I am looking for advice on a water mains leak, we recently moved into a home we purchased and since the inspection something happened with the water and even worse the mains, ( we did not notice the water was turned off on our final walk through. ) I have fixed no less than 9 leaks now, and in the end bit the bullet and called a plumber as the water meter was still spinning, they could not find any leaks and suggested the main line from the meter to the house had failed. due to the plumbing and other unexpected work in the house, i simply can not afford the 2500-3000 for a new line to be dug. today i think i found where the water enters the house, and it is very weird as it enters the furthest point of the house AWAY from the meter. i think it is the mains anyway and have attached a photo, i am not sure why it goes down maybe 10 inches and AWAY from the meter direction also though. i have not found any thicker pipe as yet as it disappeared under a exterior wall and i am frankly fried physically and mentally today.
i have attached 2 photos of the meter and feel stupid for saying but i am not sure how much i am using, the 2 photos were taken over the course of 90 mins, and the plumber said its literally like a fast dripping tap.
i guess my real question here is whether i should dig a trench and lay a new line to the 1st corner of the house before entering the crawl space and plumbing into the water system ( there are plenty of pipes that end of the house. ) i hope i have made sense and not come over as more foolish than i feel, as i am just trying to get this sorted as cost effectively as possible.
thank you for reading.
Lee​​​​​​​

 

I would very rarely attempt to repair main line leaks or breaks. If there is a leak it can indicate the pipe is nearing the end of it's life.

I would run a new line from the meter to the closest or easiest part of the house where you can access the crawl space. Make sure to check your local codes for the minimum burial depth. If hand digging don't cheap out and try to go shallow. That minimum depth is there for your protection so the water doesn't freeze.

Do not attempt to go underneath the foundation. At or below the required depth pop/break/bore a hole through the cement blocks into the crawl space. In that hole mortar in place a short section of pipe. 2" or larger PVC or ABS works well and has extra room so pulling the new pipe through is easier. This pipe protects the water line from being damaged by the sharp edges of the hole. After the pipe is through and near the end of your project you can use spray foam or caulk to seal the space around the pipe if you want but it's not required.

Then once you have your waterline run into the crawlspace you can go above ground to connect to the old connection point. Depending on how your house is plumbed if you have a suitable cold water line near where your new line entered the house you can connect your water main line there and cap off the old location.

 

Thank you for replying
I was hoping that was the answer, as yes it felt like a bad plan to even consider repairing it. i genuinely have no idea why it enters the crawl space 80+ ft away from the nearest wall to the mains/meter.

so i need to check with my waterboard for min depth, and should i need any permits etc? ( it will have to go under our gravel driveway ) can i come up above ground right next to the crawl space blocks and go in there or should i stay under until i am in, i do not know how deep the foundations are and access to that wall is not easy in the crawl space for digging but acces can be had from above as a room has to have new subfloor right by the nearest wall.

 

In most areas this work requires a permit and inspection. In my area they are mostly looking at the depth of your trench, the conduit through the foundation wall and that you are using a suitable pipe.

Your water line while outside the perimeter of the home must be buried at least as the minimum depth for your area. You must pass through your foundation at or below the minimum depth to protect the pipe from freezing and damage. Once inside the crawlspace the pipe can be run above ground like your other pipes under the house.

I have a couple "special" shovels for work like this in the confines of a crawlspace. One is an Army entrenching tool (small folding shovel). I also have a small size shovel with a very short handle.

 

If the water was shut off to prevent leaks from being discovered..... that's called non-disclosure of known problems. That's something to look into. You could find fault with the inspector but they're basically not responsible for problems discovered after the fact.

 

Thanks everyone, Yeah i am not angry at the inspector over this ( there are a dozen other issues he didnt flag though)
im annoyed the previous owner knew about most if not all the water issues ( initially there were 3 totally burst pipes ) call me old fashioned or naive but i couldnt do that to a family moving into a home.
i will reach out to the waterboard tomorrow, and then start planning. sweat equity may suck but at least i can afford it.

 

A quick google suggests my frost line ( near Birmingham Alabama ) is between 5-10 inches. i was expecting to dig way deeper to get to that before the extra, if thats really the case. especially as it will have to go under the gravel drive where we go over with cars.

 

I am in zone 7B here in North Carolina. Our minimum burial depth is 12". I assume yours will be the same but double check to make sure.

If you are hand digging and have a lot to do a trenching shovel might be worth the expense. They are narrower so you end up moving about half as much dirt.

 

Thank you for the depth and shovel advice. i am about to put a stop valve to the right of the mains entry to the crawl space, there is one to the left which when turned off still had the meter spinning, so as most of the leaks i fixed were to the right anyway, i think its worth putting one in JUST incase i missed something. and its not underground. my hopes of that being the case are fading, but its worth a couple of hours without water to install one and try.

 

You've gotten great advice so far, I'll add a few other items for when (if) you start this project.

I'd recommend 3/4" black PE pipe from the meter to inside your house. Use stainless steel hose clamps and brass/metal barbed fittings. at the meter and the first valve when it enters the house. The PE pipe should be marked NSF and 160psi (or more). There is often non-NSF pipe for sprinkler systems that you shouldn't use for potable water. Also, make sure your area allows it. Most do, but some have different requirements. PEX is usually allowable too, but more expensive.

When if enters your crawlspace, run it to the same area that your current water main enters. Add a valve and use the existing PRV or replace it while you're at it.

Unrelated to the plumbing fixes, unfortunately, Alabama doesn't have very strict disclosure laws. But if you specifically asked the seller about plumbing issues or the seller provided a disclosure document, you may have some legal standing to address these issues. Basically sellers do not need to proactively disclose issues, but they can not lie during the selling process.

 

Thank you, I welcome all advice, tips and thoughts ( its how we learn ) they used 5 different types of piping under the house , Copper, Pex, pvc , Sharkbite and cpvc, i did not have a 1/2 pvc valve so a hour round trip and i am about to go do my hail mary connection in hope theres something under the house still.

thank you again, i will report back when i get in touch with the waterboard.

As for the previous owner, im sure i should have checked the water on my final walk through, so no doubt it is my own fault, it just feels a rather underhanded thing to do. add that to what was obviously as bad choice of house inspector to begin and ive been feeling pretty beat down. Getting the water fixed would feel like a massive win right now

 

welp its confirmed, turned both of the stops off and the meter still spins. i guess its time to start digging.

i will report back when i get a waterboard response.
thank you again.

 

Turn off the shutoff at the meter and see if the flow indicator wheel stops turning. If it doesn't contact your city or water department and have them repair the valve so it does close properly. Then when doing your work you don't also have to contend with the water from the city's leaking meter.

I like to have a stack of old bricks or concrete blocks on hand. You will likely have to dig around the meter to get access to the water connection. That usually requires removing the water meter's box. After you've made your connection you can stack the bricks on hard/virgin ground and build up to support the box. Basically build a foundation of bricks. They don't have to be mortared. Then back fill. This way the box doesn't settle over time and the bricks help keep dirt out of the meter well.

 

Yeah once turned off at the meter it stops, that was my initial hope, that the meter was busted, but sadly not the case.
thank you for the tips.

 

Welp, my water board apparently do not care, i emailed them ( so i had it in writing ) and they say im good to do whatever, so i am off to get a trench shovel and start digging i guess. Homedepot and lowes are out of the pipe mentioned above but im sure it is going to take me a few days, i also have to go real near some trees. so i have some more googling to do there i guess.

 

Let us know if you need help! (other than with the digging)

You may want to intentionally dig a foot or so away from your current pipe as to keep your water flowing until you have the new pipes buried and connected.

It's also often easier to go around the tree roots. Further to dig, but will be much easier than digging through roots and safer for the tree. There's no reason your run needs to be straight.

Lastly, be sure to take pictures or make drawings where the new pipes are for future digging. Though it's probably not required, burying yellow caution tape 6" above the water line is a good safety measure to hopefully stop anyone from accidentally digging through your pipe in the future.