Locating Water service line, house on a slab

[Etbrown4]

Would like to know on new construction, if most plumbers would usually or always bring in the water service line at the location of the water heater. I guess the alternative would be to bring it up in the closest bathroom.

Can anyone share what they see as the common practice?

 

[Reach4]

Would like to know on new construction, if most plumbers would usually or always bring in the water service line at the location of the water heater. I guess the alternative would be to bring it up in the closest bathroom.

Can anyone share what they see as the common practice?

With a basement, the water service line would usually come in closer to the water main. You have slabs.

With a slab in areas where the water meter is inside, service would probably come up in a service closet to the meter, and the WH would also be in the service closet. Water meter wouuld be read remotely. Water would not come up because the WH is there, but the WH is there because that is where the service closet is.

If the meter is outside in a box, then the water would usually still come up in the service closet for easy splitting for water distribution. Water could come in more than one place if the meter is not in the house.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

We see/install mostly sleeved water services with tracer wire. Big thick poly pipe that is a couple sizes larger than the service pipe is what my underground boring contractor provides. Typically a water service will terminate in a mechanical room or other utility area which generally is located near an exterior wall. But i've seen water services placed under slab come up in the center of a condo (galvanized no less)

 

[PlumbNuts]

For Slab construction: garage wall; near water heater; laundry room; closet. Just look for one of those that are closest to the point where the service enters the home.
For Crawlaspace: any of the above and inside crawlspace within 3' of the door.
For Basement: most likely on wall nearest front of home and close to where sewer exits home.

You can ask 10 different plumbers how and you are going to get 11 different answers.

 

[James Henry]

The water heater is usually in the garage and the garage is closest to the street, so yes.

 

[Jeff H Young]

Whatever is cheap, works good, lasts. those are 3 major factors . usualy the plans show a waterheater location

 

[Etbrown4]

Ok, it's a slab house. my meter is outside, out front and the water heater is in the utility room at the rear. There is no shut off.

To determine if the the water heater is the service entry point, I guess I can install a valve or cap there and see if I have water flowing anywhere else.

 

[Jeff H Young]

whats your question? So your not talking about where we put it if we were building a house. you want to know where your water enters your home? leak detection or line locator service . but your pretty vague btw capping off water heater wont tell you anything

 

[Etbrown4]

The home has no service valve. Would like to identify the point of entry, and add a valve.

Someone mentioned that capping off the cold water line entering the water heater would not tell me anything. If it turns out that this is the point of entry, seems to me that sure enough water to the home would be shut off.

The water service pipe in the yard is black and the line feeding the water heater is cpvc, so you can tell anything there.

 

[Jeff H Young]

The home has no service valve. Would like to identify the point of entry, and add a valve.

Someone mentioned that capping off the cold water line entering the water heater would not tell me anything. If it turns out that this is the point of entry, seems to me that sure enough water to the home would be shut off.

The water service pipe in the yard is black and the line feeding the water heater is cpvc, so you can tell anything there.

Cap off cold water to water heater will result in no hot water if that helps.
Not uncommon to see one type of pipe outside the house often black and another type insideeither white, copper or pex .
I dont see capping off a water heater as a way to locate the main the cold water could enter the house any where and tee off in diferant directions the first branch often is not near water heater but could be . the main water line often enters house between the meter location at street and the side of house closest to that especialy where plumbing is a bathroom , kitchen or water heater. but it could just come in to the closest spot to house. you going to have to figure it out. I dont know where it is