Recently in Queens a homeowner was having work performed on their newly renovated home. The couple purchased the house six months prior and was in the final stages of a full gut renovation when they encountered the unexpected. The general contractor was digging on the outside of the house without properly marking out all underground utilities when he punctured the water main.
Source of the leak |
 Broken water main pours through foundation wall |
At first the water main started to leak at a slow pace, which quickly turned into water pouring through the foundation wall of the basement. The water main specialist was called to the house on an emergency basis due to the water flooding the basement. Luckily the basement apartment was in the final stages of the renovation and had not been completed.
The water main break was temporarily diverted towards the sewer trap which allowed the homeowner to breathe overnight before the water line replacement work was completed. The existing water main was made of lead, for this reason the entire pipe had to be replaced with a new copper pipe.
After all permits were obtained the next morning, the roadway was excavated and the water was turned off at the “tap connection” on the city main.
Water main excavation begins |
***The tap connection is the valve on the city main that controls the water from the city water main, to the private water line which is the responsibility of the property owner.
Tap connection and new copper pipe |
The entire copper water main replacement was completed within six hours. The homeowners did encounter the unexpected with a broken water main however, they were happy to know that they no longer had lead in their drinking water.
