Help! We have a leak...looking for recommendations

We have had horrible sounds coming from our pipes, which we initially thought were related to our water heater. We had Wacker plumbing come out and there weren't thorough at all (and still charged me!). They said we have a problem with our sprinkler. The sprinkler guys came out and thoroughly tested everything, and it's not them. So we had Monroe plumbing come out and they determined there's a leak somewhere between the street and the house. Then called the County guys and they just left and confirmed we're losing 1/2 Gallon every minute. It's definitely between the meter and the house - so our responsibility. Unfortunately we're not seeing water anywhere, so no idea where it is.

So, has anyone had this issue? Who have you used to fix it? Any recommendations? We're in one of the 7 year old Pulte's (older section of Broadlands). Really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Christina and Rob

 

are you guys certain that it's not within the easement? i would have the county water department come out.

 

Hi Sunny Dog,

Thanks for the quick reply. We actually had the County Water folks (LCSA) out this morning and they said it's our responsiblity because the is water leaking between the house and the meter. They only cover between the meter and the street, not further than that. Does that make sense?

Thx,
Christina

 

only makes sense because it is a government agency...

 

Yes, that does makes sense. The same thing happen to my parent's house in Loudoun County. My Dad ended up digging up the front yard himself, however, it took forever to get that done.

Can Monroe provide you with a quote to get the problem fixed?

 

How old is the house ?? This could be a builder issue if the pipe was not laid properly, or not deep enough thus broken by a contractor vehicle.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

Make sure whatever it is you get it fixed. My brother in Michigan had a weird leak happen in his house (the sewer pipes kept overflowing in the basement) and it was determined to come from the pipe extenion to house from the main line. He had to pay a fortune to fix it, including a huge hole (at least 10-feet deep and and 5-ft. wide) in his front yard. The whole front yard was destroyed and he had to re-seed it. And, after all that the problem still wasn't fixed.

Edited for spelling error

 

Yeah, we've called a few people so far and the quotes are no less than $2500.

Farscape and BelindaTH, we've called Monroe and Dinsmore (referred by Wacker). We actually have a maintenance plan with Monroe and really like them. Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Neil, I also contacted Pulte and because the house is 7 years old they said they aren't responsible. Also tried Atlas, the guys that laid the pipes here. Hoping to have them come out.

It's just maddening after we spent a ton on landscaping. At least the basement didn't flood, and hopefully the sprinkler system will stay in tact.

Thanks all!

 

We have the Monroe plan too. Did they help on this issue at all?

 

Another idea and/or thought (and I have no idea if this is an option), but have you talked to your home owners insurance. Is this type of thing covered? Again, I'm not sure if this is an option or not?

Let me ask around for another referral...

 

hey christina/rob, you mentioned you had landscaping done - did that include a sprinker system? i only ask because that could be how your pipes were damaged.

 

You think it would be but I'd bet you're premium would go up.

 

Farscape - Monroe has actually been fantastic. We signed up for an annual agreement with them recently. The owner came out today and is giving us a quote. We'll see what happens. We do really like them.

Belinda - We also checked with home owners and home warranty. Unfortunately both only cover what's in the house. So if we had a leak in the house, that would be covered (at least for warranty). With insurance if the water is coming from the outside they don't cover it.

Sunnydog - we do have a sprinkler system, and have had them check it too (also to let us know where the lines run in the event the plumber damages it while digging out the yard!). When we turn off the main water supply in the house, it's still losing water at the rate of 1/2 Gallon a minute.

Looks like we'll just replace the whole pipe. Will pass along the additional info as we make a decision.

Thanks all!

 

Okay - so we decided to go with Monroe, and all in all am very pleased. Hopefully no one on this board will need their services for this kind of work!!!!

 

We're posting today to actually change what our original impression was of Monroe's plumbing. At first we thought they did a great job, however, they still haven't fully completed it. What I mean by that is that when it came time to put the dirt back in the hole in the front yard, and patch the grass that was destroyed when they took it out, they have yet to finish. We gave up a few weekends ago and patched the hole ourselves so that the rest of the grass on the front lawn wouldn't die (they had put the dirt from the hole on a plastic tarp on the good grass).

Don, the owner, has assured us several times that his landscapers were going to come by and fix the grass that was destroyed in this process. They have yet to come by, and it's been about a month! I am mentioning this because if anyone else needs to have this done, then you may want to specify a timeframe on your contract for completion.

Additionally, since we've had this done we've heard about many bad experiences with Monroe's recently. So you want to consider getting a few quotes and get opinions/feedback before trying them for any big jobs.

Just our two cents....

Thanks,
Christina and Rob