What the job covers
Main water line repair and replacement, meter to house
One buried pipe feeds every fixture in the house. When it leaks, you pay for water that never reaches a faucet.
The main water line, also called the service line or yard line, carries water from the meter box near the street to the house. It usually enters near the front foundation and rises to a shut-off valve before feeding the plumbing inside.
Depending on the pipe and the damage, the fix is a single repair coupling or a new line end to end. Older galvanized lines rust from the inside, while copper and plastic lines tend to fail at joints or where rock or roots press on them.
- Pinpointing the leak along the yard line, with electronic leak detection when it is not obvious
- Spot repairs on copper, polyethylene, PVC, PEX and galvanized service lines
- Full replacement from the meter to the house, in an open trench or by boring under the lawn
- A new main shut-off valve and, where pressure runs high, a pressure-reducing valve
- Trench backfilled and compacted, and irrigation lines crossed along the way reconnected
Signs and causes
Why does the yard stay wet when it hasn’t rained?
A buried leak rarely announces itself. It shows up as one of these, often several at once.
| What you notice | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Meter dial or leak indicator moving with all water off | Water escaping between the meter and the fixtures, often in the yard line |
| A soft, extra-green or sunken strip between the street and the house | A line leaking underground, easiest to spot in dry weeks |
| Pressure dropped at every fixture at once | A break on the main, a failed pressure-reducing valve or a valve partly closed |
| Water bill up with no change in use | A slow leak running constantly below ground |
| Rusty water after the line is shut off and reopened | Corroding galvanized service pipe |
Ground movement does most of the damage. East of I-35, Blackland clay swells after rain and shrinks in August, pulling on joints. West of it, lines sit in shallow trenches over limestone, where a rock edge can wear through pipe over the years.
Cold is the other cause. Winter Storm Uri split lines near meters and foundations in February 2021, and one of our reviewers watched water run across a snow-covered driveway that week.
Step by step
From a spinning meter to a backfilled trench
Buried pipe means the order matters: confirm, locate, then dig only where it counts.
Confirm the leak and whose side it is on
With every fixture off, we watch the meter, then close the main shut-off at the house. If the meter still moves, the leak is in the yard line; if it stops, the leak is inside.
Mark utilities, then find the spot
A Texas 811 request gets gas, power and cable lines marked before any digging. We then narrow the leak down by sound, by probing soft ground or with electronic detection.
Options before any work
A single leak on sound pipe gets a repair. Galvanized, a second leak or a line under a new driveway may be worth replacing. You hear both options and the price.
Dig or bore
A repair is one hole at the leak. A replacement goes in an open trench, or is bored and pulled under the lawn, walk and driveway when the ground allows.
Pressure check and flush
The line is opened slowly to purge air, pressure is checked from the meter to the house, and sediment is flushed out of faucets and the water heater inlet.
Backfill and close out
The trench is backfilled and compacted, the meter box is left clean, and a full replacement gets its city inspection where the job requires a permit.
Cost
Water line repair in Georgetown, TX: what moves the price
A pinhole two feet from the foundation and a failed line under a driveway are both water line repairs.
That is why we quote on site, once the leak is found and the route is walked. These are the factors that decide the number.
- Length of the run from the meter to the house, which on acreage can be very long
- Ground: limestone west of I-35 is slow to trench, and clay to the east is easier to dig but keeps moving
- What sits on top: driveways, walks, mature live oaks and irrigation zones
- Repair versus replacement, and the pipe material chosen for the new line
- Extras done at the same visit: a new shut-off, a pressure-reducing valve or new hose bibs
If the old line is galvanized or has already leaked twice, replacing it often costs less over time than digging for the next leak. When both choices are reasonable, you get both prices.
Rules & responsibility
Is the leak on your side of the property line or the city’s?
In Georgetown, the split sits at the property line.
Georgetown Utility Systems takes responsibility for service lines between the property line and the city system. The lines on the homeowner’s side are the homeowner’s to repair, which is where we come in.
MUD communities such as Brushy Creek and Wells Branch run their own water systems, so check the split with the district. Any digging starts with a Texas 811 locate request at least two business days ahead, as state law requires.
The city builds to the 2021 International Plumbing Code, which calls for a pressure-reducing valve where static pressure in the building tops 80 psi. We check that whenever a main line is replaced.
Why Alta Vista Plumbing
Who digs up your yard matters: about Alta Vista Plumbing
A yard line job is part plumbing, part digging, and part looking after your property.
We have worked from Georgetown since 1999, and 436 Google reviewers give us a 4.7 average. Several of them called about exactly this kind of leak.
One customer had a leaking water pipe in front of the house and wrote that we looked for the most cost-effective option. Another, after the 2021 freeze, had water restored with a temporary fix while parts for the final repair were on the way. A remodel customer mentions the pressure being checked from the meter to the house.
Wet lawn or spinning meter, call (512) 988-5119 and we will start by finding the leak.
Customers on leaking yard lines and freeze breaks
4.7 average from 436 Google reviewsRead our Google reviews
Steve and his crew were recommended to us for a leaking water pipe in front of the house. They were very prompt in their reply’s, informative, honest and fair, looking for the most cost effective options. We have now used him twice and he would be the first person we would call if there was a third issue.
I contacted AVP Services when I knew they were probably the busiest they would be for the foreseeable future, after a prolonged freeze, before the snow and ice were gone. I knew I needed help because a stream of water was flowing slowly across my driveway, still surrounded by 6 inches of snow and ice on either side. I had the water turned off for only a day before Steve arrived on a Sunday afternoon to make a "temporary fix" and restore water, while waiting to securing parts for the final repair. I greatly appreciated his help with keeping the water on while waiting for the necessary parts. I highly recommend this business, very accommodating and competent.
Reply from Alta Vista Plumbing
Mr. Adams. We are always happy to help where we can and do our part to keep a functioning household going. A lot of folks suffered hardships with this past storm and at least restoring water to a home was important to us. Glad we could be of help. We really appreciate your support and recommendation. Please keep us in mind in the near future for any plumbing needs.
I found myself doing a total remodel on a property recently purchased. Alta Vista went above and beyond to bring my property up to code and added value to the property through doing the following: added an extra bathroom, rerouted water lines, add an outside faucet, added utility connections, assured the water pressure from the meter to the house was accurate and educated us in the drainage system. All the new lines are insulated and Steve Maldonado kept us updated and educated during the entire process. During their service of my property there was one small leak that they promptly fixed as soon as I called them! To this day I have asked them questions pertaining to the plumbing on the property and they respond fast! I highly recommend Alta Vista Services for ALL plumbing jobs. There is no job too big or too small that they can't do!