Over the week of February 16, 2015 the water main and sewer industry experienced an abundance of water main and sewer breaks due to the cold weather. It is expected to have experienced a greater amount of broken pipes throughout February however, the extreme cold weather led to an unexpected amount of broken, frozen and cracked pipes.
Leaking main valve Jamaica Estates
Harris Water was called to Como AV in Jamaica Estates after the homeowner became aware of a large amount of water exiting from her garage, where the water main was located. It turns out that the water main valve had frozen, and as a result, the valve burst.
After obtaining all required permits with the DOT and DEP, Harris was on site the next morning and began opening the roadway turn the water off. Most homeowners assume that there is a control valve on the sidewalk which should control water running from the city main, to inside the house. This is a major misconception, in most cases the only water main control valve is located four feet below ground level in the roadway.
Digging to turn off water |
Installing new valve |
The water was turned off after two hours of digging, and at this point the new valve was installed inside the homeowner’s garage. It was advised that the homeowner apply heat tape to the water main and keep the garage as warm as possible to avoid any additional issues.
Frozen water main Sunset Park
A multi-family building in Sunset Park Brooklyn had been living without water for several days after finally making a decision to replace their water main. This frozen water main was not a complete shock as the building is fronting a subway grate, where the water main was running through the grate. For this reason, the pipe was exposed to freezing conditions and more susceptible to freezing. Lucky for the building owner, there was a five foot break in-between subway grates where the new water line would be installed under the sidewalk.
Preparing to install around subway |
Tunnels completed for new main |
Harris had to get a new connection to the city main (tap connection) for the new location of the water main. Once the roadway and sidewalk were excavated, the new pipe was installed. The on-site crew also made sure to install the main below the frost line and install a cement base in the roadway before paving the street.
2 Av NYC water main leak inside basement
A barber shop on 2 av in Manhattan had experienced a steady flow of water coming in through their foundation wall on Tuesday morning. The tenant first called DEP as he thought it was a city water main problem. After a site investigation, DEP determined that the buildings 1 ½” lead water main was leaking from the street and was issued a 3 day notice summons to replace the pipe.
Flood from leak |
Working on site |
Harris was on site the very next morning, at this point the water was no longer seeping through the foundation wall. The owner was now convinced that his pipe was not leaking however, this was not the case. The foremen performed a noise test of the water line and quickly determined that the pipe was leaking, and the water found another path below ground level.
The entire pipe installation was completed in eight hours, including excavation, installing a new 1 ½” copper water main and closing up the roadway.
