Best repair for a ruptured water main?

Question

The service line was made out of plastic and it was bumped from the inside which I believe cracked it outside the foundation. I still have good pressure, however the city came out and we determined that there is a leak just outside the foundation and my backyard resembles the everglades. I can think of 3 fixes
1. Excavate the whole front yard and rerun a line
2. Pull a line through the existing line
3. bust out the foundation wall and repair from the inside.
estimates of cost and best practices would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Bumping the pipe inside the house probably did not cause this. In most cases a leak on the main line supplying a home is going to be a broken male adapter at the shut off valve just before the line enters you home, usually within 3 feet of your house. Water can travel a long way under ground before coming to the surface. Just because you see water coming to the surface in one spot does not mean you are within 50 feet of the leak. If your back yard is wet and your water service comes through your back yard, locate and dig up the shut off valve next to the house. If water service to your home does not cross the the back yard and your back yard is wet, it's probably leaking under an outside faucet. Or wherever the tire tracks were left by whoever drove across your yard. If you just cant seem to locate it, look in the yellow pages under leak detection. We use a company called 'American Leak Detectors" for under slab leaks. They will put you an X on the floor.

Answer 2

USA Answer #4 - Start digging at the outside of the foundation and follow the pipe away from the house until you find the leak. Repair the leak. Place clean sand around the pipe, then backfill with removed soil. Provide some kind of protection for the pipe inside the house so you do not repeat the problem.

Or, answer 1 is the next best.

Cost - I don't know, because I don't know how much digging is involved, but $1000 will not surprise me for a plumber and excavator and a permit.

Answer 3

Digging at the approximate site of the leak would be best and less costly. Repair the leaking pipe from the crack and extend the new piping through the wall. This will make for a smaller patch on the wall.

Answer 4

Technically the home owns the sewer and water line to the street connection. Considering it would cost a lot of money to have repairs done in the event of a problem, it's a question pay the insurance or take the risk. If you live in a newer development perhaps taking the risk is ok. If you live in an older area of town where the pipes are older with lots of big trees it might behoove you to pay the fee and reduce the nightmare of a $10,000 repair bill.

Answer 5

well your 3rd is the worst.
the 2nd is the most viable if the pipe is 1 1/4'' or larger, then leave it inline and punch a new one through to the next tee or elbow...measure the distance of pipe you shove through and go to that point outside and dig and work from there.
the 1st is not necessary unless you're a landscaper too.
So either dig outside the foundation to the crack and repair or use some of the applications spelled out to locate some of your problem areas.
remember, where its muddy, the leak is below that point in the ground.