Leak Detection
Pinpoint hidden water loss behind drywall, under flooring or along the pipe buried in the yard.
Leaks and supply pipes
Emergency Water Line Repair and Replacement in Tempe
The service line is the buried pipe carrying water from the meter into the building. A failure shows up as soggy ground, hissing, or pressure that fades to nothing. A single break may be repairable, while pipe that keeps failing is usually replaced. If the yard is flooding or the taps have gone dry, treat it as urgent and call the 24/7 line.
Say where water is surfacing and how the pressure behaves, and a contractor is assigned.
Clues of a failing water line
- Wet or sunken groundSoft soil, a damp strip or a depression between the meter and the house.
- Pressure dropTrickle instead of flow at every fixture, not just one.
- Meter runs with the house offWater leaves the meter but never reaches a tap.
Where the water line starts and stops
The utility maintains the meter and the main in the street. The dividing point between the utility's pipe and the homeowner's pipe is not the same everywhere. Ask the City of Tempe where its part ends before you pay for any work.
A break before the meter is for the utility to fix. A break after it is a plumbing job.
Patch the line or renew it
One break in otherwise healthy pipe can often be patched. A line that has failed repeatedly, or one made of worn-out material, usually deserves replacement.
A new line can go in through an open trench or through trenchless methods that need just a couple of access pits. Trenchless work spares the landscaping but only suits certain soils and pipes. Ask which approach fits your lot.
In Tempe
Pressure, age and Tempe water
Many Tempe service lines are decades old. Copper pipe can pit from the inside, and mineral-rich water speeds scale in some pipe types. The city's water quality report lists what is in the supply.
A collapse in pressure at every tap at once points to the service line or the main shutoff. A single weak faucet usually points to that fixture.
Pricing
What affects water line cost
Pricing depends on how much pipe, how deep and what is on top of it.
Pricing depends on access and pipe type. Ask what happens to the landscaping and who restores it.
Before anyone digs
Underground lines must be located and marked before digging. Arizona runs a one-call system for this, reached by dialing 811, and a contractor will normally handle the request.
Check where the main shutoff and the pressure regulator are. A bad regulator can mimic a leak by causing high or low pressure.
Signs to watch
Clues the leak is between meter and house
A failing service line gives clues outside before it does inside.
How the leak is located on a buried line
First the contractor verifies the leak is on your side of the meter. Then listening gear, pipe tracing and pressure checks shrink the break to a short stretch, and tracer gas can help with plastic pipe. Ask which of these will be used on your line.
Long runs complicate the search. If the line is very long, as on a deep lot or a property set far from the meter, expect the search to take longer and plan for access at both ends.
Low water pressure is not always a leak
Weak pressure at every fixture can come from a failing pressure regulator, a partly closed main valve, a leak in the service line or scale inside old pipe. A plumber checks static and running pressure with a gauge to tell which.
If only one fixture is weak, look at that fixture first. Aerators and cartridge stops fail more often than mains.
Replacing the line versus repairing it
Replace a service line that has failed more than once, runs through corroded pipe or uses a material the contractor flags. Repair a single break in otherwise healthy pipe. If the pipe is old enough that you suspect lead, ask the contractor and the City of Tempe how to test it. Do not guess.
Trenchless or trenching?
Pipe bursting and similar methods replace a line with small access pits. Trenching suits short runs or lots with open ground. Ask which fits your driveway, trees and landscaping.
Leaks in the yard or at the meter box
Sometimes the meter box is the culprit. A failing shutoff valve or a corroded fitting leaks into the box. The utility owns the meter, so call the City of Tempe about anything on the street side.
A leak near the valve outside the house can be a hose bib, a pressure regulator or the main shutoff. A contractor can tell which part by closing each in turn.
Other pipes worth checking
Low Water Pressure Repair
Test the pressure, then fix the aerator, valve, regulator or supply pipe that is starving your taps.
Burst Pipe Repair
Shut off the flow, then swap out the cracked or split section of pipe.
Short answers
Water line questions
Look for wet ground, a hissing sound or a meter that runs with the house off. Falling pressure at every fixture is another sign.
That depends on where the utility's responsibility ends. Ask the City of Tempe to confirm the dividing point before you commit to repairs.
In some cases. Trenchless work uses small pits but only suits certain soils, so the contractor surveys the route first.
Shut the main valve at the house or in the meter box. Keep everyone off soft ground and note the spot where water appears.
Yes. Phone at any hour, say where water surfaces, and close the main valve at the house or meter box while you wait.
Yes, phone at any hour. Tell the dispatcher where water surfaces and whether pressure remains, and close the main valve at the house or meter box meanwhile.
Price follows length, depth, what lies over the pipe and the method used. A clear quote comes from the dispatcher before work starts.
Yes, that is the usual starting point. The contractor traces the line and narrows the leak to a short stretch before any digging.
Same-day visits are available for assessment. Replacement scheduling depends on the contractor and permits, so ask on the call.
Ask the contractor and the City of Tempe how to check your line material. Tempe's Environmental Services answers lead and copper questions at 480-350-4311.
A service line break, a regulator failure or a partly closed main valve can do it. A gauge test tells which.
Sources
Figures and statements on this page that come from outside references are listed here.
Water surfacing in the yard?
Close the main if you can reach it, then ring the dispatcher and report where water is showing.