Low pressure, a wet yard or a meter that will not stop?
The water line is the buried pipe between the street and your house. It is a different job from a leak inside the walls, and it needs different tools and a different plan for digging. Here is how a plumber confirms it and what the repair involves.
Whose problem is a water leak: the city main or your line?
The city's main runs under the street and belongs to the water authority. The pipe that branches from it to your house is the service line. A break in the main can lower pressure across a block, and it is reported to the water authority. A leak on the house side is a plumbing call.
Where the authority's responsibility ends and the owner's begins can differ by municipality and by service, so confirm it with the water authority before you pay for work on a pipe near the street. If neighbors have low pressure too, call the authority first. If only your house is affected, start with a plumber.
Local news has reported large main breaks in Reading, including one on Lancaster Avenue that left about 8,000 homes and businesses with low or no pressure. A break like that is outside any homeowner's control. A pressure loss limited to your house is not.
How a plumber confirms a service line leak
The meter does most of the work. Close every fixture, note the meter reading, wait two hours without using water and read it again. The EPA says that if the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak. A meter that keeps turning with no water running in the house points to a leak somewhere past the meter.
Meter test
Confirm the meter moves with everything off. If it does, the leak exists and the next step is finding where.
Isolate the line
Close the main shutoff inside the house. If the meter still moves, the leak is likely on the buried line between the meter and the house.
Pinpoint it
Listening equipment and, where needed, tracer gas or a locator narrow the dig to a short section instead of the whole yard.
Choose the repair
A short break can be spot repaired. A pipe with several failures or a known problem material is usually replaced.
The EPA estimates the average household loses more than 9,300 gallons of water a year to leaks, and about 9 percent of homes leak 50 gallons or more a day. A running meter is worth chasing even if nothing looks wet. Leak detection covers the tools in more detail.
Repair or replace the line
A single break in an otherwise sound pipe can be repaired by exposing the damaged section and fitting a new length. Replacement runs the pipe from the meter to the house in new material, and it makes sense when the pipe is corroded, has failed more than once or is made of a material that is being retired.
| Situation | Usual approach | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One clean break in sound pipe | Spot repair | Smallest excavation, shortest time without water |
| Repeated leaks in the same line | Full replacement | Pipe is wearing out along its length |
| Galvanized steel line with low pressure | Replacement | Corrosion narrows the bore from the inside |
| Lead service line | Replacement | Removes the lead source, see the next section |
Lead service lines: what Reading homeowners should know
The EPA says lead pipes are more likely in older cities and homes built before 1986, and that lead service lines are typically the most significant source of lead in water in homes that have them. Ask your water supplier whether it has a record of what your service line is made of.
If you do not know what your line is made of, a plumber can look at the pipe where it enters the house. The EPA's advice for homes that may have lead is to use cold water for drinking and cooking, flush the tap before use, use a filter certified to remove lead and test the water, since testing is the only sure way to know. Boiling does not remove lead.
If your line turns out to be lead, replacing it is a water line job. Ask the water authority whether any replacement program applies before you pay for work yourself. For drinking water treatment at the tap, see water filtration installation.
Before anyone digs: call 811
Pennsylvania law requires homeowners and contractors to call 811 at least three business days before any digging or excavation. PA One Call passes the request to the owners of buried gas, electric, communication and water lines so they can mark them. A plumber will make the call, but if you are digging a trench yourself, you have to make it.
Repairs in a street or sidewalk may also need a permit from the borough or city. The plumber will tell you what is needed for your address.
What affects the cost
- Depth and length of the pipe, since deeper and longer runs mean more digging.
- What lies on top. Lawn costs less to restore than a driveway, a patio or a sidewalk.
- Pipe material and size for the replacement.
- Access to the pipe, including trees, utilities and fences.
- Permits and restoration, which vary by borough.
Homeowners insurance usually does not pay for a corroded or worn-out line, though some policies add optional service line coverage. Read your policy before you need it. The plumber explains the cost of the repair or replacement before work begins.