Water Main Leakage

[cgwilson2]

I currently live in a community that is connected to a single water main and meter for approximately 300 units. At some point the water bills have increased to a point that it now averages three time that of a normal "single" family home for each unit. It sounds to me like a pipe is leaking. Is there a way to check the pipe for leaks. What options are there for fixing the problem?

Cgwilson2
Ocean Eng.

 

[Maury]

The best place to start is with a visual examination of the site, looking for areas that are wet when they shouldn't be. Leaks will often occur at valves, when the packing around the operating stem fails, and at hydrants. If fire hydrants have been tested recently, one may not have bben fully closed. Find out if any of the homeowners is having a problem with low pressure. This could indicate a leak in a service line. The volume of leakage you are reporting should be showing up somewhere. There are firms that specialize in locating water leaks.

Have you considered the possibility that the meter is malfunctioning and giving incorrect readings?

 

[dicksewerrat]

You can place a small section of pipe against one of the pipes entering a unit. Turn off the water to the unit. If you here a sound you have a leak near that unit. Go around the project and listen until you reduce the area to investigate. Who is responsible for the maintenance on this water line?

 

[KRSServices]

Firstly, are each of the resident's metered? It doesn't sound like it, but have to ask.

I suspect that you are situated in granular or porous soils, otherwise a large leak would have surfaced or there would be some nasty depressions/failures in the road (assuming the pipe is in the roadway.

I would firstly examine the types of water usage in your area, particularly if unmetered. Are there any residents with automatic spriklers? How often is watering (lawns, driveways, etc) taking place? What does your water bill look like in winter versus summer? Is there a dramatic difference (assuming of course that the bills are a function of total metered flow equally split based on number of hookups?

KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[VTWater]

Call your local state National Rural Water Association. They will have circuit riders who can provide no cost leak detection services to your water system. If you live in say Virginia you would look for the Virgina Rural Water Association. Your state water dept. should be able to assist you in contacting them.

 

[HydroJo]

There are many ways to pick up clues as indicated by the above useful responses. The final sure way of knowing if there is a significant leak is to compare inflow vs outflow meter readings. The best way to then find the precise leak location is by sounding techniques (if not already located visually) for which there are specialist firms.

If you are concerned about realistic consumption rates we would normally expect 150 litres per person per day plus alllowance for inductrial/commercial. On top of this consumption leakage should not exceed 25% in a decent network.

 

[KRSServices]

Hydro,

To give another perspective on systems, my experience on non-metered has been as high as 1000 litres/capita/day on some really hot summer days. Metered residential - anywhere from 235 l/c/d to 380 l/c/d. The major difference was the cost (per m3) of water. Am I correct in assuming that the systems you are referring to have a very high cost per litre of water. I would be very interested in sharing notes and looking at comparisons with you.

KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com