to your house? Well, first you hope you’ve been a great neighbor, and they’ll let you share their water for a day or two until we can scramble our schedule to come take care of your issue. How you ask?
- Bring your neighbor their favorite bottle of wine and/or a fresh baked pie
- Shut off the water to your house at the shut off valve (where the water enters your house)
- Find a hose that is long enough to reach from your neighbor’s outdoor garden hose spigot to your outdoor garden hose spigot.
- Attach a female-to-female hose connection from the hose to your spigot (see image)
- Have your neighbor turn on their outdoor water spigot, and you need to turn on your outdoor water spigot.
- Use your facilities as needed
- Mow your neighbor’s lawn for a summer, as they just salvaged your hygienic habits until a proper repair can be made.
Please note!! If you are having the water line leak from around November 1st to March 31st, you need to adjust a toilet in your house so the water is constantly flowing and it doesn’t have a chance to freeze in the hose. If there will be no one home all day, you can disconnect and drain the hose for the day to save water. Please do not just turn on a sink to drip, as most of us have been trained to turn off drippy faucets without thinking.
SOLUTION:
Call Nixcavating at (303)776-8898 or fill out our contact form.
CAUSES:
Water line leaks are unfortunately pretty common, with various underlying causes. The primary culprits are soil settling and installation or component failures (like fittings or glue). If you have a leak near your foundation, you probably have a leak in your copper water line from rubbing against the concrete foundation. This friction can result from natural soil settling around the foundation or kinetic energy generated by pressure changes in the water line, i.e. you turn your water on/off. The pressure changes and movement in your pipe are microscopic, however, over the years this movement can cause damage.
CLOUDY WATER AFTER REPAIR:
Occasionally, after we’ve completed a repair on either your water line or the main water line, we receive calls from concerned individuals regarding the color or consistency of their water. They report that their water appears cloudy or excessively bubbly – and that’s true, although it’s not a concern. Just run your faucet until it’s clear again. During the repair, there is a possibility of dirt entering your water line since we are working at least four feet underground. If you have run the water and are still dissatisfied with its appearance, check the screens on your faucets. A quick removal and rinse of these screens should resolve the issue.
WATER LINE REPAIR RESPONSIBILITY:
Determining the responsibility for water line repairs can be confusing. Generally, if the damage or leak is between the water meter and your home, the repair is your responsibility. However, if the issue is located at the meter or within the Right of Way (sidewalk/street), your water provider may handle the repair. It’s important to note that the responsibility may vary depending on your location and water provider. Please consult with your local water authority for specific guidelines in your area.
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