What does the main water line to a house look like?
Usually a copper or plastic pipe about as thick as your thumb, buried a few feet down and running from the meter to where it comes through your foundation. Here’s a copper one we dug up in a Northern Virginia yard.
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From one of our jobs
A copper water service line in a dug out trench
Right now: Find your water meter and watch the dial with every tap off. If it’s still turning, water is leaking somewhere past it.
That’s the water service line, the pipe that brings every drop into the house. Your water utility owns the meter and the line on its side. From the meter to the house is yours. Older homes around here often have copper, newer ones plastic.
Copper lasts a long time, but it can wear through where it sits on a rock, and a small leak can run under the grass for months. A wet spot in a dry week, a jump in the water bill or pressure that dropped are the signs. We find the spot first and dig only there.
Quick answers
What people ask about main water lines
Who is responsible for the water line from the street to the house?
Usually you are, from the meter to the house. The water utility owns the meter and the line on its side.
What are the signs of a main water line leak?
A wet or extra green spot in the yard, a higher water bill, low pressure, or the meter moving with everything off.
Where is the main water shutoff valve?
Inside, it’s usually where the line comes through the foundation wall, often in the basement near the front of the house. There’s another at the meter that the utility uses.
Do you have to dig up the whole yard to fix a water line?
No. We find the leak first, then dig where it is, not along the whole run.
Who repairs main water lines in Northern Virginia?
Call SwiftPro at (703) 997-9757. Our own plumbers find and fix water service line leaks across Northern Virginia, day or night.
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What it costs
What we charge to find and fix a main water line leak
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SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
4230 Lafayette Center Dr N, Chantilly, VA 20151
44679 Endicott Dr, Suite 211, Ashburn, VA 20147
SwiftPro Plumber & Water Heaters
4200 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151
Virginia Class A contractor license #2705192276