"Robert Green" wrote:
wrote in message news:eee996d2-057a-4929-8926-

stuff snipped

I'm all for troubleshooting a reasonable amount before calling
a utility company, but the water has been off for a
week and it sounds like you've done a lot more than most people
would do before calling the water company. They have gear and lots
of experience in this kind of thing. Plus you're apparently
saying this coincided with a new cut/patch in the asphalt with
a blue mark across the street.

We agree again. When my faucets produced nothing but whistling air last
week at 1AM, I checked the shut off valve (no sound difference between open
and closed) and then opened the outside hose bib slightly to see if I could
hear something. No sound. Then I called the water company at 1:30AM and
after talking to the billing answering system for a while, rechecked the
number and called the emergency service number and the guy who answered said
there was a water main break on my street and they were already on it.

I think that's were GregZ should be at right now - calling the water people.
FWIW, it was fixed by 6AM and almost none of my neighbors knew it had been
off - except for the requisite "spitting up" that occurs when water service
is restored. Apparently the break drained all the water in all the
connected house lines.

On a positive note, it encouraged me to set up my old darkroom 5 gal tanks
to store some emergency water. When I first moved in and the plumbing
needed constant repair/replacing I had them set up on a stand over the
toilet fill tank to provide at least four flushes with the water turned off.
One good thing about low-volume toilets is that if you have to flush them
with stored water, a 100 oz empty laundry detergent bottle provides the
necessary volume and flow rate (with the pour spout removed) to get a good
flush.

--
Bobby G.

Water company came. The outside valve is not frozen shut. I guess they are
going to TEAR up the street. Circles and arrows drawn. I can't believe it's
going to be digging time in this weather. 5 degrees tonight.

The street is a fairly low point in my terrain. There is a stream, wash, 15
feet lower, about 50 feet away. It's not the ideal layout.

Greg