He Opened the Meter Box Himself and Watched It Spin: An Underground Burst in Oakdene
Some people call me unsure whether they even have a problem. Kevin was not one of them. He had already done the detective work himself, and his message said it plainly:
"We have an unusually high water bill. No visible leaks. I opened the blue box outside on road. The meter is spinning like crazy. This must be an underground leak. I need some help as soon as possible please."
He was right on every count.
What I found
A visual inspection confirmed what Kevin already suspected: no visible leaks anywhere on the property, and the water meter recording a steady flow even with everything switched off. The water was going underground.
I worked through my tests, a pressure test to confirm the loss, then trace gas and an acoustic microphone to locate it. The leak was on the cold water supply line, burst underground, with no visible sign on the surface. Exactly the kind of leak that runs up a shocking bill while giving a homeowner nothing to see.
Underground Leak location
Proposed bypass of the leak
What I recommended
Finding the leak is one thing. Making sure it does not happen again is another, and on this job the two answers were different.
The burst was on a supply pipe running underground beneath concrete. It could have been dug up and repaired in place, but that leaves the same pipe in the same position, under the same concrete, with the same chance of failing again in a few years. And next time it would be the same disruptive job to reach it.
So I advised Kevin to bypass the leak and lift the water supply pipe out from under the concrete altogether. It costs a little more up front and it saves the whole problem recurring later, with the pipe accessible if it ever does need attention again.
Why it matters
An underground supply leak runs day and night, and because it pushes your total use into the City's highest charging step, every litre is billed at the top rate.
The report Kevin received showed exactly where the burst was, so his plumber could open one spot rather than dig up the yard guessing.
Thank you for pointing out where the suspected leak was. We re-routed the plumbing as Werner suggested and fitted a meter on our side . Thanks again for a job well done and for the quick response. - KEVIN
Bypassed leak
New water meter
If your meter is spinning like Kevin's
Open the box, watch the dial with everything off, and if it is moving, you have a leak. Fill in our online form with details about what your bill has been doing.
