If the ground is wet and you cannot work out why, or your meter keeps turning with everything shut off, you likely have a leaking water line. MVP Plumbing repairs main and yard water lines across Baytown and Mont Belvieu. Licensed master plumber, MPL 38224. Call 832-334-2836.
What does a leaking water line look like?
- Ground that stays wet with no rain to explain it
- A meter still turning when every tap in the house is off
- Pressure that has dropped across the whole house at once
- A soft or sunken patch along the run from the meter to the house
- Water at the foundation or coming up beside the brick
A copper main that had broken off completely
Job notes · Mont Belvieu, residential
The customer noticed the ground was wet. It had been leaking slowly for a while, and they were not in a rush because they had no working shutoff to stop it with. We shut it off at the street when we arrived so we could dig it up dry.
The above-ground copper section at the house entry had broken off completely. We showed the customer the photo of what we had found, and they told us to go ahead — repair the line, fit a new shutoff valve, and insulate it.
The detail worth pulling out of that is the reason they were not in a hurry: they could not stop the water themselves. A shutoff that does not work changes what people are willing to do about small problems, because every repair starts with a trip to the meter.
Job notes · Baytown, residential
Same symptom — water on the ground. The existing line was PVC, so we went back with PVC. Repaired and insulated for freeze protection.
What do you leave me with?
The two things that cause the next emergency are no valve and no insulation.
Every above-ground water line repair we do goes back with a working shutoff valve and insulation.
After Uri, everyone around here knows exactly what an uninsulated line does in a freeze. A repair that leaves the line bare has not really finished the job, and a repair that leaves you without a working shutoff has handed you the next emergency.
Why do you match the existing material?
Copper stays copper anywhere it is exposed outdoors, because PEX degrades in sunlight and we do not run it outside. PVC goes back as PVC.
We match the existing material rather than using whatever happens to be on the truck. Joining dissimilar materials underground is a transition that has to be made properly or it becomes the next failure point.
Do you have to use a torch?
On copper we use Viega MegaPress press fittings — a mechanical joint made with a press tool rather than heat. No open flame next to timber, insulation or siding.
On a wood-sided house in Beach City that was the whole reason for the choice, and we use the same method in attics packed with insulation. See leak detection for more on that.
Test your shutoff before you need it
Close the main valve, then open a tap inside. If water keeps running rather than dribbling to a stop, the valve is passing and needs replacing.
It takes about thirty seconds, and most people never do it until the moment they need it to work. On a Beach City job the shutoff would not close all the way, which is how the customer found out — while a hose bib was failing.
Related work
Repiping if the leaks are adding up · leak detection if you cannot find it · 24-hour emergency service if you cannot stop it.
Water line repair in your area
Baytown, Mont Belvieu, Beach City, Clear Lake, Anahuac and the surrounding area.
Common questions
How do I know my water line is leaking?
Wet ground that stays wet, a meter that keeps turning with everything off, or a drop in pressure. A slow underground leak can run for a long time before anyone notices, because the water simply soaks away.
What if I cannot shut the water off?
Call anyway. On a Mont Belvieu job the customer had been living with a slow leak precisely because they had no working shutoff to stop it with. We shut it off at the street when we arrived so we could dig it up dry. If your shutoff will not close, that gets replaced as part of the repair.
Will you replace the pipe with something better?
We match what is there. Copper stays copper because PEX degrades in sunlight and cannot be run exposed outdoors. PVC goes back as PVC. We do not use whatever happens to be on the truck, because mismatched material at a joint is where the next problem starts.
What do you leave behind?
A working shutoff valve and insulation, on every above-ground water line repair. The two things that cause the next emergency are no valve and no insulation, and after Uri everyone around here knows what an uninsulated line does in a freeze.
Do you use a torch on copper?
Where we can avoid it, no. We use Viega MegaPress press fittings, which are a cold mechanical joint made with a press tool. That means no open flame next to timber, insulation or siding.
How long does a water line repair take?
Most above-ground repairs are a same-day job once we can see it. What extends it is depth, what is over the top of the line, and whether the run needs replacing rather than repairing.
Last updated · written by a licensed master plumber, MPL 38224