Water Service Line Leak Detection in Mansfield, TX

Main water line vs interior plumbing

People call it the main water line, the water supply line, the house water line or the line from the meter to the house. They all mean the same pipe: the single buried line that feeds everything in your home. It's pressurized 24 hours a day, so even a small leak runs constantly.

Interior plumbing starts where that line enters the house, usually near the main shutoff valve. Leaks past that point are covered under water leak detection and slab leak detection.

The city side vs your side

Texas utility rules follow the same principle: the customer's responsibility starts on the discharge side of the meter. That's why it matters exactly where the leak is. Two feet can decide who pays.

Signs of a water service line leak

• Meter moves with the house valve closedThe clearest single sign.
• Pressure loss everywhereWeaker flow at every fixture, not just one.
• A wet line across the yardSoggy ground, or a green strip between the curb and the house.
• Water in the meter boxOn the house side of the meter. City side: call the city.
• SettlingA dip in the lawn or a new crack in the walk over the line's route.
• Higher billConstant leakage shows up in every billing cycle.

The service line test you can do

1. Turn off all waterInside and out, including the irrigation controller.
2. Close the house shutoffUsually near where the line enters the house, in the garage or by an outside wall.
3. Watch the meterWatch the leak indicator for 15 minutes.
4. Read the resultIf it moves, the leak is between the meter and the house valve, or on an irrigation or outdoor branch that tees off before the valve.

If your irrigation system tees off the service line before the house valve, turn it off at its own valve or backflow device too, or you can't tell the two apart. More on that under irrigation leak detection.

How a service line leak is located

The service line is often 40 to 100 feet or more of pipe, buried under lawn, flower beds, a walk or the driveway. Its route is rarely documented.

• Trace the route. A line locator maps the pipe from the meter to the house, including any bends.
• Listen along it. Ground microphones follow the leak noise along the mapped route to its loudest point.
• Confirm with tracer gas where sound is muffled, such as saturated clay, deep burial or under beds.
• Mark it. The leak is marked on the surface, with the depth estimate where possible.

Repair handoff

With the leak marked, the repair can be a single access hole and a section repair, or, for an old or repeatedly leaking line, a full replacement. Either way you'll know where the leak is, how deep the line runs and what's on top of it. Remember 811 before any digging: it marks public utilities, not your private service line.