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Is your water bill three to four times higher than normal? Do you notice a lack of water pressure in our home? Have you spotted a wet, muddy area in your front yard, even though it hasn't been raining? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, your home's main waterline probably needs replaced. If you've noticed any of these issues, and perhaps your home is getting a few years on it, chances are the main water service line from the water meter to your home has broken, cracked, or split. This comes from age, faulty piping (explained later), root growth, or sometimes improper initial installation. Sometimes, the only thing you will notice is an increase in your water bill. Water is not always visible in your yard due to the leak, and pressure issues are even more rare. But when a $30 water bill becomes a $100, or even a $500 one, it's time to call us.
Your home's main water service line extends from your water meter all the way (underground) to your home, entering in one of several places: through a basement wall, through a crawlspace access, or penetrating up through the concrete slab, if your home is built that way. The waterline is generally 3/4" or 1" in diameter, depending on the size of your home. It can be made of one of several materials: PVC, copper, polybutylene, polyethylene, galvanized steel, or in rare cases, CPVC. Each of these materials presents its own set of pros and cons. Let's go through them quickly so you'll have an understanding of why each is installed.
PVC (poly-vinyl chloride) is the common white plastic pipe you are probably familiar with. It offer low costs, coupled with ease of installation. However, it has a tendency to break with extreme temperature changes. Copper is a very strong and somewhat flexible metal that is a popular and proven material. It has a long life span and offers the benefit of strength. It is, however, expensive, and in some cases will oxidize (greenish, rust-like substance) in the ground if certain chemicals are present in the soil.
Polybutylene is the blue (sometimes grey) plastic piping that was installed in millions of homes across the U.S., only to fail extensively and cost its manufacturer billions in class-action lawsuits. Pinholes, cracks, breaks, and complete failures are commonplace with blue/grey poly. The most commonly understood cause behind its massive failure was an over-sensitivity to the chlorine in our water. Galvanized steel is common in much older homes, and as such, has its own set of problems. After a number of years, it rusts heavily, crumbling and eventually rusting through. CPVC is a form of PVC used for hot water applications, and was never truly meant to be installed underground. It will survive, however, for many years without problems. Polyethylene piping is a flexible, durable plastic pipe used in many new homes and large scale commercial applications. It offers great flexibility, extreme strength, and low costs. It will also expand and contract with temperature and pressure changes, allowing for year-round assurance. It is considered by many to be the best product on the current market for waterline installation. This is the ONLY product we use, having installed over 24,000waterlines in this material with ZERO complaints.
Our installation process for our waterlines is an innovative, inexpensive, and often mess-free way of replacing your current service line. Whenever possible, we use trenchless, rod-boring technology to install your new waterline without digging up your yard. A small access hole at each end of the waterline is often all that's necessary for your complete installation. Due to some landscaping placement or yard layouts, trenching is sometimes necessary. But more often than not, we will leave your home, waterline installed, and you will never even know we were there. We also use brass fittings at connecting points of your new waterline to ensure strength and long life, as opposed to plastic fittings commonly found on older lines. The best part is, even with the newest technology, highest quality materials, most experienced technicians, the longest warranty (10 years) and quickest service, we still manage to maintain the best prices, as well as matching or beating any competitor's written estimate.
Call Atlanta Water Heaters today for your free estimate. You'll be glad you did.
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