A leaking water service line can go unnoticed for weeks or even months, especially in the summer months. When your family is actively enjoying outdoor recreation activities, that may mean more frequent showers, more loads of laundry, and filling up the swimming pool. In addition, in the drought conditions that are currently affecting most of the country, you may be using a lot more water for outdoor watering.
All of these things add up to higher water usage which can hide one of the first signs of a water line leak. For most homeowners, an unusually high water bill is the first indication that they may have a leak in their water service line, but if you are using more water than normal to maintain your lawn, fill your pool, or for showers and laundry, you might not notice the increase in your water usage caused by a water leak.
The next most common indication of a water leak is a wet or soggy spot in the yard that never seems to dry out. When the rest of the yard is bone dry, this area will be soft or even mushy and the grass will be greener and grow taller in this area. If you have a mushy, wet area in the yard, you should definitely have it checked out by a good local plumber.
Wet spots in the yard can be a sign that you need water line repairs. If you have an irrigation sprinkler system, a wet spot can be a sign of a leak or other malfunction in your system. Wet spots can also indicate a leak in your swimming pool or the pool filter plumbing. If it is a smelly wet area, you could have a problem with your septic system or sewer line.
