Leak Detection in Ramona, CA

What happens when you call

You will be connected with an independent plumber who works in Ramona. Expect questions about your water source first, since that changes the approach. On district water, the plumber can watch the meter, isolate the house from the yard line and test each section. On a well, there is no meter or water bill to show the loss, so the clues are a pump that runs or cycles when nothing is on, a pressure tank that loses pressure overnight, or wet ground on the line from the wellhead. Long runs to barns, troughs, orchards and outbuildings are common on larger lots and are often where the water is going.

What affects the cost

• The length of buried line between the meter or wellhead and the buildings
• How many outbuildings, hydrants or irrigation zones have to be ruled out
• Whether the leak is in the house, under a slab or out on the property
• Well equipment that needs checking along with the piping
• Permit requirements for larger repairs, handled by the County

Ramona conditions

Ramona is a semi-rural, agricultural foothill community, and it is unincorporated, so permits go through the County of San Diego Planning & Development Services Building Division. Ramona Municipal Water District provides water inside its service area; properties outside that area depend entirely on groundwater from private wells, and the County's community plan notes that local landowners use groundwater extensively. RMWD's customer line is 760-789-1330.

RMWD sewer covers only two areas: the Santa Maria service area (Town Center and Mt. Woodson) and the San Vicente service area (San Diego Country Estates). Homes elsewhere are mostly not on municipal sewer and use a private onsite wastewater system, so a wet spot in the yard could be the supply line or the drain line to the onsite system's tank. A plumber can tell the difference.

Housing is a mix of ages: the median home dates to about 1983, and around 44 percent were built before 1980. Colder inland nights can split exposed lines and hose bibs on a hard freeze, and the leak may not appear until the pipe thaws.

Checklist before the visit

• Know whether you are on RMWD water or a well
• Locate the main shutoff, and for a well, the pressure tank and pump breaker
• Note any pump cycling, wet spots or areas of unusually green growth
• Make gates and outbuildings accessible