Find location of a water leak??

[twice.redeemed]

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

[hallerb]

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

[EXT]

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

[Speedy Jim]

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

[m Ransley]

Are you sure the toilet turn off works , toilet flappers go bad. Replace flapper or put dye into the tank to see if the bowl changes color.

[twice.redeemed]

I don't hear any toilet running

[twice.redeemed]

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??

[twice.redeemed]

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

[BobK207]

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

[bamboo]

Put a webcam on a long stick.

[Oren]

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."

[cornytheclown]

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

[Rodney]

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.

[Steve Barker LT]

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

[twice.redeemed]

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?

[m Ransley]

It is common for a toilet to leak without sound.

[buffalobill]

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.

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

[twice.redeemed]

I am unclear on point # 2