Signs that the break is in the street, not your house
A main break affects more than one address. If the tap runs dry or weak at your house, look outside. Water bubbling up through pavement, a sunken patch in the street or a neighbor reporting the same thing all point to the public main.
Pressure that fails everywhere in your house at the same moment is also a clue. A problem inside your own plumbing usually affects one fixture, one floor or one line first.
- A neighbor on the same street has low pressure or no water.
- Water is visible in the road, a gutter or a yard that is not yours.
- The water turned cloudy or brown right as the pressure changed.
- Your meter shows no movement because no water is arriving.
How a main break happens in a city like Reading
Reading's tap water has long come in part from Lake Ontelaunee, a 1,082-acre reservoir created in 1926 by damming Maiden Creek. The mains that carry it under city streets include pipe that has been in the ground for generations.
Cold is a common trigger. Local news reported a six-inch main break on the 200 block of North 4th Street during extreme cold, and advisories were issued for two other breaks in Reading the day before. Officials said it was unclear whether the cold was a factor. Frozen ground shifts, old iron stresses and a pipe that held for decades splits.
Whose pipe is it
| Where the water is | Usual owner | Who to call first |
|---|---|---|
| Under the street or in the right of way | The water authority | Reading Area Water Authority, (610) 406-6300 |
| Between the street and your house | Often the property owner, but it varies | A plumber, and ask the authority where the dividing point is |
| Inside the house | You | A plumber |
| At the meter | Usually the authority, so confirm on your bill | Reading Area Water Authority |
The City of Reading is served by the Reading Area Water Authority, which lists (610) 406-6300 as its customer service number and does not publish a separate emergency number, so call that number first. Homes outside the city may be served by a different water authority, so check your bill. Where ownership changes can differ from one property to the next. If you are not sure, a plumber can check and say whether a repair is yours. See water line repair for how the buried section is checked.
What to do while the water is off
Confirm it is not just you
Ask a neighbor or look at the street. Check your own main shutoff is fully open.
Close the main for now
If the water comes back suddenly, it can surge. A closed main keeps a burst inside the house from being the next problem.
Open one faucet
A single open tap lets you hear when pressure returns. When service is confirmed back, reopen the main slowly rather than all at once.
Store water
Fill a few containers if you can, and keep drinking water separate from cleaning water.
Turn off the water heater
Switch the gas or power off. Switching it off keeps it from running if the supply is interrupted.
When the water comes back
Run the cold tap in the lowest part of the house for a few minutes. Air in the lines can sputter, and sediment can stir up. If the water is cloudy, let it clear before using it. Follow any boil water advisory the authority issues, since that is a public health instruction and not a suggestion.
Check the water heater and any filters. Sediment can clog aerators and filter cartridges after a break, and a plumber can replace what is clogged. If a faucet runs slowly after the break, unscrew the aerator and rinse out the grit.
What a plumber can and cannot do about a main break
A plumber cannot repair the public main. That work belongs to the water authority. What a plumber can do is protect your house while the street is being fixed.
That means checking your shutoff valves, confirming the pressure regulator, looking at the water heater and flushing sediment from fixtures once service returns. A house with old galvanized supply pipe is more vulnerable to sediment because rust flakes loosen when flow reverses.
If you have an old valve that does not close fully, a main break is the day you find out. Replacing a stuck main shutoff before the next emergency is one of the cheapest forms of protection a homeowner can buy.
Boil water advisories in plain terms
A boil water advisory means the water system cannot guarantee the water is free of bacteria. It usually follows a pressure loss, because low pressure can let contaminants into the pipes. The advisory stays in place until testing shows the water is safe.
During an advisory, bring water to a rolling boil for the time the authority specifies before drinking, brushing teeth, making ice or washing food. Showering is generally fine, but do not swallow the water. Follow the authority's own instructions, since the details can change from one event to the next.
- Boil drinking and cooking water as instructed.
- Throw out ice made during the advisory.
- Run cold taps and flush appliances that connect to water once the advisory lifts.
- Replace filter cartridges if the authority recommends it.
Protecting a house before the next cold snap
Many main breaks happen in extreme cold, and many home pipe bursts happen in the same weather. The two overlap. A winter where the street fails is often a winter where your own pipes are stressed too.
Find the main shutoff, label it and test it. Know where the water heater's cold supply valve is. Keep a small supply of drinking water for the household. These steps take an afternoon and make any outage easier.
When the leak is inside the house after all
If your neighbors have water but you do not, the problem is probably yours. A burst pipe inside the house is an emergency, and the first step is to close the main. See burst pipe repair for the steps. A meter that spins when every fixture is off points to a leak on your side, and leak detection explains the test.
If the break has flooded part of your house, water damage restoration covers the drying that follows.