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The water main is the plumbing that connects the Mansfield, TX city’s water supply to your home’s plumbing. It’s usually located outside and underneath your property. In most cases, the water main should be sturdy and durable; however, it is susceptible to physical damages and to tree root intrusions. Many homeowners don’t think about their water line often, and they really don’t think about whether they need to replace their water line at all.
However, all good things come to an end. If your water main is leaking, it might be time to replace it. If the damage is still mild and easy to deal with, it might be repairable. However, the key to less stress and headaches is to catch signs of a water main leak early on. You definitely don’t want to figure out that the water main is leaking when it’s too late. By then, you’ll need to deal with not only the plumbing, but also the landscape of your home and any water damage that the structural components of the home may have sustained.
In this article, we’ll look at 8 of the most common signs of a water main leak. If you suspect that you’re dealing with a water main leak, the first thing that you should do is call an emergency plumber in Mansfield, TX.
#1. Unexplained High Water Bills
If there’s a water main leak, the first thing that you might notice is that your water bills have skyrocketed despite there being no change at all to the way that you use your utilities. In fact, you’ll notice that the water bills will skyrocket to a point that seems almost impossible. No matter how you calculate your water usage, it will definitely not even appear to be close to what it could be at the high end.
If the main water line is leaking, a considerable amount of water is likely entering the water line and onto your property. At the beginning, the ground might soak up the water or it may find another avenue to drain from, so you might not necessarily notice that there’s a problem from the outside. However, when your water bills come, you’ll definitely notice a difference.
The first thing that you should do is get a plumber in Mansfield, TX to come take a look at the problem. The plumbing professional will have a lot of different equipment and tools at their disposal. They’ll be able to check the water usage of all of your appliances in order to determine what a reasonable range is. If the plumber suspects that you have a water main leak, they’ll also be able to use various types of equipment to check. Not only will they be able to tell you the extent of the leak, but they should also be able to tell you where the leak is located.
From that information, the plumber should be able to provide you with a game plan on what to do next. They’ll also be able to let you know whether repairing the water main will be a difficult job or a moderately easy fix.
Check Your Water Meter
One of the easiest ways that you can try to solve the riddle yourself is to look at your water meter. Your water meter should give you some answers as to how much water is being used by your home.
You can also turn off the water supply and then check the water meter to see whether it still says that water is being used. If no one in the home is using any water or if none of the plumbing appliances are on, then there’s a good chance that you have a main water line leak and should contact a professional. This is also one of the easiest ways to narrow down the culprit of a large water bill. If you notice that the meter says that water is still being used despite the fact that no one in the home is using any water, then there aren’t many other possible culprits.
#2. Low Water Pressure
Another early sign of a main water line leak is if you notice that the water pressure in your home has dropped significantly for no reason at all. Although you might have had great pressure coming from your sinks or shower heads just the day before, you’ll notice that only a trickle of water is coming out nowadays. It might not even be enough for you to comfortably shower depending on the extent of the leak.
Low water pressure can be a sign of many different things. It may not necessarily be caused by a main water line leak. For example, it can also be caused by leaks in other areas of the plumbing or even an obstruction somewhere in the plumbing. If there is a tree root intrusion blocking the flow of water, you’ll also notice that the water pressure may drop quite significantly.
Contact a plumber the moment that you notice that the water pressure has dropped, as it’s usually a sign that there’s something wrong. The Mansfield, TX plumber will be able to inspect your entire plumbing system in order to better determine what the cause of the problem may be. Depending on the area that has low water pressure, they might even be able to narrow down the cause to only several options.
In general, if you notice that the water pressure only affects one faucet or shower head, it usually means that there’s an obstruction or a problem somewhere nearby. However, if you notice that the entire home has low water pressure, the problem may be something much more sinister, like a main wate