On Wed, 21 Mar 2007 16:40:45 GMT, (Malcolm Hoar)
wrote:

In article . com, wrote:
I've recently found that the main water valve before the meter is
leaking, perhaps 1gal/week. I can see where the water is dripping out
from the valve where the handle goes into the fitting.

Our line comes up through a basement/closet floor -grounding wire -
valve - meter - valve - grounding wire - house. It appears to be
flare fitted copper.

I've been feeling brave as I just rerouted plumbing for our new
kitchen, but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. I'm
wondering also if it was caused by something I did, perhaps tightening
down old gaskets too much.

If the leak is on the "street" side of the meter, it's
probably up to the water utility to fix it. It is in
my jurisdiction.

Just call them up and they'll likely fix it pronto. I
wouldn't mess with it myself -- if you screw up the
meter or the connections to same, you could find yourself
with a significant liability.

FYI: this is what my local water company say:

The Alameda County Water District is responsible for pipes on the "street
side" of the water meter, including all service lines and water mains
extending throughout the community. ACWD is also responsible for the water
meter itself. If you notice a water leak in the street or in the vicinity of
your water meter, please call ACWD Operations to report it.

The property owner is generally responsible for all pipes and plumbing on the
"customer side" of the water meter. This includes the interior plumbing of the
home, the outside irrigation system, and the area where the property's water
system connects to the water meter.

imho:

Just want to correct this generialization. I believe my community
requires home owners to be responsible for everything down from the
curb valve.

tom @ www.FindMeShelter.com