Main water line leaks in Orange

Big lots, long lines

In neighbourhoods toward Orange Park Acres and the eastern hills, homes often sit well back from the street, sometimes on horse-property-sized lots. The service line follows whatever route the original builder chose, which may cross a driveway, a hardscaped courtyard or mature planting. Many of these lines have also been tapped for irrigation, outbuildings or a pool along the way, adding joints and branches.

Separating the branches

Before any listening equipment comes out, the plumber will try to isolate branches: closing the house valve, the irrigation main, valves to a guesthouse or barn. Whichever closure stops the meter tells you which branch is leaking, and narrows a hundred-foot search down to a specific run.

Old Towne and central Orange

On smaller lots near the Plaza and in post-war central Orange, service lines are short and run under the front yard. Older ones may still be galvanised steel. A leak there is usually easy to find; the bigger question is whether to replace the whole line while it's exposed.

Minimising the dig

• Ask whether the line can be replaced by boring rather than open trenching
• Mark irrigation lines and low-voltage lighting before any digging
• Have the plumber check the pressure regulator once the line is repaired
• Ask the utility about a leak adjustment once the repair is documented

Irrigation tie-ins and pools

On larger east Orange properties, irrigation systems and pool autofills are often tapped off the service line before it reaches the house. A leak in a buried irrigation main or a pool fill line looks exactly like a service line leak on the meter. Closing the irrigation backflow device's valves and turning off the pool autofill are quick ways to rule those out before calling.

If the leak turns out to be on an irrigation main, it's usually cheaper to fix than a service line, and a landscaper or irrigation contractor can handle it. A pool autofill that runs constantly may point to a pool leak rather than a pipe problem.