The line running from the meter to your house is your responsibility, and in Summerville it fails for different reasons depending on when it was installed.
Signs your service line is failing
- A water bill that climbs with no change in use
- Wet or unusually green ground along the run from the meter
- Pressure that has dropped gradually across the whole house
- Air or sediment coming through fixtures
- The meter dial moving with everything shut off
Older galvanised versus newer poly
Older Summerville homes may still have galvanised service lines, which corrode inward and reduce flow long before they leak. Newer subdivisions use polyethylene, which is generally reliable but vulnerable to damage from landscaping, fence posts and irrigation work. A surprising number of local service line failures are caused by someone digging.
Replacement without trenching the garden
Directional boring pulls a new line through with a small pit at each end, leaving the lawn, driveway and irrigation intact. On a property with established landscaping the difference against open trenching is significant, and it is worth asking for before accepting a quote that assumes digging the whole run.
Locate before you dig
Free utility locating exists for a reason. Before any excavation on your property, have the lines marked.