How do you Know if you Have a Water Leak Underground?
Plumbers are just as busy with water line repairs in the summer as they are in the winter some years, especially here in North Texas. As the temperatures get hotter and the rain comes less, the grounds shift and that causes underground water pipe bursts.
If you believe you may have an underground water leak, you can’t ignore it. Out of sight, out of mind isn’t a good theory because water leaks can do serious damage to your home. Water line repairs are costly and repair of the damage they leave behind is costly. How do you know if you have an underground water leak? Keep reading for things to look for:
If you have any of the following inside your home, you could need underground water line repair:
- Water pressure has a noticeable drop while using your plumbing appliances.
- You hear hissing and splashing sounds but there isn’t any water running.
- Dirty or rusty water is coming from the faucets.
- You notice mold and water-loving insects increase in and around your home.
- Moldy odors or sewage smell.
- The water bill has increased steadily over the last billing cycles.
If you any of the following outside your home, you could need underground water line repair:
- Puddles and wet spots on your lawn when no rain or sprinkler has been on.
- Sinkholes.
- Sewer smells.
- A super green lush spot in your lawn compared to the rest.
- Breaking and cracking concrete or paved areas like the driveway, sidewalks.
- Flood around a sprinkler head.
- The water bill has increased steadily over the last billing cycles.
How do Plumbers Find Leaks?
Plumbers and water line repair contractors have technology and water line repair tools available to them today with leak detection equipment. This technology allows them to accurately and quickly find where a waterline is leaking so they can get the water line repair done faster. Using acoustic ground microphones and listening discs, they can amplify a leaking sound that is normally a quiet leak.
Another method plumbers have to find water leaks underground is by video. Technology has given them plumbing cameras that enable them to pinpoint the precise area that needs water line repair by viewing the leak on a monitor. With this technology, they are able to perform water line repairs without digging up your landscaping.
What is the Best Pipe for Water Lines?
Today, building contractors and plumbers are touting the use of PEX plumbing, aka cross-linked polyethylene. It is an inexpensive but durable way to plumber and even better, it is a universally accepted material that is accepted by building codes and comes with a twenty-five-year warranty. However, there are plumbers that will still swear by other plumbing pipes for installation and water line repairs.
For Longevity:
Copper piping is still the premium choice without a question. It is hard to beat something that has been around for over 80 years and is still going. Copper plumbing is safe for water consumption and copper is recyclable, but where it comes from is environmentally damaging. The cost is high and still going up.
Tricky Retrofit:
PEX is flexible and can be snaked around corners or obstructions to get where it is needed. No soldering of joints is necessary because the fitting is all snapped on. PEX does contain a toxin that is found in gas, so environmentally speaking, not the best choice. Inexpensive and durable are on its side though.
For A DIYer:
CPVC is similar to PVC and safe for water consumption, with a 40-year history, it has proven to be perfect for the DIY homeowner. Manufacturing of this material is highly polluting, and it is not recyclable. Chemical solvents are used to join the sections, all of this making it non-enviro friendly.
How Deep is the Main Water Line?
It can actually depend on the type of pip and where you live. Plastic pipe has generally installed a minimum of eighteen inches deep under the soil surface. In northern climates, building codes require any water pipe to be buried four feet or deeper to pass code inspection.
As a homeowner, you want to spend as little as possible on repairs around your home. However, you also want it fixed right so that you don’t have to do this again anytime soon. Of course, when you call a plumber for plumbing services, he inspects the problem and tells you what is needed, to repair a water line underground, your first question will be, “How much does it cost to fix an underground water leak?”
This is an area that can vary from region to region, but on average, a water line repair underground can cost as little as $300 and as high as $1500 or more. Most plumbers will charge by the hour plus the parts. An average hourly rate can be between $70/per hour and up to $120/per hour.
Call 214-918-6109 today for your main water line repair in Mesquite, TX.
