24/7 Emergency Water Line Repair

A buried water line that has let go completely is an emergency. It is dumping water into the ground at full pressure, it is undermining whatever is above it, it may be flooding a crawlspace or a neighbor's basement, and the only way to stop it is to shut off the water to the house. Nobody wants to be without water for a weekend waiting for a company that opens Monday. We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we come with the pump, the locating equipment and the mini excavator on the first trip.

On an emergency call we move in a specific order. First we get the water stopped if it isn't already, at the meter or the well, so the damage stops getting worse. Then we pump down the flooded area if we need to in order to work. Then we locate the break, because even on a catastrophic failure the water is often surfacing well away from the actual break and digging in the wrong spot wastes hours. Then we open the ground, expose the line, and make a repair that will hold. Our goal on every emergency is to have your water back on before we leave, and on most residential breaks we do.

We've worked main breaks flooding a condominium common area at night under tripod lights, service lines blown open under driveways, old galvanized that finally gave out at a foundation, and well lines that split in a freeze. We tape off the area, keep spoils on tarps and plywood, run pumps so the excavation is workable, and we don't leave an open hole behind for someone else to finish.

If the repair exposes a line that is at the end of its life, we'll get you back in water with a sound repair tonight and give you a straight recommendation on replacement when you've had some sleep. Call (206) 354-9906.

When you need emergency water line repair

• Water surfacing and running across a yard, driveway or into the street
• A sudden loss of pressure or no water at all
• A crawlspace or basement filling with water from outside
• A flooded lawn or common area at a condo, apartment or commercial building
• A well pump running continuously with no pressure
• A sinkhole or sudden depression opening in a driveway or lawn

How the job goes

1. Stop the water. At the meter, the main shutoff or the well. If you can do this before we arrive, do it; we'll walk you through it on the phone.
2. Secure and pump. We tape off the area, protect what we can, and pump down standing water so the break can be worked.
3. Locate the break. Even on a major failure, acoustic locating tells us where to dig. Water surfaces where the ground lets it, not where the pipe failed.
4. Excavate. Hand tools or the mini excavator, under lights if it's night. Spoils on tarps, ground protection down.
5. Repair and restore water. A sound, buried-rated repair, pressure checked, and your water turned back on.
6. Backfill and follow up. Bedding, backfill and compaction, and a candid conversation about whether the rest of the line is close behind.

Equipment and materials

• Submersible pumps and discharge hose
• Tripod work lights for night work
• Caution tape, cones and ground protection
• PEX and HDPE with buried-rated fittings
• Mini excavator on the trailer

What shapes the scope

Every property is different, and these are the things that decide whether a job is a quick morning or a full day. We'll tell you which it is before we start.

• Time of day and whether night lighting is needed
• How much standing water has to be pumped before work can start
• Depth and location of the break
• Whether a repair will hold or the line needs a section replaced tonight
• Access for equipment on a flooded or soft site