FLOODED WATER METER BOX - Can I Find the Water Leak??

[@RogerWakefield]

Do you do water line leak detection at your plumbing company?

[@MrEdcrowley100]

Roger, I'm due to start my plumbing, Gas and Heating Course soon and I've seen that there are so many theory modules to study to begin with. Do you have any tips on how best to approach studying this kind of Material?

[@81recinos]

Yes at American leak detection

[@staceyvandergriff8869]

Next time pump air through the line so you can hear the leak a lot better. And in most cases you won’t need to trace the line out given how much water was there it most likely would have started bubbling Up and you would have saved a lot of time 👍

[@muslimplumber1458]

Yes with brazing rods lol

[@glizzygoblin-nl2uh]

Roger my toilet is clogged and when i plunge it i can hear a weird echoing sound in my pipes and theres water in my basement? Please help me man

[@ScullyPop]

I love listening to Roger talk about plumbing.

[@Lachm83]

We all do my man

[@HempTemp]

Thats why we're here

[@stanhargrove4753]

I'm a concrete finisher in Illinois and I'm watching your videos bc I like to see someone that knows their trade teach people and be so humble and honest in your business! Shout out to ya man keep plumbing

[@jimmywatkins7337]

I had a leak in front yard just after we first moved into our house 10 years ago. I called our city water department and they found where the leak was and helped me dig down to it. And they told me how to fix it. They saved me a lot of money. $10 fix.

[@gesa-marie634]

Honestly I don’t know anything about plumbing and I’m German so some words are difficult to understand as well, but you are so entertaining and fun to watch! I really love your videos and after a bad day I just watch you and feel better 💫 Thank you 🙏

[@tizwah]

Same here Gesa.

[@GromeMoose]

Hey Rodger love this channel I do leak detection in New Jersey and people who have used our services love seeing the plumbers dig the area and the leak be there. Blows there mind!! Again love the channel I’ve learned so much from you to help me be a better leak detection technician. I seen one of your videos and you said never stop learning and I agree to be the best you need to learn and keep learning things change everyday. Good luck to you and hope you stay healthy and safe.

[@nanajoanne867]

My daught just had a water leak fixed here in Memphis Tennessee. Thry did nothing like you did. They told her they had to did to find the leak & that would be $2,400. which she paid today 4-12-21. I told her I thought it was possible to listen to the ground and search for a water leak, he said that wasn't done for water leaks only backed up sewage. Thank you so much for showing us consumers how it's really done. I'll pass your video on.

[@wandameadows5736]

dowsing rods work

[@korbin856]

I’m 19 about to start my plumbing career hopefully soon. Thank you roger.

[@foreverplumbing3268]

Great choice! Good luck!

[@86lowrider]

I lived in a house trailer 40 years ago. The water line from the well was around 50? Yards long. They used thin wall black plastic 3/4” line in rocky ground. So punctures were just waiting to happen. To find them I would put about 50 lbs of air pressure to the line. Take a broom handle press it against the ground and my ear and listen. Wouldn’t take long and I’d hear the gurgling. Then dig in the rocks and usually frozen ground 4’ down. Didn’t have the money to have it replaced. And the well dried up late summer anyway so when I did get the money we drilled a well. It sucked 😁😁

[@cabbyhubby]

I use a piece of 1" PVC, you can hear through it well

[@PDXBeach]

yes! I had a leak at the foundation, but it was actually created by me when I installed a similar system, I tied into the water line adjacent where it came into the house. The fitting broke, likely because of water pressure as it went into the check valve. The plumber installed a PVC slip fitting of some kind that would allow the pipe to not stress the fitting but to move when under pressure. Never seen a fitting like that.

[@markbrouwer4901]

i'm not even a plumber or planning to be one but i really enjoy watching your video's. keep it up!

[@thickmingo3381]

honestly dont know a thing about plumbing, but this guy makes it super entertaining to watch

[@RetiredPilot]

When I built my house I ran the water line inside a big O pipe. It would take about a half hour to replace the line but it is not likely to need replacing as it is 6 feet down and protected by the big O pipe.

[@charlesking678]

I've learned the hard way when locating leaks, or sewer blockages to not mark the exact location where you need to dig with paint. Too many times I've located and gave a price, only for them to start shopping my estimate around and a competing plumber look at the makings on the ground and under bid me and get the work. Now I give an estimate. If they want to go with it, I then mark things and dig. If not they aren't gonna be using me for my knowledge and expertise for someone else to get my money. Nope.

[@TransitRadio]

I used to work for my dad as a Glazier. Whenever people wanted a quote for a new window, he would ALWAYS add 1-1/2" to the actual window size when giving them a paper copy. That way if they went somewhere else for a cheaper window, they would screw themselves over if they used the measurements provided on the estimate.

[@shawn13mertle13]

Worked for a service plumbing company not long ago.They used plastic tripod 4 inch colored plastic markers.I just learned something from you thank you.

[@Ruben901]

I always give out estimates through the phone, even though they keep hounding for a quote. When i show up in person, i give them a solid quote. Too much competition pretending to be homeowners, and too many homeowners browsing for prices.

[@charlesking678]

@@Ruben901 I strongly disagree with phone quotes. Over the phone you don't have the opportunity to sell yourself. All you're gonna get are customers that are price shoppers and price shoppers aren't loyal. A better way to eliminate tire kickers and time wasters is to charge a trip charge. It doesn't have to be much. Can be $29. If someone is willing to pay the trip fee to have you come out and evaluate their issue then they are serious about getting work done and while you're there you'll have the opportunity to up sell and/or sell other jobs while you're there. You can't do that over the phone so a phone quote severely is limiting your income potential.

[@justinparker3791]

We use pvc schedule 40 for our water service lines here in Florida. However, we have no code requirements when it comes to freezing. If it’s a leak in the yard we always dig it up and repair that leak, and we visually inspect the water line and then determine if it needs to be replaced

[@schnauzermom9325]

I had a hot water line leak under my slab and hardwood floors. I hired a leak detection plumber and he traced the line and leak as well as uncovered the location of my manifold/distribution point. I hired a separate plumber to replace my Pex line, however, we ran it through the attic and left the old line abandoned in place. That cost me about $2000 leak inspection and line replacement. A LOT better than digging up the slab in my LR/Kitchen/Laundry.

[@ivannajera9704]

Who likes to listen about roger talk about plumbing and you don’t even have a plumbing problem

[@HScorching]

Lol. It's like when I watch ChrisFix channel and I don't have a car yet but I love his content.

[@sajen23]

I haul propane to residential customers and also install tanks. I use this channel to help me with my piping :)

[@adammartinez5666]

If the main line to your house is steel, please do not use copper. All you're going do is creating a corrosion cell. The diffrent metals will interact in a chemical reaction that will corrode at the points of contact. Final result.. more leaks!! Starting my own business specializing in leak detection for water distribution systems and cathodic protection. Love your channel

[@jayp9029]

Have a very similar leak right now!! Going to try and fix it tomorrow!! Thanks for the video!

[@RogerWakefield]

Good luck!

[@boby115]

Roger, plastic ( non copper) water services can be located if the plumbing industry would start requiring trace wires be installed with all non copper services. My personal feeling is if something goes in the ground it must be traceable and be color coded for the particular industry it is involved with (. Yellow (gas) Blue (water) Orange ( communication, fiber optic) Red ( electric, electric conduit ) & any other underground installations (ect). What are your thoughts on the subject?

[@josephnorton1996]

If you separate the union from the meter, you can run an electrician wire pulling tape into the line and charge that. Have used this method in a bind a few times with success.

[@boby115]

@@josephnorton1996 , that is a great idea. I use that technique once to locate a pool Heater fuel run that did not have a trace wire. Joseph, thanks for the tip.

[@atypical_moto]

The ole "stir the mud and see where the water clears up first" method, has never failed me in 12 years as a commercial irrigator lol. The water meter indicated a leak so we know what side it's on. The mud only goes so far, so we've got about a 5 ft length where we know the leak is, in this case. No need to even look further. Sometimes technology can actually slow us down. I've learned that when it comes to troubleshooting bad valve wires. Spend an hour listening to beeps and boops in your headset, and you finally arrive at the obvious problem that only required eyeballs to locate. Check the obvious stuff first. If that fails, break out the technology.

[@akui88]

well, called a large plumbing company, they came and told me it would be 700$ just to start off, they think it was the water pressure regulator or PRV. they didn't pull any equipment, they just started to dig found a cracked plastic PRV, replaced it with a "better" quality PRV and charged me 900$. this house was 4 years old and 80% of my neighbors have had the PRV replaced. IDK if that is normal for PRV's to fail at such an alarming rate.

[@tonalligirl]

Where is this at?

[@bigfunkman6876]

Great video, like the use of equipment. Too bad the leak is so close to the water meter box. i would have loved to see it located further away. i would have suspected the muddy patch just after the meter box, but that could be from the boots going over it a few times. in my experience the leak has been under the driveway lately.

[@mikehunt8823]

I have never seen a ground microphone like yours, i use the old school wooden top type, I do have an elephant foot ground mic but it's only good for hard ground. I recommend the Sewerin gas trace kit for hard to find leaks, you put the gas in the meter connection and use a sniffer to pinpoint leaks, really good bit of kit I have a really expensive leak noise correlator but the gas sniffer better.

[@jaysonpaseur9670]

I’m 18 and just got hired as an apprentice, let’s see how this goes!

[@xephael3485]

This is a lot of work for this situation, I would have started digging immediately.😂

[@MrTONIUX]

Me too 😂

[@akui88]

i had a leak and the guy's who i called, just started to dig, they didn't pull any equipment, they found the leak under the PRV, which was plastic and made in china, they replaced it with an all cooper PRV. maybe it will last longer than 4 years, this house was built in 2015.

[@ivannajera9704]

I would’ve gottem one of does spiral shovels and a metal detector

[@steakwilliams4448]

akui88 your PRV was underground?

[@akui88]

@@steakwilliams4448 yes, it is installed a few feet from the water meter, i think my city requires it.

[@rupe53]

I wont say you have it easy, but in Texas I doubt they put water lines down 3-4 ft like they do up north. Around here we look for the septic system by finding (or asking about) the brown place in the lawn every July. (or first snow melt) In your case a water leak is probably wherever the grass is growing like a weed because of the extra water. Sometimes all you need is a good set of eyeballs! (and a little logic)

[@waynecurr9569]

Had those same tires on my truck .

[@Zalagar619]

Call the plumber out for a leak and he Aerates your lawn too! Score!

[@PaulPeck]

Awesome set of tools Roger! That's how a pro does it!!

[@titohornbuckle6604]

Been missing a few vids,Mr. Wakefiekd is the koolest RMP with the koolest vids!

[@TheBcartman123]

It's like hulk hogan if he was a plumber lol🤣🤣🤣

[@danieldawson222]

Little trick I use is to isolate the main,put a pressure gauge on one end ,cap the meter side and "air" test it! Trust me you'll find the leak!

[@jorgepalma6750]

Hey roger, my father and I run a plumbing repair company, and looking for a new leak detection system. Our old system we would call American leak detection to help us out, but they increased their prices and take about three days to come out, which we don’t like. I’m a new journeyman so I am not quite sure which device you are showcasing in this video, anyway you can recommend one? Also my father is an old school plumber like you, with little experience with leak detection systems

[@mikehunt8823]

I have been using a gas trace system made by a company called Sewerin, iv had good results with it and its easy to use you isolate the supply, put the gas In through the meter connection then use a sniffer to pinpoint leaks, it's worth the money.

[@Me_preppy]

I just use a pressure valve attached to a compressor. I hook up to the outside faucet and run 50psi of air and see the bubbles immmediately .

[@sweat319]

Thanks for your information

[@shaneksmith1957]

Thanks!

[@romanj1974jr]

Roger do you have a video or if not can you make one with the actual sounds of leaks on various pipe materials and surfaces.. there are so many leak detection videos out there but rarely with the sound of the actual leaks..

[@peterking7165]

A shovel would have found that issue in about 5 min instead of all that mucking around it wasn’t always going to be right where you found it being your on quite a flat piece of land. A bit of over kill there mate.

[@waltradcliffe4482]

I just got a bad surprise I have repaired and replaced several water lines over the years my renter just got a notice of a high usage this month hoping it was at the foundation and a quick repair I find out the place has steel water lines and look very old and rotted no repairing them how long ago did the use steel?

[@stevenwhittington6365]

I just did a pvc water line that I had to trace in Mansfield that had like 5 swing joint repairs on it so I could only run the fish tape so far when I was locating. It was all to find the prv. House had low pressure. That was a nightmare

[@boby115]

Steve, if you want to locate a line that has elbows just grab a roll of string and a small Styrofoam ball. Install the string through the Styrofoam ball and knot it good. Now get a very strong shop vacuum and vacuum the string through your line. Once the string is through, tie it off to a trace wire & pull it through with the string. Now you have something to locate.

[@stevenwhittington6365]

Bob Y interesting I’ll have to try that

[@ihasarax]

3:50 you herd bros phone start ringing 😂😂😂😂

[@randallvillanueva4386]

I use a 1in pipe that leaves a hole and iv found leaks like to find the least amount of resistance and come out of the 1in pipe faster the closer it is

[@timothy7768]

Roger, gotta ask in this situation can you say if the water meter was running on the customer side where the leak was found? Asking because I'm running into a similar situation but the plumber basically told me if my meter is not running then the leak is on the city side. Water is pooling in water meter box at the street.

[@corsairtpg8765]

Which Leak Detection took do you use? If you don’t mind sharing that knowledge

[@wandameadows5736]

Now I feel good about finding mine in 10 minutes with a trench shovel & dowsing rods.

[@warcraftaddict117]

Hey Roger! You got any recommendations of plumbers in the Conroe area of Texas? Thank you SO much for concise and informative videos!

[@jontexas6685]

Do you have any recommendations for folks who can do this in the BUDA TX area? Thanks!

[@kenschrand]

Don’t know if you can help but my problem is my water meter is sinking in my front yard due to settling. No leaks noticed but front looks like shit. Any solutions? Thanks

[@mawizard6341]

I may have a leak in my well pump line. I know it's all pvc. What would be the best way to try and fix this?

[@edwardgarza5555]

Hello Mr. Wakefield, I’m a plumber here in Texas and enjoyed the video heard you said that the tool that you have will not work on plastic lines is there any equipment that word

[@sqike001ton]

This gives me nightmares I'm a water sewer guy and I hate leak hunting mains it's a nightmare

[@Brandyebee]

I think I need this service! There on always standing water by my water utility box but no big water bills maybe a low leak. I am in Savannah Tx by Frisco. Maybe I can call your company.

[@RogerWakefield]

Rescue Air & Plumbing

[@stromgoodman9119]

I work for a water department. What's the name of the probe scope you are using?

[@JB-jk3ow]

Roger, why would you suggest Pex over Endopure for underground? It's superior in every way. 250psi vs 160psi you can get in up to 2500ft rolls as well. Fittings fit over the pipe instead of inside even though it's still Uponor. Teach me the ways...there's a reason utility companies use Endopure??

[@DARTHFEAR0N]

The fittings are super expensive

[@JB-jk3ow]

@@DARTHFEAR0N you're talking 2 total fittings at $15 a piece pal.. Worth the cost tenfold...

[@boby115]

@@JB-jk3ow , you are correct, if a major water utility uses it, you can pretty much rest assured it is a very good product. Unlike Plumbing contractors, water utilities have a research and development department ( usually guys and gals with engineering or physics degrees). Utilities know they are responsible for the maintenance and repairs for the life of the system , so you can bet they want that system to last for as long as possible.

[@Chris-uh7nm]

I had a leak in the sprinkler line. While fixing it he sabotaged a sprinkler head close by that I had just replaced a week before. When I confronted him he did not deny but went ahead and replaced it. The next day he came back with the pretext to test the line. He called me out of the house to show me a leak on another line that was not there before. He kicked him out of the yard and told him not to come back. I ended up spending a few hours digging and installing a coupling on the line. Hard to find honest people anymore.

[@ChooChooRooter]

If it’s PVC what do you suggest Lace 1/2 Pex thu the 3/4 or pull a new line thu with a drag and tug system This way you don’t have to cut thu that big pretty concrete drive????

[@JB-jk3ow]

Lol what did I just read??? You want to choke down water volume to the diameter of a straw or you actually suggesting you could pull the pipe out of the ground horizontally? If you don't want to cut up concrete it's called trenchless boring

[@Me_preppy]

Use one of those splitting heads and attach your 3/4 pex to it going outwards to the meter. Run your fishing line through and use a pulley system to pull the splitter. It takes me hours to replace a whole service line without digging or messing with concrete.

[@wtfroggers]

What’s the price range to repair that issue? Thanks.

[@Canon1986]

What type of listening device is that. I've been looking into acoustic locators for plastic lines and that may assist.

[@JB-jk3ow]

Leaktronics

[@nickbryant2318]

What would you have done if the line was pex or pvc and you couldn't trace it?

[@StinyGinkle]

Witchery rods

[@JB-jk3ow]

@@StinyGinkle uh no... water pulse generator is correct way...

[@wubuck79]

Burn the leg of a toad over a black candle. At midnight, stand in the general area of the suspected leak. After turning and offering salutations to the Four Winds, throw the charred toad leg into the air with your eyes closed. Start digging wherever it lands. Works every time.

[@Me_preppy]

@@wubuck79 lmao

[@jd.garcia7555]

Ok u said ur an expert in plumbing. I respect that, u said u have been in the trade for 40 years but by the look of ur plumbing license number, u have only been a master plumber for a few years. U either failed the test many times or were working with just a journeyman license.

[@ezdinero9813]

So if its plastic line how do you locate it

[@edbutler9271]

I have been an apprentice for a year fir my Army buddy RMP. He has probe rods, but it looks like you are listening to yours. What is it please?

[@justtina577]

Help Roger - the plumber cannot seem to find the leak having done some digging he now wants to dig up the path surmising that the leak could be there, regardless he fixed a leak a year and a half ago that was close to the meter. Unbeknown to me my meter was ticking over and I was notified by the council and water is coming out onto the road from the drain. Now the same thing is happening again only the plumber cannot seem to find the leak though he has dug some sort of a line in the grass and now has not been back for over a month. I live in the top unit of 3 units which was a two storey house. There are 3 meters and only mine is ticking over. I do not have any outdoor hose or irrigation - i have pictures if you would like to view them - can you offer any advice about this issue? I live in NSW Australia.

[@cartertheodore]

Hi Roger Wakefield

[@hotbam37]

For plastic main water lines do you send a metal rod through the line to trace it with electromagnetic signal ?

[@tonalligirl]

Thats my same question

[@ireneewing9577]

How can I tell if it the city fault for leak or mines? Water was bubbling at the water box in yard

[@Me_preppy]

Call your 811 or your local eater dept

[@dustinmcewen2504]

The reason you replace the line is because the whole line will continue to get leaks over time even if you do a repair thats just putting a bandaid on. Not a permanent solution.

[@vinnygoombatts1458]

In the time it took to locate everything and dig up the leak, you could have replaced the line with a pex line, super easy and fast.

[@leonidkolesnyk4928]

Hello Roger Good job. What brand of equipment you use for location? Thanks Leo Vancouver

[@wahbii]

Would you recommend polyethylene or copper on the main?

[@Me_preppy]

Pex

[@caseydangar1193]

Yea, this guy just spent alot of time with high tech tools that was not necessary. I could tell you with certainly where that leak was within a foot or 2 and have made the right call within 60 seconds of being at that location. Why in gods name was he looking at all these places where he didn't need to. If its this obvious where the leak is, there is not need for that much nonsense.

[@derekwilliams2667]

Who else watches these without being a plumber

[@josephnorton1996]

I have tracked many of leak with a stethoscope and probing rod. I have found that in my area the old galvanized lines are so bad once they start leaking, they need to be replaced. A few months after the repairs on those old lines, and the next weak point turns into a leak, which my company(the last guys who touched it) has a hard time explaining was not our fault. Because of this, if the water lines are old gal, we do not repair them, we just replace.

[@crazeguy26]

I know how you feel is like that on the Ford Triton engines popping spark plugs.

[@nolantanaka565]

Uponor!!?? Wat the? How’s about type k copper pipe soft roll

[@danieldawson222]

Nolan tanaka, hope you are being sarcastic! Have you ever rolled out type K soft?

[@boby115]

@@danieldawson222 , you are correct, type K is very stiff. Nolan, if you want to use copper, just use soft L & insert it in a cheap casing ( black plastic tubing). The price of K copper is very expensive.

[@JB-jk3ow]

I only do type k Cambridge soft roll or Endopure for underground and no joints. Sleeving it is even better

[@boby115]

@@JB-jk3ow , there's nothing wrong with K copper as long as it does not get stolen. I would think it could last well over a hundred years.

[@albertodiaz6164]

Sucks that the most expensive equipment makes the job easier ..

[@mth2068]

way too easy, let see you find one that is plastic and not water satiating the location. You find one like that and I will be impressed.

[@pjplumber2146]

I love how copper guys assume everybody uses copper. How do you locate pvc? Break out the Witcher. The leak is at most 3-4’ from meter. Could’ve been dug and done.

[@JB-jk3ow]

Water pulse generator for non-metallic pipes. Witcher is a bunch of hog wash

[@josephnorton1996]

I have ran electrician wire pulling tape into the plastic...from the union at the meter. You can charge that to trace plastic.

[@boby115]

Witching does work but in no way are they a hundred percent(50/50).I'm not a biologist but it's funny, some people cannot get them to work at all and other people like me can get the bent hangers to turn on a dime. I guess it has to do with a person's body magnetism (?). Worked for a gas utility 35 years and my success rate was definitely over 50% but with today's technology we really don't have to use that technique anymore . It's nice to prove to the young kids it can be done and I won quite a few bets proving it.

[@pjplumber2146]

😆 sry didn’t mean to start a whole thread. But yeah I can witch. And no it’s not perfect or exact. But it has saved me a couple times. I was just poking at this guy using a sonar when he is slopping in water. Lol the leak is right there. I love sonar in my area. Old creek beds and rocky soil will hide a leak every time. His boots slapped water and he still went to sonar. I usually dig if I find water. The leak is there.

[@boby115]

@@pjplumber2146 , you always want to check the simplest things first. Just like in the movie Sling Blade when everybody's trying to figure out that lawn mower and Billy Bob Thornton comes over and says " there ain't no gas in it " LOL.

[@elena_m19]

use dowsing rods to find pipes. Cheaper than what your using and more effective. I have seen it working well.

[@xephael3485]

Dousing rods are BS..

[@ChooChooRooter]

2nd

[@edwinromero7563]

Do you think a non plummer can start this business on finding leaks?

[@vtwinbreed]

Man! I was supportive of you until I saw you bought a dodge/fiat/Renault product. My dude.. Do you hate money? lol

[@81recinos]

You need to invest in better equipment good video though

[@jonathanbailey4904]

Or you could just look in that big muddy area you're standing in.

[@njongomatole6037]

Why this guy is working alone

[@JB-jk3ow]

Imagine that, the water leak is located where the standing water is in the yard when the rest of the yard is bone dry.. did it really take $3k worth of equipment to verify the smoking gun signs? You Texas plumbers...how does the homeowner feel about you poking around their yard for an hour or two for labor? That's the million dollar question..

[@DARTHFEAR0N]

I use similar equipment and found leaks several feet away from the standing water in a yard. I've seen water borrow little tunnels underground and pop up 7 to 10' away from the leak and I DON'T live in Texas

[@JB-jk3ow]

@@DARTHFEAR0N you're always gonna navigate to the wetness my friend. Do you live in pure sand?

[@DARTHFEAR0N]

Florida

[@JB-jk3ow]

@@DARTHFEAR0N I've worked for a many millionaire clients out of Naples, a special kind of a-hole breed...up here in the North East part of the U.S.

[@josephnorton1996]

9/10 times here in Ga red clay...the leak is not where the water surfaces. It follows the trench and pops up wherever is weakest.