i am new to this listserv so please pardon this post if it is a repeat question (if so, perhaps, i can be appropriately guided to the archive).
Upon receiving the last residential H2o bill, i discovered the meter read some 27000+ gallons had been used in ~30 days. The utilities guy came out and convinced me there was a leak in the supply line.
We reside in a rural mountain community where the nearest professional with skills and sophisticated tools required to locate a not so obvious underground supply line leak is some 60-90 miles away. There are several obstacles interfering with a quick and easy solution for the fix-it-yourself approach. However, in order to evaluate the cost of a detection/fix v. running a new supply line, i hope to at least locate where the supply line lays, and if possible, locate the leak. This much could save ~ $1000.00.
These are the problem constraints:
a. The meter is a good 200 ft from the structure; the H2o enters the house on the side opposite the meter.
b. The lot is fairly steep; the house is built on the side of a mountain and poured on slabs at two levels.
c. There is no record of building plans at the courthouse that might shed light on where the supply line is buried.
d. The concrete driveway is 3-4" thick and starts about 20ft about the water meter and runs all the way to the other side of the house. There is a possibility the supply line does not run under the driveway, but this would mean the line runs all the way across the house under the concrete slab. Either way, i have concrete to deal with.
e. The soil rocky at surface and beneath, and perks easily.
I have read several posts suggesting make-shift tools that will enhance sound underground that may work until one reaches concrete. The most promising solution thus far has been using a pair of divining rods to locate the path of the supply line, and probing around the supply line with a metal rod until i hit rock (which apparently amplifies sound), then try to listen for water flow/leak using the rod as the vibrational conductor. Now all this is fairly logical. i can use the area around the meter to obtain a baseline for the sound of water in the line using a metal probe and work back toward the house, mapping out the line even if the divining technique is fouled by unknown soil content. What I don’t know is if there are other less expensive metal probes than copper that will work as effectively for detecting underground vibrations produced by water flow or leaks in PVC pipe.
Hopefully, someone on this listserv can offer up some clarification on this query. Further, stethoscopes are expensive. Is there another way of amplifying the sound from the metal probe so it can be heard with the ear, or is there a way to record the vibrations (e.g., a tuning fork and portable digital recorder) to be amplified out of the field. Lastly, can anyone provide a solution for detecting the sound of water through concrete?
Clarifications, suggestions, alternative solutions that conserve cost and time will be greatly appreciated. Ultimately, I need to determine the most cost efficient solution. Thanks in advance.
I had a similar problem, and located the leak with a Sprauge-Rappaport stethoscope that I picked up at a pharmacy for about $25. Unfortunately, now that I’ve done a little research, it seems that I paid twicewhat I should have.
Plumbing contractors will not dig an extra inch of dirt or lay an extra inch of pipe unless they have to. Try examining a straight line from meter to water entrance of house, this is the most likely path.
27,000 gallons is a good sized swimming pool’s worth of water, there should be some evidence of this on the surface. Walk the above line carefully and look for new depressions or soft spots.
Good luck and welcome to the Dope
Capt
ETA for our metric friends that leak is 102206 liters or 102.206m3
I’m the least skeptical person in the world, so if you’re into divining rods go ahead and find a water witch and have him/her find the leak for you. I also fix leaks for a living these days, so 1st see if you have a water shutoff valve where the supply line enters your house. If so, turn it off and see if your meter dial still moves. If it does you’ve established the leak is between the house shutoff and the meter, not in the house plumbing. Dig up at the meter and expose the first three feet of the pipe, that will give you a good idea of the direction it runs. Do that same at the back of the house, if it’s easy digging keep chasing the pipe. Saving money on the project then becomes a matter of not paying a plumbing company to dig, plumbers charge an outrageous ungodly sinful amount to dig a ditch. Find a young strong healthy person you can pay 10 bucks an hour to chase that pipe, you’ll either find the leak or have a trench ready for the new pipe for about a 100.00. And shoot, try a stethoscope, bet you can find one on ebay cheap.
I agree with the statement that 27,000 gallons of water is a lot. Generally, I think you’d see some settling of the ground. So…if you don’t, I’d at least entertain the notion that the utility guy was mistaken. Is the meter still showing 1,000 gallons usage/day?
If you know anyone who believes in divining rods, tell him to not waste his time finding pipes for pennies, but apply for and win the million dollar challenge. Should take him just a few hours, just doing what he does best, and is much more lucrative.
Not if it’s all going down a drain. It’d be hard to miss a toilet or tap, but a water heater in a well-drained pan can leak for ages before anyone notices.