Do you find that your Brooklyn home has low water pressure and it affects more than one room, or multiple plumbing fixtures? Should you rule out faulty indoor plumbing? Do you have rusty or dirty brown water coming out of your sinks? Your Brooklyn water main is how the water is transported from the municipality to the plumbing inside your home. If it’s leaking or has a crack, the pressure inside the water line can be dramatically reduced. Knowing how to determine if there is a leak on your Brooklyn water main, or if it is an inside plumbing issue, is critical to know when a water main repair is needed and when to call Balkan Sewer And Water Main.
Just like your drain pipes, your water main line can corrode or crack, causing water to leak out. The water inside the water main is pressurized, so a leak or crack reduces the pressure inside the line and eventually throughout your home. Of course when inside plumbing leaks it is readily visible, and usually only affects a plumbing fixture or two. But unlike inside plumbing, a leaking water main can be hard to detect because it’s buried underground and is not visible.
Frequently specialty listening devices have to be utilized to fully determine if an underground leak exists. This service is best performed by a professional plumber, or by notifying the DEP. In some cases a leak may be so severe that your plumbing will rumble, and be most noticeable at night when things quiet down. This is the sign of a severe leak or rupture, and no specialty tools will be needed.
Both the NYC DEP and Balkan Sewer And Water Main provide free site visits to determine if a Brooklyn water main line is leaking or not. However, as a homeowner, there are some signs to help you determine a crack or leak in your water line. Those signs, aside from low water pressure, include:
- An increase in water usage. A leak in your main water line will often create a sudden spike in your home’s water usage. But interestingly, unless you have a sidewalk water meter, it will not result in a higher water bill. Most water meters are located inside the house, so the DEP cannot bill you for usage that is not metered. So more likely than not, a Brooklyn water main will first get noticed when water surfaces outside your property.
- Water present in your yard. If your water main has a leak, you may see water pooling in your yard around the area where the line is buried.
- Street leaks. The majority of water service line leaks are located in the roadway. Homeowners incorrectly assume that these leaks are the City’s responsibility. Not only does the NYC DEP not repair service line leaks, but the homeowner is likewise responsible for the damage the leak causes. If you spot a leak call 311, or Balkan Sewer And Water Main; you gain nothing by waiting.
For more information on determining if you have a water main break, please contact the Brooklyn water main professionals at Balkan Sewer & Water Main.
