I have a small one-story house with a water leak somewhere. My water
valve is at the street, the water line runs under the lawn and enters
the house at the front. There is another turn-off valve at the house,
before water goes into the house.
We have hot-water heater in the garage.
If I turn off the valve at the house the leak stops (dial doesn't
turn), so the leak is somewhere in the house or under the house.
I have turned off all water sources in the house, but still have the
leak, so I am guessing this means the water leak is somewhere under the
house. Our house is built on a permiter wall of concrete, and has a
very small crawl-space of only about 2 feet, and it's nasty down there.

Without going under the house, is there anyway to find out where th
leak is coming from?

Thanks,

Allen

if you have valves to isolate rooms, like bath try that.

the best way to avoid going down there is to find someone else to do it
for you, perhaps a neighbor kid? or adventerous friend

theres always a plumber

No, even if the leak is above the crawl space, you will find evidence of it
down there.

" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small one-story house with a water leak somewhere. My water
valve is at the street, the water line runs under the lawn and enters
the house at the front. There is another turn-off valve at the house,
before water goes into the house.
We have hot-water heater in the garage.
If I turn off the valve at the house the leak stops (dial doesn't
turn), so the leak is somewhere in the house or under the house.
I have turned off all water sources in the house, but still have the
leak, so I am guessing this means the water leak is somewhere under the
house. Our house is built on a permiter wall of concrete, and has a
very small crawl-space of only about 2 feet, and it's nasty down there.

Without going under the house, is there anyway to find out where th
leak is coming from?

Thanks,

Allen

wrote:

I have a small one-story house with a water leak somewhere. My water
valve is at the street, the water line runs under the lawn and enters
the house at the front. There is another turn-off valve at the house,
before water goes into the house.
We have hot-water heater in the garage.
If I turn off the valve at the house the leak stops (dial doesn't
turn), so the leak is somewhere in the house or under the house.
I have turned off all water sources in the house, but still have the
leak, so I am guessing this means the water leak is somewhere under the
house. Our house is built on a permiter wall of concrete, and has a
very small crawl-space of only about 2 feet, and it's nasty down there.

Without going under the house, is there anyway to find out where th
leak is coming from?

Thanks,

Allen


Hard to say without being there and having a clear picture
of the layout. But...would it be possible to simply
abandon the line *under* the house? Since you have access to the
shutoff where the line enters the building, could you connect
a new line at that valve and run it to wherever the service
connects in side the house now?

This is a situation that calls for thinking "outside the box".
Do pipes freeze where you are if above ground?
Could a new line be pulled in by using the old one to pull with?
Trench around the house to reach some suitable entry point?
etc.

Jim

I don't hear any toilet running

I'm thinking, turn off the water at the hot water heater. I assume the
line going into the house splits offf as two lines with one going
directly to the hot water heater and the other going to the cold water
service lines. If leak stops, that means it is somewhere in one of the
hot water lines, otherwise it is cold water line.

I have heard about using stethescope to isolate. Anyone tried that
before??

I cannot imagine a fat plumber with a butt crack in a 2 foot crawl
space, maybe a neighbor kid

wrote:
I cannot imagine a fat plumber with a butt crack in a 2 foot crawl
space, maybe a neighbor kid


Yes, crawlspaces can be pretty nasty

but at 6' & 215 lbs I've yet to see one that is too small.

The human body is prett compliant; hips, shoulder & pelvis are usually
the limiting items

(unles one has a huge beer gut)

My suggestion is think about the plumbing layout so you minimze your
crawling around.

Buting before doing the cave exploring be sure the leak is not


Having owned a 1930 house for 27 years (still has some of the original
galv steel pipe) I've only had ONE crawlspace leak.

Do you have an idea of the flow rate? any wets spots around the
foundation? You might be able to just shine a flashlight around the
crawlspace from the opening.

BTW the access point to the crawlspace is usually the most spider / bug
infested area, as you get deeper into the crawlspace the wildlife goes
away.

cheers
Bob

Put a webcam on a long stick.

On 11 Apr 2006 14:41:33 -0700, "
wrote:

I don't hear any toilet running

It can be subtle, try a food coloring in the tank. Don't flush and see
if the bowl water changes color.

Oren
"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland
and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore
excused from saving Universes."

get on some old clothes...get a flashlight...or a 500 watt halogen
lamp.......

get a long stick to move cobwebs etc out of the way.

go into crawlspace and make a lot of noise so that if there are any
creatures ...the noise will scare them away from you.

hunt for leak or signs of leaks.....

DO NOT get a neighborhood kid....if there is broken glass or a piece of
rusty metal under there, the kid will find it after it embeds itself
into him......lawsuit or worse could follow

One last warning....IF you see a creature and its young under there
remove yourself as quickly as possible....man is no match for a coon or
possum in a 2 foot crawspace.

DONT worry about snakes....they will move if they see or feel you
coming...make noise...smack the ground with a stick...they will move on

On 11 Apr 2006 13:02:20 -0700, "
wrote:

I have a small one-story house with a water leak somewhere. My water
valve is at the street, the water line runs under the lawn and enters
the house at the front. There is another turn-off valve at the house,
before water goes into the house.
We have hot-water heater in the garage.
If I turn off the valve at the house the leak stops (dial doesn't
turn), so the leak is somewhere in the house or under the house.
I have turned off all water sources in the house, but still have the
leak, so I am guessing this means the water leak is somewhere under the
house. Our house is built on a permiter wall of concrete, and has a
very small crawl-space of only about 2 feet, and it's nasty down there.

Without going under the house, is there anyway to find out where th
leak is coming from?

Thanks,

Allen

Turn off the shut-off valve just beyond your water meter.

It will tell you if you have a leak between the valve which is located
where the water pipe goes into you house and the water meter.

What is the rate of flow? (how much water in how much time?)
(don't forget the icemaker)
--
Steve Barker


" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small one-story house with a water leak somewhere. My water
valve is at the street, the water line runs under the lawn and enters
the house at the front. There is another turn-off valve at the house,
before water goes into the house.
We have hot-water heater in the garage.
If I turn off the valve at the house the leak stops (dial doesn't
turn), so the leak is somewhere in the house or under the house.
I have turned off all water sources in the house, but still have the
leak, so I am guessing this means the water leak is somewhere under the
house. Our house is built on a permiter wall of concrete, and has a
very small crawl-space of only about 2 feet, and it's nasty down there.

Without going under the house, is there anyway to find out where th
leak is coming from?

Thanks,

Allen

Thanks for all the advice, this is an excellent forum, lots of
responders.

Here is what I have done so far:
(1) When I turn off the valve where the water enters the house, the
leak stops, so it is not in the front yard, but somewhere in or under
house.
(2) When i turn off the hot water heater, the leak is still there, so
it's in the cold water somewhere.
(3) I have turned off all water in the house, the sprinklers and the
outside faucets, and still have the leak.

Our house is on perimeter wall with about 2 ft crawl space. It's mushy
down there. It would really be nasty going down there
The leak is approximately 2-4 gal/hr

Our house was built in '89 so I think it is all copper down below.
Where would it most likely be leaking, in an elbow or a tee?
If it was leaking behind a fitting shouldn't the wall show some
dampness?

It is common for a toilet to leak without sound.

1. unless your water is free, why not call a plumber in the morning?
i'll guess the leak is causing the mushy area. if you have winter and a
crawl space, you may need to add an automatic thermostat anti-freeze
pipe wrap heater after the plumber's repair. ask him.

2. if you use a washing machine double female and a white drinking
water rv hose to hook up to the neighbor's house hose cock to yours,
would that help to pinpoint the leak?

I am unclear on point # 2