Underground Water Pipe Leak

[finesse_r]

I have a subsoil water leak in a very long PVC water line. Has anyone here ever used one of the sound detectors to locate an underground water leak. The pipe is buried about 12 to 18 inches and is one inch diameter PVC. My guess is one of about a 100 trees have sent a root out and cracked it.

I am looking for one at a reasonable price that works. Any suggestions other than digging up over 1000 feet of line?

 

[schgsd]

Any chance you might be able to zero in on a wet spot near the crack?

 

[finesse_r]

Any chance you might be able to zero in on a wet spot near the crack?

I don’t think so as it is very sandy soil with excellent drainage. Also the leak is not a massive one, but more like a small crack in the pipe somewhere. I will of course walk the rest line and look just in case and I did walk much of it earlier this morning.

 

[arjay]

Nothing looks greener than it usually does?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I would try to rent one before I bought one.
And I would call the yellow page plumbers who advertise leak detection.

 

[Cpo1944]

This is very interesting on the timing. My water bill has suddenly doubled and I suspect a leak too. I called the city and all they want to do is come reread the meter, but they did say I could call - I think it was- 811 and someone would come to my house with some kind of machine to search for the leak. Of course there will be a charge, but I don`t know how much. Why don't you be the Explorer and call 811 . Then you can tell me how you make out. Good luck, Jack

 

[charlie sherrill]

Bubba would fix it by running 1,000 ft. of stolen garden hose from the road to your house. An alternative would be a homemade cistern. This can be made with an old washing machine or beer keg strategically placed on the roof of your house. If you use a beer keg you can enhance it's water catching capability by punching a hole in a #7 wash tub and placing it over the keg with the open side up. An old truck radiator makes a good filter. A cheaper alternative would be to simply tap into your neighbor's water line when they aren't home.

A more serious solution would be to replace the water line where the trees are growing. PVC is cheap and it doesn't cost much to rent a trencher. Have an ax handy for chopping through roots.

 

[30-30remchester]

I was a water well and pump installations contractor for 36 years. One way to get in the vacinity is to walk the line slowly stopping every 10 feet and stick one end of a shovel in the ground and the other in your ear. It sounds funny and looks worse but the sound will amplify and you can acutely hear the water traveling inside the pipe. With the line charged but taps turned off you can Hear the water line hissing near the break
It gets you close.works in most soils up to 5 feet deep

 

[1morethan8]

In 1971 I built a building about 75 yards from the back of the house. Where it was built was the old location where a trailer was in years passed. When I drove the boards into the ground to layout the foundation, I drove one through a PVC water line that had been capped there. A month later I got the water bill for $500.. I was told I only had to pay half the amount because it was "lost water". The water never surfaced, being next to the old field line where the trailer was located.

 

[REM 3200]

Bubba would fix it by running 1,000 ft. of stolen garden hose from the road to your house. An alternative would be a homemade cistern. This can be made with an old washing machine or beer keg strategically placed on the roof of your house. If you use a beer keg you can enhance it's water catching capability by punching a hole in a #7 wash tub and placing it over the keg with the open side up. An old truck radiator makes a good filter. A cheaper alternative would be to simply tap into your neighbor's water line when they aren't home.

Charlie, don't be given' away all our secrets.

 

[finesse_r]

A more serious solution would be to replace the water line where the trees are growing. PVC is cheap and it doesn't cost much to rent a trencher. Have an ax handy for chopping through roots.

Trees are growing everywhere along the line and with the number of roots out there a trenching machine would not last too long. Since this is likely to happen again, I think the best solution is to find a listening device that will allow me to locate the leak. It cost me $ 700 twenty-two years ago to have the line put in and I would be well over a couple of thousand to have it redone today. I had back surgery last month and there is no way I can run a new line myself. I will be doing good to repair it if I can find it.

I know there are listening devices made for this but in this tiny rural community I have not located one yet, and there appears to be a tremendous difference in price, and very little helpful information on them.

If I don’t find a decent commercial one today, I will try making my own with PVC pipe, a Styrofoam cup and a stethoscope, which reportedly works pretty well, but who knows if it actually will work or not.

 

[M E Morrison]

I was a water well and pump installations contractor for 36 years. One way to get in the vacinity is to walk the line slowly stopping every 10 feet and stick one end of a shovel in the ground and the other in your ear. It sounds funny and looks worse but the sound will amplify and you can acutely hear the water traveling inside the pipe. With the line charged but taps turned off you can Hear the water line hissing near the break
It gets you close.works in most soils up to 5 feet deep

This is similar to the trick used by mechanics; take a piece of hose (garden to vacuum sized) and touch the engine/alternator/water pump to localize the noise of the defective part. An even better solution would be a mechanic's stethoscope, with a rod probe. Should work just fine for running water.

 

[litenlarry]

With as many trees that you have, you may have multiple fractures in the water line.. A small backhoe with a 12 inch bucket , tear out the old line and replace..

 

[Maddog 521]

I had one leaking on the side of my house years ago. It was evident where the leak was. I dug up a 6 or 7 foot radius and as I was going deeper it got wetter. It ended up being a 90 with a hairline crack in it. I fixed it with a 1' piece of PVC an another 90. Have you tried witching the line? If you find the exact location of the line it might be easier to locate the leak.

 

[islamoradamark]

i remember calling the water company and asked about a really high bill like 4 times the amount . They asked me if my neighbor had a swimming pool

 

[LittleCooner]

One inch PVC? why not dig up (expose)some of the line in the area you think may be the problem. cut the line and glue in a "T". on the upside of the "T" put a pressure value you can see. turn on the water pressure. If its stays the same after the pump quits pumping then the leak is father down the line. you can always cap these "T" cut ins. Could prevent replacing the total 1000 foot of pipe. Just a thought. If you get 2 or three of these in place, the area of the leak should show up. Understand that's a lot of work, but so is installing 1000 feet of new 1" pvc

 

[dave holl]

I have a subsoil water leak in a very long PVC water line. Has anyone here ever used one of the sound detectors to locate an underground water leak. The pipe is buried about 12 to 18 inches and is one inch diameter PVC. My guess is one of about a 100 trees have sent a root out and cracked it.

I am looking for one at a reasonable price that works. Any suggestions other than digging up over 1000 feet of line?

A lot of good ideas in the earlier posts. Since the line is only 12-18 inches below the surface, and if you know the general location of the line, farmers use a device to measure soil moisture. Maybe a neighboring farmer has one, or you could rent one from a county extension agent. I've lived with a well system all of my adult life and dealt with pitless adapter leaks as well as line leaks that you are dealing with. All of the PVC leaks were caused by settling soil and the PVC resting on a rock. In my case I found each of the leaks by observing surface pooling or dampness.
Some questions to ask are:
How old is the PVC?
Are there any couplings in the line?
Do you have access to both ends of the line, and will that entail more digging too? (if you chose to replace the entire line)

If it were me (I'm 71 and can't do much digging anymore) I would try to find the leak myself by listening, or by hiring someone to do it professionally. Then hire a plumber to dig out that area and repair the PVC. If the PVC has some age, say 20 years or so, it might be prudent to run a new line. Keep us in the loop.

 

[dougb1946]

A swimming pool repair company might be able to find the leak. They use the big ear and/or a device that measures electrical resistance to find leaks in pool plumbing.

 

[PA Reb]

"30-30remchester" nailed it and I would go one further to say if your water is controlled by a water company, they also should have the ability to tell you a good proximity.

 

[finesse_r]

I was a water well and pump installations contractor for 36 years. One way to get in the vacinity is to walk the line slowly stopping every 10 feet and stick one end of a shovel in the ground and the other in your ear. It sounds funny and looks worse but the sound will amplify and you can acutely hear the water traveling inside the pipe. With the line charged but taps turned off you can Hear the water line hissing near the break
It gets you close.works in most soils up to 5 feet deep

That is basically what I plan to do, but I was hoping for a slightly better listening device than a shovel. I may well try that also if I don’t get it located pretty quick. For now I have turned the water off at the point where I connect to the commercial water line.