Underground leak

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web1944

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I exposed a 3-4 inch section of an underground water line. QUESTION: How certain can I be that there is no leak within 2 or 3 feet of the exposed pipe, if there is no indication that the soil at the exposed pipe is no wetter than any of the soil I removed to expose the pipe? If there is a leak within 2-3 feet, shouldn't I see some water at the exposed section, if I let it sit overnight?
 

Mikey

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I wouldn't bet on it. Water is sneaky stuff, and doesn't always flow the way you would expect it to. If you call a commercial leak-detecting outfit (I used Sleuth in Tampa:http://www.sleuthpt.com/leakdetection.htm) they can pinpoint a leak, even under a slab, to within a few inches. Cost me a couple hundred bucks, as I remember, and well worth it.
 

Verdeboy

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Why don't you just fix the leak you know about and see if everything dries out.
 

web1944

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I don't know where the leak is and there is no concrete involved....just wanted to know the possibility of seeing water within 2-3 feet of a leak.
 

Verdeboy

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It depends how large the leak is. A pinhole leak will not travel very far underground. A mainline leak will flood your entire yard. What kind of leak do you have? Is it a supply line leak or a drain leak? How do you even know you have a leak? Is your water bill high?
 

Toolaholic

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Is this copper,old Galvy,plastic? Please give Us as Much info as possible.
Are You in a frost zone 5'deep ,or 18" in Ca.? I would use My torch to dry out what pipe You have exposed all ready. You MAY see where the water is flowing from! Then dig towards that direction. If this helps, please do the following.!
Please some paper in a Salvation Army Kettle. Merry Christmas ,:)Tool
 

Jimbo

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Did I come in in the middle of this story? Did you dig BECAUSE you had a leak? If so, what clues caused you to dig where you did?

It is true that water MAY follow the pipe, because the pipe is laid in disturbed soil, so this may be the easiest path. But if it has been buried for many years, that may not work, and it may go in the other direction!
 
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