The water pipes in your home will sometimes burst. When this happens, you often expect it to be one of the pipes inside your home. Because you interact with the plumbing in your kitchen, bathroom, and basement usually, it is more typical to see problems in these plumbing parts.
But plumbing issues can happen away from these areas, and Keyrenter Broward Team says one of the worst is when the home’s main water line is broken. Unlike leaks inside your home, which can be contained and restricted to one part of the house, breaks in your main water line will affect the entire home.
The main water line links your home’s plumbing and the city’s water supply. All the freshwater that enters your home passes through this one pipe. If the main water line is broken, the water supply to all the plumbing in your home will be affected.
Although the main water line is designed to withstand various stresses, breaks can still happen. Some things that can stress a main water line and cause it to leak are excessive water pressure, extreme temperature swings, soil erosion, and tree roots penetrating the pipes.
The challenge with problems in your main water line is that this kind of pipe damage is hard to detect. Because the water line is buried in the ground, issues with this vital plumbing part are not immediately apparent. As a matter of fact, they may go unnoticed for months.
If you are experiencing strange issues with your home’s water supply, there is a chance the problem could be due to a broken water line. How do you know for sure if this is the cause of the issues? Look for these signs to determine if your water line is broken and needs repair.
8 signs that your main water line is broken
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High water bills
One of the best signs that your main water line is broken is curious spikes in your home’s water bill. If your water usage over the last months has not changed and the utility company has not raised its rates, there is no reason why your water bill should be higher unless your water line is broken.
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Discolored water
Brownish or cloudy water indicates that soil is entering the water supply. If this happens in just one plumbing section, it is not caused by a broken water line. However, if the home’s entire water supply is discolored, it is because dirt is introduced through a crack in the water line.
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Low water pressure
A break in your main water line will siphon pressure from your water pipes. But low water pressure could also result from sediment buildup in the home’s plumbing. If the low water pressure issue is noticeable in all the plumbing fixtures in the home, the problem is probably from the main water line.
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Wet spots in the yard
Patches of green grass that are growing faster than other lawn areas are signs that some parts of your lawn may be getting water from elsewhere, like a broken underground water pipe. An area of the lawn that is always damp is a sign that water from a broken pipe is soaking into the ground.
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Smelly water
Clean water should have no smell. If the water in your home has a slight scent or taste, you could leak in your main water line. It could be that the soil surrounding the broken pipe or other materials in the area is finding its way into the damaged pipe and contaminating your home’s freshwater supply.
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Wet areas in your home
Do not expect to see water cascading out of a broken pipe when the main water line is damaged. The signs are usually more subtle: foundation issues due to water seeping into cracks in the base of the home, wet patches on walls and floors, or mold in some parts of the house.
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Noisy water pipes
Strange noises from your water pipes may indicate ongoing problems in the plumbing. These include banging, gurgling, hissing, or bubbling sounds, especially if they come from your home’s walls, floors, and ceiling. The sound of dripping water is another sign that your main water line may be broken.
What should you do if you spot any of these signs in your home?
The first step is verifying that you have a broken water line. You can get a local plumber to inspect your home’s freshwater plumbing. If there is a leak in your main water line, how you fix the problem will depend on what the plumbing inspection uncovers.