You probably know to turn off your home's water main valve when you have a plumbing leak so you can stop the flow of water. However, that doesn't do much good when you have a leak in the water main that goes from your home to your water meter.
Your water main is buried under the ground and easy to forget about, but it can burst or crack and leak like any other pipe in your home. The only way to shut off the water is to turn the water off at your meter. You may not have the tools needed to do that, and the water company may not allow you to turn off their meter.
If you suspect the water main is leaking, call an emergency plumber for help. If the leak is large, your water bill may be a lot higher if you don't get the water turned off and repairs made. Here are signs of a water main leak, how to test for a leak, and repairs that may be necessary.
You're responsible for repairing a leak in the water main when the pipe is on your side of the water meter. If the leak is in a pipe on the street side of the meter, or in the meter itself, the city is responsible for repairs. It's important to recognize the signs of a water main leak so you can take quick action before your water bill escalates.
When water is leaking under the ground, a depression or small sinkhole could develop. The grass above the area may be bright green and growing more quickly than grass elsewhere in your yard. You may notice water coming out of the faucet has bits of sediment in it from dirt that's getting inside the cracked pipe.
A plumber has leak detection tools that can verify water is leaking under the ground, but you probably won't have those at home. Instead, you can do a simple test with the water meter to determine if there is a leak in the water main outside of your house.
Turn off the main water valve that supplies water to your house. The main water valve may be in your basement or outside of your house. With that valve shut off, no water is flowing inside of your house. Then read the water meter. If the meter is still moving, that means water is still going through your water main pipe and leaking out.
Water main leaks happen for a number of reasons. Tree roots might break the pipe or the pipe might be corroded due to old age. When an underground pipe is damaged, the plumber may decide to replace the entire pipe to reduce the risk of a future leak. Replacing an underground pipe involves digging a trench in your yard to pull out the old pipe and put a new one in.
Your water needs to be turned off the entire time, so you may want to fill up a bathtub for water to flush toilets and fill jugs for drinking water to use during that time. The plumber may finish the work in a single day since they have the experience and tools needed to do the work as quickly as possible.
Another option the plumber may consider is to repair the leaking area. The plumber can pinpoint the spot that's leaking using a sound device that helps the plumber pinpoint the source of the leak. Once found, they need only to dig up the small area to see if the pipe can be patched or if it needs to be dug out and replaced.
If you suspect your water main is leaking, or if you’re certain it is and you need fast help, call Michigan Plumbing Sewer & Drain Cleaning Inc. We can provide 24-hour emergency service when needed.
