Detecting a Water Leak?

[sqiggy]

So the water company called last week and said we may have a possible water leak. When we use any where from 4,000 to 5,000 gal., it spiked up to 12,000 this month.!!!
So I go to the meter this morning and watch it. In a 20 minute period, it only jumped up .07. Then, I run into town for a few minutes and come back and now the meter is rolling. As of now, I only flushed the toilet twice and washed my hands twice and have used 74 gallons in a matter of 3hrs. I live up a private road and my line runs right along the side of it and it's right at 1500 ft. of 2in. No leaks at the house.
Soil here is sand. With that much water being used, can't find anything along the road and should have surfaced by now. Down at the meter, I can put my hand on the shut off valve and you can feel the water going thru, but it goes in spurts, not continuous. This has me baffled. Any suggestions on finding the source?

[yanta61]

maybe open up your clean out on your septic line and see if there is water running. Then you will know if it is something in the house.


also you can check your water heater safety valve....

[sqiggy]

maybe open up your clean out on your septic line and see if there is water running. Then you will know if it is something in the house.


also you can check your water heater safety valve....

I shut the water off to the house. Meter still rolling. That rules out any leaks at the house.

[Waterlogged]

Check toilet flapper valve. add something to the toilet tank to change the color of the water in the tank, coke tea food coloring etc... Wait a few minutes and check the bowl. if the water in the bowl has changed color flapper valve is no good. This would explain the on / off of the water running through he meter.

[pyrobow]

Make sure the shut off valve is off. They have a tendency to not work or partially work due to not being used often.

[ranchdog]

Go get or call a plumber and have him put a pressure gauge on one of your facets and shot off the water and watch the gauge. If it stays put then its not in the house. Most builders have this contraption when they check the lines once they are finished with the plumbing in a new house.

[meltingfeather]

I shut the water off to the house. Meter still rolling. That rules out any leaks at the house.

You have a leak in your service line or a connection to it. In sandy soil that water is going straight down and you'll never see it.
When you fix it put a valve in that will help reduce the search area in the future.
Good luck!

[mikemorvan]

The meter is at the street / road, 1500 feet from the house? If you shut off the water at the house and the meter is still running you definitely have a leak somewhere in that 1500 feet. If the soil is really sandy it could just be running subsurface and you'd have a hard time finding / noticing it. Short of visible evidence, i don't know of any easy way to locate a leak over the course of 1500 feet. You may have to get a backhoe and start digging. Good luck man.

I'd lean toward having a leak in the house plumbing. As said above, make sure your shut off valve is completely off. If the leak is in the 1500 ft. it's going to be be a constant leak.

[Spearchunker]

You can rent a listening device that you waive over ground like a metal detector. You will hear the water movement.

[sqiggy]

The meter is at the street / road, 1500 feet from the house? If you shut off the water at the house and the meter is still running you definitely have a leak somewhere in that 1500 feet.

Yep, meter is at the county road, then it's 4/10's of a mile to my driveway up the private road. Like I said before, I have a shut off valve at the house. I turned it off, drained all the water in the house and meter is still rolling, which eliminates any toilet leaks. Even with the sandy soil, that much water should have surfaced by now. My neighbor had a leak once and it came to the surface. What puzzles me is the spurts of water flowing and not being continuous. Gonna go poke a rod down along the line and see if I can find anything "wetter" than usual.

[125Dad]

Could the meter be bad?

[Perkins7581]

You have a leak in your service line or a connection to it. In sandy soil that water is going straight down and you'll never see it.
When you fix it put a valve in that will help reduce the search area in the future.
Good luck!

X2

[DTala]

I've got the same problem. Got a call last week from the water board that I had a big leak, $670 water bill, usually around $100. No sign of a leak in a 1000 ft run from meter at road to house.

Digging a new water line tomorrow and putting in new line. Had a bad leak last year, orig line is 20 years old.

[Take em]

I would check the meter to make sure it's working. After that you can do a leak test but will be pricey.


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[sqiggy]

Could the meter be bad?

Gonna get with the water company tomorrow and see what they say. Neighbor across from me are having the same issue. High bill/water usage but no sign of a leak. Went checked the meter a little while ago. Watched it for 30 minutes and only went up .27 in that time frame where during the middle of the day, it was like somebody was turning a faucet on and off. Doesn't sound like a leak to me. A leak doesn't go on and off or even slows downs. My other neighbor thinks the guy next to me has done tapped into my line and has a timed device hooked up, like a automatic water trough, being they only come out here on weekends and not every weekend. The whole thing has got me stumped!!
Hey, at least I made P&Y with this thread!!!