Phone:
(701)814-6992
Physical address:
6296 Donnelly Plaza
Ratkeville, Bahamas.
A sure sign you may have a water leak in your house main PVC waterline, high water useage or puddling water above ground.
You could be paying for thousands of gallons of water a week while causing damage to your property and foundation. Sharp rocks or moving soil could have cracked you main PVC line.
PVC is a cheap alternative to copper water lines and is code in some states. Don’t put off fixing this problem. Hire a leak detection service immediately to locate the exact area of the damaged water pipe.
Locating a main waterline leak is pretty straight forward
A leak detection company is the best way to pinpoint a water leak. They have advanced tools to find a leak within a foot of the break in most cases. The first step is to look for signs. Standing water that doesn’t go away is a good sign you have a leak in that area of your property.
Injecting a gas into the waterline and following the pipe while listening for hissing sounds using special equipment is another. The cost for professional leak detection can run several hundred dollars or more depending on the time it takes to locate a leak.
Before You Dig Think Safety
Never dig up water lines without first contacting utilities to mark service lines. Call 811 or your local water, gas, cable and electrical companies and have them Mark the service to your house.
Use the proper tools and safety gear including work boots, long pants, gloves and safety glasses. If unsure about the depth and placement of waterlines call your local building codes department before you dig. Expose the pipe carefully as you are digging.
Types of PVC pipe Damage.
PVC pipes can be brittle and crack from ground movement, excessive pressure in the line, improper installation and glue failure.
Once you determine what happened and where the repair is needed it is time to repair the water line.
Start by locating the water meter to your house and turning off the water at the valve connected to the meter. There is no need to notify your water company.
Quick temporary waterline repairs
For a quick fix for cracked pipes or punctures in the PVC use a fiberglass wrap kit or pipe wrap tape available from your hardware or plumbing supply store. This temporary fix can buy you some time until you have the time to properly repair the pipe.
Repairing sections of damaged PVC pipe.
There are 3 ways to repair running sections of PVC pipe including couplings, compression couplings and flexible extended coupling fittings that come in 12-18 inch length.
Whichever method you choose follow the directions included to properly fit to existing PVC.
Clean-up and testing the repairs
After completing the repairs allow for full cure before testing. Turn the water on slowly allowing the pipe to fill with water slowly. Watch for leaks and drips at the connections.
Once fully pressurized and no leaks are found back fill and support the pipe in sand. Then backfill with dirt.
