Had to get the divining rods out tonight

[Mark #2]

The front yard was completely flooded when I got home.
I have a big water leak on the supply line between the meter and the house. Thankfully it is not under the house.

Got the divining rods out and mapped the line.

I always thought divining was BS, hoax, myth, etc, until I watched a real old timer find a foundation leak in our house decades ago, when all the high tech sonoscan listening devices could not.

He showed me how to do it and I have been successful every time before tracing the sprinkler system.

The Plumbing company came by and gets $175/hour to dig and many $K to replace the supply line...
I'll be digging tomorrow.

It's always something.

[Silver_2000]

You going to try to fix it yourself ?

Doug

[Mark #2]

You going to try to fix it yourself ?

Doug
Yes, I am the only one that can fix anything around here. $400 today for them to dig around and tell me something I already knew and they didn't fix it.

Just pissed with the whole service industry as this point, except Rocks company.

[mtj11859]

Mark it shouldn't be too hard to repair.Do you know where the shut off valve on the street side of your property is located? And does it require a special tool to turn it off? Find where the water line enters the house then usually it is a straight line to the shut off valve,at least that is how it is in my neck of the woods.And $175.00 an hour is outrageous! I'd be doing myself to.Up here in southern B.C. our water services are only 18" deep so I can't see yours being any deeper. Generally the break is at the shut off valve but not always and it should be fairly easy to determine exactly where it is by turning the house valve off and pressuring the line up again and watch for the geyser! Then a simple compression coupling or whatever the local code requires can be installed at the point of the failure.Don't forget to flush any debris out of the line(s) and save yourself some future plumbing problems.Good luck and if I wasnt 3000 miles away I would help you out in a flash.Matt

P.S do you have really high water pressure that may have caused this ? If so you may consider a PRV (pressure reducing valve) at the source if feasible.

[Mark #2]

Mark it shouldn't be too hard to repair.Do you know where the shut off valve on the street side of your property is located? And does it require a special tool to turn it off? Find where the water line enters the house then usually it is a straight line to the shut off valve,at least that is how it is in my neck of the woods.And $175.00 an hour is outrageous! I'd be doing myself to.Up here in southern B.C. our water services are only 18" deep so I can't see yours being any deeper. Generally the break is at the shut off valve but not always and it should be fairly easy to determine exactly where it is by turning the house valve off and pressuring the line up again and watch for the geyser! Then a simple compression coupling or whatever the local code requires can be installed at the point of the failure.Don't forget to flush any debris out of the line(s) and save yourself some future plumbing problems.Good luck and if I wasn't 3000 miles away I would help you out in a flash.Matt

P.S do you have really high water pressure that may have caused this ? If so you may consider a PRV (pressure reducing valve) at the source if feasible.

Yes and Yes on your questions,
Thanks for the response but it is not a straight shot and it goes under a
tree, think a root got it. Lines are about 2 ft down. We have thick clay soil here so no geyser with only 45 psi.

[mtj11859]

Mark I just read your profile and I see your are an engineer so I assume you have the knowledge and understand the basics of your water service and I apologize for providing you info that must seem rather simplistic in nature. Matt

[mtj11859]

Heavy clay is not much fun unless you are into pottery.Best of luck on your repair .I have repaired many water lines ranging in size from .75" to 10" high pressure agricultural and golf irrigation lines but have always had the benefit of a hitachi 200 excavator for the grunt work.

[Mark #2]

Mark I just read your profile and I see your are an engineer so I assume you have the knowledge and understand the basics of your water service and I apologize for providing you info that must seem rather simplistic in nature. Matt

No problem, engineers get a bad rap with the service industry. We think we are smarter, I trust the guys that do this stuff everyday, on air conditioning, plumbing etc, but hate when I figure it out and it costs me money to verify and they don't fix it.
Rant off, digging tomorrow.

[Silver_2000]

Im going to the dyno in the am But Ill stop by and lean on a shovel in the afternoon if you are still working on it ....

I have a problem paying a guy over a $100 an hour to work a shovel. Or more accurately paying a guy over a hundred an hour to pay someone $10 to work a shovel. In understand there is expertise involved etc - but I had a guy quote me over $100 an hour to run a French drain straight down my side yard.

[Mark #2]

Well, I found the leak today; pretty obvious they cut the main supply line to the house when trenching the sprinkler system ~25 years ago, right under all kinds of sprinkler stuff.
This is why it was so hard to diagnose and get to.

I put the same fix back in figuring it should last another 25 years.
Probably not to code with compression fittings on the main supply line, but it has been that way for the last 25 years.

I haven't done this much manual labor over the course of three days or been this dirty in 20 years...SO said "You look like Arnold in that Predator movie". Won't let me in the house until I take a yard shower.:D
So glad it is fixed.

[Mark #2]

Fix

[Ohmsby]

No problem, engineers get a bad rap with the service industry. We think we are smarter, I trust the guys that do this stuff everyday, on air conditioning, plumbing etc, but hate when I figure it out and it costs me money to verify and they don't fix it.
Rant off, digging tomorrow.

I'm pretty sure the city "Engineer" would not approve of this method:tex

no permit no inspection shame on you:nono:

JK should get you by for another 25

are you sore today? I moved a bunch of dirt couple weekends ago and reminded myself how hard that kind of work can be

[Mark #2]

I'm pretty sure the city "Engineer" would not approve of this method:tex

no permit no inspection shame on you:nono:

JK should get you by for another 25

are you sore today? I moved a bunch of dirt couple weekends ago and reminded myself how hard that kind of work can be

Sore today, a cripple tomorrow.;)