Repairing a leaking water main is a common occurrence that thousands of NYC homeowners experience each year. Becoming aware of a leaking water main is usually one of two way. The first is that the homeowner experiences water coming into their house, or surfacing in front of their house. The second is when a homeowner is notified by the DEP and issues a 3 day notice.
The quick and common resolution to a leaking water main is to replace the pipe with a brand new water main. In rare cases it turns out that the water main tap itself is leaking, or is a secondary issue which only becomes apparent after the roadway has been opened.
What is a water main tap?
A water main tap is the valve that connects a homeowner’s water main to the city water main, it can be thought of as the on/off switch to control the water. A tap allows for each property owner to service their water line without disturbing any of the neighboring houses.
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New tap |
New wet connection |
In the case that the tap is broken or cannot be utilized because it is too old, the licensed plumber must contact DEP for a “shut down”. The shutdown consists of DEP closing the city water main for the entire street and is usually completed throughout “off peak” hours to avoid disturbing the neighborhood.
Once DEP has the city water main closed, the new tap will either be installed in the same location or in some cases a steel sleeve is installed in the location of the old tap and a new tap is drilled in another location.
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Broken tap |
Leaking wet connection |
In other cases a wet connection can be repaired in the event that it is spraying water when opened. The nuts and bolts in the body of the wet connection can be tightened and even replaced to resolve a leaking wet connection valve.
Once the wet connection or tap connection valve are repaired or newly installed, the water main installation crew can continue with the new water main installation as originally planned.
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Preparing for water main install |
New copper pipe in ground |
