# I hear water running in my pipes 24 hours.



## Prata

Even when all water is turned off throughout the house, I hear water flowing through the pipes in one section of the house. However, when I turn off the water at the main, the noise stops. I have no leaky facets and there is no water running into the tanks of the toilets. I was thinking that it may be one of the 2 hot water tanks so I turned off the water leading into the water tanks but the noise continues. Could it be draining from the water heater tanks? What steps should I take to determine where the running water is coming from. Thank you to anyone that can help me.


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## Homerepairguy

I posted the following in another thread where the OP heard water running. It might help you during your troubleshooting:

"Check your water meter and see if the water movement indicator is spinning. Even a slow leak will spin the water movement indicator like one revolution in 3 minutes for example. But to hear water running, it would have to be a fairly fast leak. Hidden leaks can happen if they are under ground or under a concrete slab. To get a feel of how fast the water movement indicator does spin, turn on a faucet in your home and check it. It will be spinning like crazy. Lower the flow from the faucet so it is just a slow stream and look at the water movement indicator. It will be spinning slowly. If your water movement indicator does not spin at all with all faucets turned off, then you don't have to worry about a potable water leak."

HRG


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## macw

I have the same problem. I hear water running by the water main where it comes in from the street. It is constant, and when I shut the main valve off, it goes away. Have you discovered your problem? I don't have a water meter. What do you suggest I do?

Thanks!


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## Lighting Retro

Sounds like a main line leak to me. those are tough to locate, as water travels the path of least resistance, and you really will find there is no rhyme or reason to it. You may have to have a leak detection company come out and locate it for you. If the leak is not causing damage, that's good, but it's costing you money in either water (city) or electricity (well). I would not let it linger, but if you have eliminated all areas that you can to locate where it might be coming from, time to call a professional.


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## Lighting Retro

I would also check to see if you have a shut off at the house in addition to the shut off at the street. I would check those separately as well to see if you still hear the water running. Sometimes it can also be irrigation systems leaking, but to hear it draining has me very curious. Hope you can post an update once you find the issue.


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## macw

Lighting Retro said:


> I would also check to see if you have a shut off at the house in addition to the shut off at the street. I would check those separately as well to see if you still hear the water running. Sometimes it can also be irrigation systems leaking, but to hear it draining has me very curious. Hope you can post an update once you find the issue.


So shut the one OFF at the street and keep the one ON in the crawl space? And then reverse order?

It is weird, I haven't found any water pooling inside or outside the house. 

So I may have a leak between the house and the street somewhere? 

Also, the sound has been there for a long time, I am just trying to deal with it now. We bought the house lasT May but aren't living in it yet because of renovations.


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## Yoyizit

I had the same thing in my house built in the 60s. I was losing a gallon in three minutes but there was no water damage anywhere. 

It was a pinhole leak in a pipe under the slab and so the plumbers bypassed the pipe. 

I also had them add some valves to isolate half the house's plumbing from the other half so I could do work if necessary without having the whole house shut off. The women, they do not like going without water. 

Also, the WaCo added orthophosphate to the water to slow down this problem because the local paper wrote a piece on how many homes in this area were having this problem.


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## burnt03

macw said:


> So shut the one OFF at the street and keep the one ON in the crawl space? And then reverse order?
> 
> It is weird, I haven't found any water pooling inside or outside the house.
> 
> So I may have a leak between the house and the street somewhere?
> 
> Also, the sound has been there for a long time, I am just trying to deal with it now. We bought the house lasT May but aren't living in it yet because of renovations.


If you have the valve at the street (curb stop) ON and the main valve inside OFF and you still hear the sound, try shutting off the curb stop. If that stops the sound, then the leak is underground between the curb stop and your main valve. If you can't hear the sound with the inside main valve off, the leak is inside. 

Depending on your soil type and depth of bury, you might need a pretty big leak for water to surface.


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## Lighting Retro

macw said:


> So shut the one OFF at the street and keep the one ON in the crawl space? And then reverse order?
> 
> It is weird, I haven't found any water pooling inside or outside the house.
> 
> So I may have a leak between the house and the street somewhere?
> 
> Also, the sound has been there for a long time, I am just trying to deal with it now. We bought the house lasT May but aren't living in it yet because of renovations.


Yes, strangely it could be from outside. I would shut off the water at the house first, but leave the water on at the street. If you still hear it, the leak is on the main outside. If the leak stops, it would appear you might have a slab leak.


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## macw

Lighting Retro said:


> Yes, strangely it could be from outside. I would shut off the water at the house first, but leave the water on at the street. If you still hear it, the leak is on the main outside. If the leak stops, it would appear you might have a slab leak.


Yes I am fearing the worsted! I know already that when I shut the main off in my crawl space where the pipe comes up through the concrete, the running water sound goes away This is without touching the main from the street.


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## Lighting Retro

Just what you needed


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## Homerepairguy

macw said:


> Yes I am fearing the worsted! I know already that when I shut the main off in my crawl space where the pipe comes up through the concrete, the running water sound goes away This is without touching the main from the street.


If you can "hear" the leak, it must be substantial. If the leak is under a slab, repair it asap! A substantial leak can create a sink hole by carrying dirt away a few particles at a time. Where the dirt goes, I have no idea but there was a home on the local news a number of years ago that had developed a large sink hole. The home owners had to hire a concrete pumping company to fill in the sink hole.

BTW, we had a pin hole leak under our slab in the hot water line. The leak was so slow that we couldn't hear it. After I bypassed the leak using PEX in the attic, our electric bill decreased by $20 / month.

HRG


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## joecaption

If there's copper or steel pipes under that slab they will leak at some point.
Do you have a water softner? Timer couldbe stuck in back wash.
Can you see the relief valve on the water heater and know it's not tripped and leaking?


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## TheEplumber

macw said:


> Yes I am fearing the worsted! I know already that when I shut the main off in my crawl space where the pipe comes up through the concrete, the running water sound goes away This is without touching the main from the street.


If the valve is in a crawl space I assume the whole house is on a crawl? I'd investigate all the crawl for signs of water. Also check to see if you have a branch line going back outside to an irrigation system or remote hydrants that may not have been winterized and froze.
Also, turn off the cw to the water heater. If leak stops then its on the hot side.


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## macw

joecaption said:


> If there's copper or steel pipes under that slab they will leak at some point.
> Do you have a water softner? Timer couldbe stuck in back wash.
> Can you see the relief valve on the water heater and know it's not tripped and leaking?


Sorry, what is a water softener? Not to sure what you mean by timer could be stuck in back wash. My electric bill has been tremendous as well, could this be the problem? Could this be the noise that I am hearing?


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## Alan

macw said:


> Sorry, what is a water softener? Not to sure what you mean by timer could be stuck in back wash. My electric bill has been tremendous as well, could this be the problem? Could this be the noise that I am hearing?


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## macw

macw said:


> Yes I am fearing the worsted! I know already that when I shut the main off in my crawl space where the pipe comes up through the concrete, the running water sound goes away This is without touching the main from the street.


I am having a hard time understanding something, when I turn off the main valve in the crawl space and the sound goes off, wouldn't that mean that the leak is on the house side of the main valve? If the leak was under the crawlspace concrete, by turning off the crawlspace main valve, wouldn't I still hear the water running? Right now when I turn off the cs main valve it goes off/no sound. 

Thanks for all of your help, I will keep investigating and will let you know what I or a professional will come up with.

No I don't have a water softener


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## TheEplumber

macw said:


> I am having a hard time understanding something, when I turn off the main valve in the crawl space and the sound goes off, wouldn't that mean that the leak is on the house side of the main valve? If the leak was under the crawlspace concrete, by turning off the crawlspace main valve, wouldn't I still hear the water running? Right now when I turn off the cs main valve it goes off/no sound.
> 
> Thanks for all of your help, I will keep investigating and will let you know what I or a professional will come up with.
> 
> No I don't have a water softener


What do you mean by crawlspace concrete? Do you have a slab down there or are you talking about the foundation? Have you checked all the suggestions put forth so far?


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## Homerepairguy

macw said:


> If the leak was under the crawlspace concrete,


Is your house built on a concrete slab or does it have wooden floors?


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## macw

Homerepairguy said:


> Is your house built on a concrete slab or does it have wooden floors?


Wooden floors. It has a concrete crawlspace.


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## bob22

Check for toilet running due to leaky flush valve. Flush toilet, drop of food dye in tank. See if color ends up in bowl.
Also, if toilet ballcock valve isn't shutting off, water can flow down the overflow tube in the tank, wasting more water.


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## macw

Ok, I was wrong when I said I couldn't hear anything when I turned off the main valve (crawlspace). After shutting it off again today, I realized that I could hear running water still, but faintly. So this would most likely mean that I have a leak between the house and the street? I haven't shut the water at the street yet however. But I will asap, to see if the sound goes away completely.

Thanks for all your help guys, really appreciate it. I will keep you posted.


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## burnt03

macw said:


> Ok, I was wrong when I said I couldn't hear anything when I turned off the main valve (crawlspace). After shutting it off again today, I realized that I could hear running water still, but faintly. So this would most likely mean that I have a leak between the house and the street?


It's likely but you won't know for sure until you shut off your curb stop at the street. When you put the key on the curbstop, put your ear on it too. You might be able to hear the water whistling by (and stop when you turn the valve off).

Good luck


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