Blog

Photo By eyjafjallajokull at istock

If you own an older home and don’t know anything about the water line or sewage system, then it is reasonable to expect at some point you may have to budget some money for water line repair in Arlington, TX. Not sure what that means? A lot of people don’t until it is too late and they are dealing with an emergency where they have to pay whatever it costs to get their water line up and running quickly. While it is one of those things you don’t think about until it is too late, we are here to change that by offering advice and a few details on how to recognize that you may have issues with your water line.

To start, your water line is the main pipe that runs from the street into your home to provide you with water from the municipal water supply. Unless you have well water, this is the line that is responsible for all of the water that comes into your home. Therefore, if it is damaged or not working correctly you will notice a host of shocking and unlivable water concerns such as extremely low water pressure, no water, or rusty and discolored water. Those are just a few of the various signs we will discuss that you have an issue.

There are a variety of reasons why you may need water line repair in Arlington, TX, and a variety of ways that your pipe can get damaged. If you have an older home and the water line has not been repaired or replaced in a few decades, then you can consider yourself lucky, but you should know that in the future you will need to. In addition, it is probably an indication that you should know and pay particular attention to your water line so that you can ward off potential issues early.

The following will take a closer look at why you may have problems with your water line, what you can do if you notice issues with your main water line that may indicate you need water line repair, and how to best take action. Like most things that have to do with your home, the sooner you take action the higher the chances that a repair will be possible in lieu of water line replacement. Here are just a few things that you need to think about.

What Are Common Signs You Need Water Line Repair?

Not sure whether or not it is time for water line repair? Your water might be telling you, but you need to know how to listen. One of the most obvious signs is if you don’t have any water in your home. If you wake up to absolutely no water, then you know there is an issue with your main supply line which means you are going to need to call a plumber to take a look. The two things you may want to do are first check with a neighbor to see if they have water, and then check to make sure you paid your water bill.

If both of those things are true, then you need a plumber to come to take a closer look at your water line and figure out why you suddenly don’t have any water. They have CCTV tools that they can use to thread down your water pipes and figure out where the problem is. If your entire home is out of the water then the issue clearly originates at the street level and needs to be examined.

While lack of water is an obvious sign you may need water line repair, so is a sudden drop of water pressure. If it seems like your water is trickling out of your showers and drains, but you are used to full pressure then this is another sign that your water line may have cracked or been compromised in some other fashion. Water pressure should not drop overnight, so if you notice a big change with no reasonable explanation, you need a plumber to come out to your South Arlington, TX home and take a closer look.

Keep in mind that for it to be a water main issue you would expect both hot and cold water to drop in water pressure. If you notice that only the hot water is facing pressure issues, then there is a very good chance that the issue has to do with your hot water heater. While you will need a plumber to address this issue as well, most of the time water heater repair is less invasive than water line repair, so this is actually good news even though it may not feel like it at the time.

Another sign that you need water line repair is if you notice that the water supply throughout your home is suddenly appearing discolored or otherwise off. Rusty colors indicate an issue with your water supply as does the water that appears to have heavy, unusual amounts of dirt or sediment in it. These can signify that your water line is cracked and allowing soil or rust to seep into your water supply. It can also indicate that your line is starting to corrode, and that itself is another huge health issue that needs to be quickly addressed.

Like in the other situations, if you only notice the rusty color or sediment in your hot water, then there is a much better chance that the issue is confined to your hot water tank. A plumber in South Arlington, TX can take a closer look at your water heater to determine if you need a new water heater or will need more extensive water line repair. These are sometimes hard diagnoses to make, so it pays to have a professional plumber evaluate the issue and get to the bottom of it quickly.

Last but not least, you may not notice issues with your water line inside of your home, but can actually see trouble starting to brew outside of your home. Most main water lines are located under your front yard and connected to the street. If you are not sure, next time the plumber is out to your home ask them and they can let you know, but this is a very common plumbing setup for most South Arlington, TX homes. Once you know if your water line is in the front of the back you can move on to the next symbol: a sagging lawn.

You probably know the way your lawn normally looks based on the average rainfall that you get near your home. Therefore, if you notice that your yard has puddles in it or sagging spots and you have not received much rain at all, this could be an indication that you need water line repair. If your water line is broken the water will seep towards the sun, which means the leak will actually raise towards the top of your yard creating puddles and sagging spots.

Not only will this cause visual issues, but if left unaddressed it can actually be a safety issue because massive amounts of water leakage in your front yard can eventually lead to sinkholes opening up. While it is unlikely that a sinkhole will swallow your home or anything drastic like that, it can cause major issues in your front yard that will be expensive to repair and at the very least are not attractive to look at which is another reason that you don’t want to put off water line repair. Even if you don’t notice any visual issues yet if you put off water line repair when you know that it is needed eventually you will start to see these issues with your front yard.

Finally, last but not least you know you have an issue that requires water line repair if you start to see your water bill jump up without any explanation. If half of your water supply is draining into your front yard, you will be paying a lot more for water than you should. A bill that nearly doubles is a solid indication that you may need water line repair. At first glance, it can be hard to know where the leak is that is causing your plumbing bill to jump up, so you need to call a plumber and get their professional advice.

What Causes Issues with a Water Line?

Curious as to why you may suddenly need to pay for water line repair when it seems that your water has been working fine for decades? Usually, it is because it hasn’t been, but because your water line is buried at least six feet if not more underground you have been able to live in blissful ignorance. Unlike other exposed pipes that you can visibly see signs of corrosion or rust on, your water line is buried away out of sight and out of mind. This gives you the perception that it is fine, but as you will learn when you suddenly have no water, it is not.

There are usually three large factors that influence whether or not you will need water line attention in the future: corrosion, tree roots, and erosion. When your water line was originally installed there was no way to tell if soil erosion or sifting was going to cause an issue. Soil naturally shifts over time, so after a few decades, the shift might be enough that it breaks or cracks a water line that is already starting to show signs of wear and tear. There is nothing that you can do about this situation, outside of promptly scheduling water line repair if you suspect it has occurred.

Tree roots are another big factor that plays a large role in water line damage. Tree roots are very invasive, and while they may be pretty to look at, they can cause a great deal of damage if you do not inspect and keep you with the roots as they grow. Much like tree roots can cause your sewer line to get clogged, they can also infiltrate your main water line which allows sediment and rust to get introduced to your water supply. It also will eventually damage your water line enough that you will face water line repair or possibly even water line replacement.

Finally, corrosion is another big threat to your main water line, especially if your water line is over a few decades old. Water lines are often either copper, another metal, or PVC. While PVC does not corrode, it does show signs of wear and tear eventually. Copper and other metals on the other hand will eventually corrode due to continual use, and there is nothing that you can do about that once it starts to happen. Even if your water line is not technically cracked yet, if rust and other particles are getting into your water supply then it is probably time to take a closer look at water line replacement to restore the purity of your water and keep your family safe.

Who Pays for Water Line Repair or Replacement?

If you need water line repair or replacement in the area the number one thing you probably want to know is who pays for it? Almost every homeowner is responsible for paying for their own water line issues, but there are insurance plans that local water companies or other utility companies offer to help protect you if something goes wrong. If you live in an older home with an older water line, it may be worth taking out one of these policies so that if you do end up needing water line repair down the road assistance is available to offset the price.

Concerned about your water line? Give Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth in Arlington, TX a call and we will be glad to send someone out to your home to appraise the issue.