I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

On Sat, 10 Dec 2016 08:06:23 -0500, slate_leeper
wrote:

I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?



Is the house built on a slab? Do you know if the water pipes were
plumbed in the slab? If the pipes are in the slab, the acidic nature
of the concrete can deteriorate the copper over time.

On Sat, 10 Dec 2016 08:06:23 -0500, slate_leeper
wrote:

I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?




Where is the water meter ?
Any chance that a previous owner ran a water line to
a fountain or fish pond or garden faucet - that has been
abandoned & forgotten ?
John T.

On 12/10/2016 6:07 AM, Stormin' Norman wrote:

Is the house built on a slab? Do you know if the water pipes were
plumbed in the slab? If the pipes are in the slab, the acidic nature
of the concrete can deteriorate the copper over time.

I'm not the plumber or the plumber's son,
But I'll plug yer hole 'til the plumber comes.

On Sat, 10 Dec 2016 08:06:23 -0500, slate_leeper
wrote:

I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?



One additional thought, is there any landscape irrigation on the
property? If so, have you thoroughly examined the pipes and vales?

The plumber always rings twice.

On 12/10/2016 8:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?




That is a lot of water not to be seen. You may want to check the sewer
line to see if it is going down the drain or going to the ground. Any
out buildings? Auto fill on a leaking pool?

On 12/10/16 7:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't
fully shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the
street, all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Could you use air to locate the leak? Shut the main off and
connect an air compressor as far upstream as possible. Set the
pressure regulator below the pressure rating of the pipes. The air
should eventually push the water out and maybe you'll be able to hear
the leak. Stethoscope?

On Sat, 10 Dec 2016 10:29:12 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Auto fill on a leaking pool?

The Bucket Test for a leaking pool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSy1F1N9q3U

"Swimming pool bucket test to help measure water loss due to
evaporation or a leak." ... and turn off the auto fill.

"slate_leeper" wrote in message
...
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?


Get someone with good ears, they should be able to hear the water running in
one of the pipes. Then follow that pipe to the leak.

"Stormin' Norman" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 10 Dec 2016 08:06:23 -0500, slate_leeper
wrote:

I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?



Is the house built on a slab? Do you know if the water pipes were
plumbed in the slab? If the pipes are in the slab, the acidic nature
of the concrete can deteriorate the copper over time.

Acidic concrete? Not in my world

"slate_leeper" wrote in message
...
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Beats me but it will stop if you replace the faulty valve. You gave to
close rhe valve too.

On Sat, 10 Dec 2016 14:02:53 -0500, "catalpa"
wrote:


"slate_leeper" wrote in message
.. .
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?


Get someone with good ears, they should be able to hear the water running in
one of the pipes. Then follow that pipe to the leak.

Where is the meter? Where is the shutoff in relation to the meter?
What kind of soil is under the house? Do ANY of the water pipes after
the meter and/or shutoff run either within the slab or underground?
Can you get your hands on an ultrasonic flow detector? Should be a
plumber in your area that has one, you would think.

As a last resort, shut off the water , drain the pipes, cut the pipes
and install 1/4 turn gate valves in strategic positions to be able to
isolate certain "zones" and see which sector the leak is in.

On 12/10/16 1:28 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"slate_leeper" wrote in message
...
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is
within the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that
didn't fully shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons
per hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected
everywhere. There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been
shut off. There is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's
"raised ranch" style house with no crawl space. Once the water
main enters from the street, all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Beats me but it will stop if you replace the faulty valve. You gave
to close rhe valve too.

Plus he might save some money by draining the system and shutting
the heat off if it's in a place where the pipes could freeze.

In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 10 Dec 2016 09:50:33 -0600, Dean Hoffman
wrote:

On 12/10/16 7:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't
fully shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the
street, all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Could you use air to locate the leak? Shut the main off and
connect an air compressor as far upstream as possible. Set the
pressure regulator below the pressure rating of the pipes. The air
should eventually push the water out and maybe you'll be able to hear
the leak. Stethoscope?

I saw that the DC transit authority bought 40 $800 noise detectors to
hear escaping air from iirc some pneumatic system on subways or busses.

On Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 7:06:31 AM UTC-6, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?


I had a water leak once and it turned out to be the pipe going to the outdoor faucet. If you could drain your water lines and pressurize the pipes with air, you could use an ultrasonic leak detector like the one made by Amprobe. I have one I've owned for years and it's amazing what kind of problems I've been able to track down with it. I'm not sure about it detecting the sound of a water leak but I know it will detect the sound of gas/air leaking from a system. Perhaps a rental place will have something like it? ヽ(ヅ)ノ

http://www.amprobe.com/amprobe/usen/....htm?PID=73435

http://tinyurl.com/hrddejx

[8~{} Uncle Leaking Monster

On 12/10/2016 8:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't fully
shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the street,
all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

In my previous house, the water entered into the basement where there
was a meter and water heater. Hot and cold went upward to 3 bathrooms.
But, hot and cold also went under the concrete to the laundry area
(basement) and also above that, to the kitchen. In the kitchen you
could run the hot waiting for it to arrive, which didn't take too long.
However, if you then turned off the water and returned only a few
minutes later, the water was no longer hot. I discovered where the heat
was going when walking through the basement barefoot. I immediately ran
a new run (insulated) along the basement ceiling. Problem solved. So,
in you case, some pipes could even be under a basement floor and
possibly be leaking.

On Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 10:50:37 AM UTC-5, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 12/10/16 7:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't
fully shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the
street, all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Could you use air to locate the leak? Shut the main off and
connect an air compressor as far upstream as possible. Set the
pressure regulator below the pressure rating of the pipes. The air
should eventually push the water out and maybe you'll be able to hear
the leak. Stethoscope?

+1

I used that method to find a leak in an underground pool line. I was
actually just going to use it to pressure test the line to see if it
was leaking, but when I hooked the compressor up, air came bubbling
up out of the ground where the leak was.

Like Ed said, 5 gals an hour is a lot of water to be leaking in a
structure. You would think it would have to be underground, or
someplace with a direct, hidden path to ground.

On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 05:56:53 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

On Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 10:50:37 AM UTC-5, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 12/10/16 7:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't
fully shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the
street, all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Could you use air to locate the leak? Shut the main off and
connect an air compressor as far upstream as possible. Set the
pressure regulator below the pressure rating of the pipes. The air
should eventually push the water out and maybe you'll be able to hear
the leak. Stethoscope?

+1

I used that method to find a leak in an underground pool line. I was
actually just going to use it to pressure test the line to see if it
was leaking, but when I hooked the compressor up, air came bubbling
up out of the ground where the leak was.

Like Ed said, 5 gals an hour is a lot of water to be leaking in a
structure. You would think it would have to be underground, or
someplace with a direct, hidden path to ground.

I find it interesting the OP has not, as of yet, responded in this
thread.

On Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 9:13:34 AM UTC-5, Stormin' Norman wrote:
On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 05:56:53 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

On Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 10:50:37 AM UTC-5, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 12/10/16 7:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't
fully shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the
street, all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Could you use air to locate the leak? Shut the main off and
connect an air compressor as far upstream as possible. Set the
pressure regulator below the pressure rating of the pipes. The air
should eventually push the water out and maybe you'll be able to hear
the leak. Stethoscope?

+1

I used that method to find a leak in an underground pool line. I was
actually just going to use it to pressure test the line to see if it
was leaking, but when I hooked the compressor up, air came bubbling
up out of the ground where the leak was.

Like Ed said, 5 gals an hour is a lot of water to be leaking in a
structure. You would think it would have to be underground, or
someplace with a direct, hidden path to ground.

I find it interesting the OP has not, as of yet, responded in this
thread.

Maybe he's busy trying all that was suggested....

Another idea. Has he talked to the water company? IDK what services,
help they offer, but water companies would have leak detection eqpt
and they might offer help if he's lucky.

On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 06:31:12 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

On Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 9:13:34 AM UTC-5, Stormin' Norman wrote:
On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 05:56:53 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

On Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 10:50:37 AM UTC-5, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 12/10/16 7:06 AM, slate_leeper wrote:
I wrote a while back about an underground water leak. Well, I have
determined that the water leak is not in the feed line but is within
the structure. I was misled by a main shutoff valve that didn't
fully shut off.

So, back to the problem. I am using 120 gallons a day (5 gallons per
hour) in a house that is unoccupied. I have inspected everywhere.
There are no dripping faucets. All toilets have been shut off. There
is no visible moisture anywhere. This is a 70's "raised ranch" style
house with no crawl space. Once the water main enters from the
street, all piping is within the structure.

So where the heck is it leaking?

Could you use air to locate the leak? Shut the main off and
connect an air compressor as far upstream as possible. Set the
pressure regulator below the pressure rating of the pipes. The air
should eventually push the water out and maybe you'll be able to hear
the leak. Stethoscope?

+1

I used that method to find a leak in an underground pool line. I was
actually just going to use it to pressure test the line to see if it
was leaking, but when I hooked the compressor up, air came bubbling
up out of the ground where the leak was.

Like Ed said, 5 gals an hour is a lot of water to be leaking in a
structure. You would think it would have to be underground, or
someplace with a direct, hidden path to ground.

I find it interesting the OP has not, as of yet, responded in this
thread.

Maybe he's busy trying all that was suggested....

Another idea. Has he talked to the water company? IDK what services,
help they offer, but water companies would have leak detection eqpt
and they might offer help if he's lucky.

I would be surprised if the water company would help. I would think
they would come out and check your meter, but after the meter they
would tell you to call a plumber. I guess it all depends on where you
live. In California, the water districts are particularly unhelpful.

On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 14:40:57 +0000
Stormin' Norman wrote:

In California, the water districts are particularly unhelpful.

Well they do serve some particularly weird and fruity people...LOL

On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 14:40:57 +0000, Stormin' Norman
wrote:



Another idea. Has he talked to the water company? IDK what services,
help they offer, but water companies would have leak detection eqpt
and they might offer help if he's lucky.

I would be surprised if the water company would help. I would think
they would come out and check your meter, but after the meter they
would tell you to call a plumber. I guess it all depends on where you
live. In California, the water districts are particularly unhelpful.

Had a leak one and could not find the source. The town was here in
less than an hour. Glad I'm not in CA.

My water in my first house was being used by the next door neighbor. It was before we had meters.
It took me a while to figure it out and the neighbor disagreed until i shut my water off while he was taking a shower.