How To Detect A Leak In An Underground Pipe

Leaks in underground pipes can be difficult to detect, because they often produce no water that can be easily viewed above ground. As a homeowner, knowing how to recognize the signs of an underground leak can be very important. Since underground leaks can destabilize the soil on your property and potentially cause foundation problems, knowing when you have an underground leak can help you save your property and prevent thousands of dollars in damage.

Excess Water in the Soil

If you have an underground leak on the area around your house, the soil around the leak is likely to become super saturated with water. This can lead the grass in that area to become extra green and  and healthy, even if you’re not spending time watering. If you dig a hole in the soil over a leak, you’re likely to notice that the hole itself fills with water.

Sudden Basement Moisture Problems

If you have a leak in the soil around your property, you may notice that your basement, which once stayed dry, now has a leak originating on one side of the home. If this moisture only appears after or during rain storms, this is more likely a problem with a nearby drain or sewer.

Inexplicably High Water Bills

If you’ve been living in your house for a while, you probably expect the water bills to remain consistent. If your water bills spike suddenly over a period of one or two months, this could be an indication of a leak. Unless the increase in water usage can be explained by a lifestyle change or an increase in your household size, a leak is a reasonable bet.

Loss of Water Pressure

If the main pipe that supplies your home with water is leaking, your home may experience a sudden loss of water pressure. Note that a loss of pressure in just one fixture is not a sign of a leak in your main water line, but could be indicative of a clog or a leak in the pipe that feeds that particular fixture. If your house seems to be getting lower water pressure overall, this is a more clear indication that the main water line to your home has a problem.

Heaving or Sinking of the Soil Around Your Home

As already mentioned, when the soil around your home becomes super saturated with water, the soil itself can destabilize. This can cause the pavement near your home to heave or crack, or may lead to the development of sinkholes on your property.

Sounds of a Leak

Underground leaks produce actual noise that can be detected through the outdoor valves and pipes around your home. When you’re very close to the leak, you may be able to hear the leak with your own ears.

If you can’t hear the leak with your own ear, you may be able to hear the leak using a ground microphone, which measures sound that travels through the ground. The sound of the leak will be loudest in the position directly over the leak. Simply using the meter to find the loudest noise in the ground can lead you to the space directly over the leak. For more information, you can read more about audio leak detection on this informative website.

Contact Terry’s Plumbing

If you believe there may be an underground water leak on your property, it’s important to get help as soon as possible. Contact Terry’s Plumbing for water leak detection and repair. We’ll be happy to help!