Today I finally got serious about this water leak that’s been jabbing at me regularly over the last year. At first I thought it was the spa overflow valve so I kept trying to no avail to get the spa guy and the spa plumbing guy to address it. Then I got an hour-by-hour water usage run over a few weeks and noticed that this time the water loss was not when the spa was running like before. This time the report showed heavy usage in the early morning when my irrigation system was running. But it also showed a heavy hourly usage that was pretty steady, a pattern that wasn’t evident on a similar usage run I requested in April.
I began thinking that the problem might have shifted to my irrigation system, which has always shown as the biggest user of water for my property. So, I did what I’ve done in the past and called my irrigation guy, Andre, who, unlike my spa guy, is 100% competent and who I trust completely. Andre made time for me like he always does. He came over and ran a few tests and shows me how my water meter (located 200 yards away at the corner) was still running like a house on fire even though both the house and the irrigation lines were shut off. That could only mean one thing…that there was a meaningful leak in the main line delivery system. He recommended I call the most professional leak detection company out there, an outfit called CPL.
Here’s what Valley Center Municipal Water Department’s own guidance for finding a leak at my property says: Shut off all water use, Locate your meter, Check the meter. I had already done all that, by calling CPL (Cable, Pipe & Leak Detection), a San Diego-based company that’s been doing utility locating and leak detection work throughout Southern California since 1976. They specialize in finding underground slab leaks, outside water leaks, and locating underground utilities, using methods like ground-penetrating radar, helium tracer gas, and CCTV pipe inspection. They’re not affiliated with VCMWD specifically, but rather they’re an independent contractor commonly used by homeowners, businesses, and government agencies in the region (including San Diego County) when a leak can’t be found with basic DIY steps. They’re expensive, but so is water at over $7/HCF (Hundred Cubic Feet).
When CPL showed up, I gave them a quick tour and off they went. They immediately told me about a visible leak in my spa equipment, but said that was minor and not the real problem. Then they got down to pressure testing the lines and using their radar and sonographic equipment to listen to the lines. After a few hours, they found it. Next to the driveway, down 2-3 feet below a medium-sized succulent (a Hen & Chicks bush), there was a break in the main water line feeding the house. I could see the water bubbling up from the hole they had dug. They then said, “but that’s not all…” They then handed me a copper nut of about 1”x2” that they said had sheered off the backflow valve next to the meter. They explained that they had to shut off the main valve and that the backflow valve had blown when they pressurized the system for their investigation. Not surprisingly, they said it was not their fault and that the backflow valve was old and weak. I asked about the break in the main line and said they had flagged it, but that they just detect, and they do not repair.
I called both my plumber (Johnny) and the VCMWD to discuss the emergency, since our water was off until something got fixed. Johnny would come when he finished his current job and VCMWD was on its way. VCMWD came and explained that the backflow was my responsibility. The good news was that they were quick, the bad news was that they predictably took no responsibility.
Johnny showed up at 6pm and worked until 8:30 on the backflow to enable the water to get turned on. He extracted the broken 1/4” brass fitting from the existing valve assembly at the Backflow device. The fitting was carefully removed from the existing valve body, the remaining material was cleaned and prepared, and a replacement brass 1/4” fittings/materials were installed to temporarily restore water service. The system was tested for leaks before the water service was restored.
Johnny had to give me the name of another fellow plumber to address the main line leak tomorrow, but noted that I needed to dig the leak area out. He also said that I needed to contact a certified backflow testing company to perform the required testing and evaluation of the backflow prevention assembly… and would probably need to replace the unit he had fixed.
I got our local day laborer to come over at 8am tomorrow to dig out the leak area. Then, the other plumber, who’s contact information was given to me by Johnny, will come over to fix the pipe. With any luck I will get this fixed tomorrow, allowing me to get the front garden back in order before our fiesta Saturday. The water is already on, so we are on our way. The certified back flow valve will be for another day.
My estimate for the fix is about $4,000, which translates into about six months of water leakage cost. I’m not sure if that’s a good deal or not, but at this point I’m just glad it’s all gettin’ done.
P.S. It took most of the day, but it all got done and by 9am tomorrow everything should be back to normal…at least plumbing-wise.