Plumber reco for water line leak in front yard

any rec's?  thanks.

is this your water line?  or is it sprinklers?

water line.(edited the title to make it clearer)

Hoff Bros

Thanks.  I'll call them.  You like them because...?  

Anyone try Wooley to do this work?  I know they do indoor heating/plumbing, but not sure about outside.  I'll call them too.

We used Arlington Plumbers. They even saved us some money by carefully digging up the sidewalk in one piece so it could be laid back down again rather than having to pour new cement.  

Hoff Bros can sometimes "shoot"the line in from the street where they only need to dig one or two holes in lawn for guidance. Less invasive.

that's interesting.  Not sure about it though, with the new NJAmerican street meters.  ANyway, thanks all for rec's...estimate time.

Oh, which brings me to wonder what $$ballpark this is going to be in.  I haven't a clue.

Too many factors. How many feet from the meter to the house. What does the line go under (pavement, patio, driveway, etc). Does the connection inside the house need to be redone. 

In our case (about ten years ago) it was a pretty simple fix, short distance, no major hurtles other than the sidewalk. It ran about $1,500.

I passed 3 (BIG) Hoff Brothers trucks just this morning.  They seemed to be working on a project on Euclid.

We had to have a new line run about twenty years ago; no sidewalk to deal with but we did have to have a trench dug from the curb to the house, and used an excavation company recommended by our plumber. The men dug the trench by hand to avoid damaging the lawn and landscaping more than inimically, My recollection is that it may have cost between two and three thousand dollars, which seems high in retrospect, but they did do a good and surprisingly tidyy job. 

My neighbor used AAA Able for just this problem.  Company was recommended by NJ-American Water.  Local number:  973-761-4242.  We have used them to clear extremely clogged drain and were satisfied.

Hoff Brothers just did our's.

They were highly recommended by the Corragios and their price was better than orhers.

I will remember these recs!  thank you.  Turns out, NJAmerican determined that the leak was coming from a loose connection between the new street meter and the pipe to our house.  So, NjAmerican did the fix.  People, examine your water bills closely!!  

My meter is inside the house, so I wouldn't have that issue.  I am surprised that they covered it since if the leak was showing up as excessive usage on your bill it technically should have been yours to repair unless it was the actual meter itself that was leaking.  

Technically, any leaks on the house side of meter are homeowner responsibility. In this case,if the leak was at the connection to the meter I  would think that NJAW would be responsible considering they were the ones who connected the meter in the first place.

I was told that any leaks after the street connection are the homeowner's responsibility. Basically, they came out and shut off my water at the street. The water stopped bubbling up out of the lawn, so that meant it was my responsibility. But my meter is inside the home, well past the shut off where my line connects to the main.

If the meter itself is actually leaking then it doesn't matter where it is, at the street or inside the home, since the meter is owned by the water company and they would be responsible to replace it.  

georgieboy said:

In this case,if the leak was at the connection to the meter 

Yes! the leak was the connection.  Their responsibility...yay! 

Can someone explain to me whether the insurance NJAM offers is good to have? In my case, I have a long front lawn and tiny back yard, front lawn is on a major slope too ... so would probably be major work to replace any lines. Currently the meter is located at the street level, about 100 ft from home. If i got the insurance they keep offering, would that cover everything ? many thanks to those with any knowledge 

seaweed said:

Can someone explain to me whether the insurance NJAM offers is good to have? In my case, I have a long front lawn and tiny back yard, front lawn is on a major slope too ... so would probably be major work to replace any lines. Currently the meter is located at the street level, about 100 ft from home. If i got the insurance they keep offering, would that cover everything ? many thanks to those with any knowledge 

The insurance will cover a repair but not replacement (even if a replacement is indicated).

So, whether or not it's worth having is hard to say. It really depends on what needs to be done.

We just went through this with them and ended up paying out of pocket for our line to be replaced.

Interesting. I have much the same situation as seaweed and I called NJAW and was most specific with my questions and was assured that if replacement was indicated, it would be covered. Cubby, what were the specifics that caused them to disallow the replacement ? [if you don't mind sharing]

cubby said:

seaweed said:

Can someone explain to me whether the insurance NJAM offers is good to have? In my case, I have a long front lawn and tiny back yard, front lawn is on a major slope too ... so would probably be major work to replace any lines. Currently the meter is located at the street level, about 100 ft from home. If i got the insurance they keep offering, would that cover everything ? many thanks to those with any knowledge 

The insurance will cover a repair but not replacement (even if a replacement is indicated).

So, whether or not it's worth having is hard to say. It really depends on what needs to be done.

We just went through this with them and ended up paying out of pocket for our line to be replaced.

The original line broke. AW repaired the leak and then it broke in a second spot. AW told us they'd repair the second leak. We wanted it replaced, not repaired. We knew it would probably break a 3rd time and we weren't willing to risk the damage that might cause. Seemed like common sense to us and the 1st plumber who did the first repair told us if it broke a second time, it should be replaced. However, AW was only willing to repair. So, yes, if AW believes a replacement is indicated they'll do it but they may not believe its indicated until it breaks three times.

spontaneous said:

I was told that any leaks after the street connection are the homeowner's responsibility. Basically, they came out and shut off my water at the street. The water stopped bubbling up out of the lawn, so that meant it was my responsibility. But my meter is inside the home, well past the shut off where my line connects to the main.

Correct.

I also had a bubbling leak outside by the curb. They told me that if the leak is after the cut off valve for my house, which is near the curb, then its my problem. It did not matter where the water meter is. They closed the street valve and it was still bubbling. Since leak was before the cutoff valve or valve itself they said it was their problem. 

When they do repair, do they also replace any lawn/stairs/sidewalk/etc that is removed/damaged as part of the dig?

Thx!

cubby said:

seaweed said:

Can someone explain to me whether the insurance NJAM offers is good to have? In my case, I have a long front lawn and tiny back yard, front lawn is on a major slope too ... so would probably be major work to replace any lines. Currently the meter is located at the street level, about 100 ft from home. If i got the insurance they keep offering, would that cover everything ? many thanks to those with any knowledge 

The insurance will cover a repair but not replacement (even if a replacement is indicated).

So, whether or not it's worth having is hard to say. It really depends on what needs to be done.

We just went through this with them and ended up paying out of pocket for our line to be replaced.

I don't believe there is any allowance for restoring things to the prior condition. If they trench your yard they will backfill but any grading,seeding, etc is on you. 

Are there any insurers with more complete coverage?