Plumbing in your home is extremely important for the day-to-day functions, but there are two main plumbing lines that need to be completely functional at all times. Those two plumbing lines are your septic or sewer line and your main water line. If your main water line doesn’t work properly, your house will not be able to receive the clean, fresh water you need! Without a well-functioning septic or sewer line, your house’s wastewater won’t be removed appropriately. Keep reading below for signs that could be indicating that it’s time for ASAP Plumbing to replace your main water line.
Low Water Pressure
If you are experiencing issues with your main water line, the pressure on the inside line could decrease significantly, which then causes your house to have low water pressure. All of the water faucets will have low pressure if there’s a problem with the main water line, so if you are experiencing this, it is time to call ASAP Plumbing!
Soggy Yard Spots
The water line in your house is buried in the ground around your yard. Therefore, if a leak occurs, the water will seep into the dirt and head toward the surface, which eventually will create a soggy area.
Discolored Water
Corrosion is one of the main causes of a failing water line. If you are experiencing these issues, you may notice a discoloration of your water due to rust being in your water flow. The discoloration will appear in all of your home’s faucets and would be in both the hot and cold water.
High Utility Bills
If your sewer line or main water line is damaged, it can result in costly utility bills. If your water bills are consistently higher than normal, then it could be a sign that your water line needs to be replaced.
Odd Noises
Have you been hearing odd noises when no water is running through your house? Hearing noises when a faucet is running is normal, however, if you hear something without the water running, then your water line may need to be checked out!
Why Main Water Lines Fail
The main line that brings water from the street to your home does steady work for decades. Over time, a few different forces wear it down. Knowing the cause behind a failure helps make sense of why repair sometimes works and replacement is sometimes the only real option.
- Age. Most main lines installed before the 1970s used galvanized steel or, in some areas, lead piping. Both have limited service lives and need replacement at some point.
- Soil shifts. Sandy and clay soils both move with moisture changes. Enough movement over years cracks rigid piping or pulls joints apart.
- Tree roots. Roots seek out moisture and find their way into hairline cracks, eventually splitting the line.
- External corrosion. Soil chemistry varies. Acidic or salty soil eats at metal pipes from the outside.
- Internal corrosion. Hard water and certain chemistries narrow the line from the inside, restricting flow.
- Pressure surges. Repeated water hammer events can stress fittings until one of them gives.
Repair vs Replace: Knowing Which Makes Sense
Not every leak in a main line means total replacement. A small spot leak in an otherwise healthy line can sometimes be repaired with a clamp or a section swap. The decision usually comes down to a few questions:
- How old is the existing line, and what is it made of?
- Is this the first issue, or has the line had multiple repairs already?
- Is the leak at a single point, or is the line failing in more than one place?
- What does the rest of the line look like on a camera inspection?
- How much yard or driveway has to be opened up to make the repair?
If a galvanized line is over 50 years old and starting to leak in one spot, the rest of the line isn’t far behind. In that case, replacement is the smarter long-term move. If a relatively new copper or PEX line takes a single hit from a shovel, a spot repair is fine.
Replacement Methods: Trenching vs Trenchless
Replacing a main water line used to mean digging a trench from the street to the house. That’s still the right choice in some cases, especially when other underground work is happening at the same time. The trade-off is that the yard, driveway and any landscaping along the path get torn up and rebuilt later.
Trenchless methods have changed the picture. Pipe bursting pulls a new line through the path of the old one and breaks the old pipe outward into the surrounding soil. Pipe lining inserts a coated liner inside the existing pipe and cures it in place. Both options leave the yard mostly intact, with only small access pits at each end. They cost more per foot than open trenching, but the savings on yard restoration often makes them the better total value.
What to Expect During the Project
A main line replacement is a bigger job than most plumbing service calls, but it’s a planned event with a clear timeline. Your plumber will start with a permit if your area requires one, then schedule a coordinated water shutoff. The work itself usually takes a day for a trenchless replacement and one to three days for a traditional trench, depending on the length of the line and ground conditions.
Plan on no water service for several hours during the actual replacement. Once the new line is in, the system gets pressure tested and disinfected before the water is restored. The first few minutes of water at the faucets will look cloudy as air clears out, then settle back to normal.
Why This Comes Up Often Along the Coast
Older neighborhoods in Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Ocean Springs and Bay St. Louis have a lot of main water lines that were installed decades ago. Coastal soil and high humidity work harder on those lines than the same lines would face inland. Storm surge from major hurricanes has also exposed and shifted some buried piping over the years, causing damage that doesn’t always announce itself right away.
If your home is in one of those older neighborhoods and you’re seeing two or more of the warning signs above, getting a plumber out for a camera inspection of the main line is a smart first step. The footage gives you a clear picture of what shape the line is in and what your real options are.
Plumbing issues are bound to happen at some point, but you won’t want to deal with the consequences of a broken main water line! In order to help prevent this, you will need to have a plumber come out and annually inspect your water line and plumbing system to help prevent future issues from arising. If you suspect that your main water line is needing to be replaced, give ASAP Plumbing a call today at 228-865-2727 or visit www.plumbinggulfportms.com and request a free estimate! We can handle all your plumbing needs including installation, repair, and full water heater replacement.