By Gold Country Plumbing of El Dorado Hills · Updated September 25, 2026
A water main or service line leak usually shows itself through your bill, your meter, or your yard before you ever see a puddle. The most reliable signs are a bill that climbs for no reason, a water meter that moves when every fixture is off, low pressure throughout the house, and wet or unusually green patches along the line from the street. The pipe is buried, so you read the evidence.
Your service line runs from the meter at the street to the house, and in Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills, and the surrounding foothills that can be a long, buried run through expansive clay soil that swells and shrinks with the seasons. That movement stresses pipe. Here are seven signs, how to confirm them, and what to do.
1. A water bill that jumps for no reason
The earliest warning is usually the bill. If your usage climbs month over month and nothing in the household changed, with no new guests, no pool fill, and no irrigation changes, a hidden leak is a leading suspect. A pressurized service line leak runs 24 hours a day, so it adds up silently.
Compare your usage with the same months in previous years, since summer irrigation naturally raises consumption. A jump outside the seasonal pattern deserves a check, and the meter test in the next section gives you a fast answer.
2. The meter moves when everything is off
This is the cleanest test you can do yourself. Turn off every water-using fixture and appliance, including the ice maker, irrigation, and the washing machine. Then look at your water meter. Most have a small leak indicator, a tiny triangle or dial, that spins when any water is flowing.
If it moves, water is flowing somewhere. To separate the house from the line, close your main shutoff valve at the house and check the meter again. If the meter still moves with the house isolated, the leak is on the service line between the meter and your home. If it stops, the leak is inside.
3. Wet, soggy, or sinkholed ground
Look along the path between the meter and the house. A patch of soggy lawn that stays wet in dry weather, pooling water with no rain or sprinkler explanation, or a spot where the ground has sunk are all signs of water escaping a buried pipe. Clay soil can hide a leak for a long time, then show it suddenly as a depression.
Do not dig to find it. A leak under pressure can undermine soil, and digging near unseen utilities is a hazard. Mark the spot, photograph it, and call so we can locate the leak with equipment.
4. Unusually green or lush patches
One stripe of grass that is greener and faster-growing than the rest of the lawn, especially in summer, can mean a slow leak is watering it from below. Moss or algae near a driveway or foundation, in an area that should be dry, tells the same story.
This sign is easy to dismiss, because lawns vary. The tell is the line: a green stripe or oddly wet spot that tracks the route of the pipe. Combined with a high bill or a moving meter, it is strong evidence.
5. Low water pressure or fluctuating flow
A leak on the service line lets pressurized water escape before it reaches the house, so pressure drops at every fixture, not just one. Showers weaken, the sprinklers sputter, and flow may change through the day. If the pressure dropped suddenly instead of gradually, the cause may be a break rather than scale buildup.
Not every pressure complaint is a leak. A failing pressure regulator, a partly closed valve, or scale in older pipes can do the same thing, which is why our guide on low water pressure causes is a useful companion. A meter test separates leaks from the rest.
6. Sounds of running water or air in the lines
A hissing, rushing, or trickling sound when everything is off is a classic sign, as are sputtering faucets and air coming out when you open a tap. Listen near the meter, near where the line enters the house, and at the water heater on a quiet evening.
Murky or discolored water can also appear when a break lets soil or debris into the line, especially after a pressure change. If the water suddenly looks brown or has grit, run a cold tap for a few minutes. If it persists, treat it as a possible line break.
7. Cracks, damp slab, or foundation moisture
A leak near the house can reach the foundation. Look for damp spots along the slab edge, warm spots on the floor, new cracks in concrete or walls, or a persistent musty smell. Water under a slab can erode soil and cause shifting, which compounds the problem. If your home has a slab, a hot-water line leak under it can add a warm spot underfoot.
Folsom Lake-area soils are a known risk for slab leaks, as covered in our article on soil and slab leak risk. If these signs point inside the house instead of the yard, the repair is different, but the early response is the same: shut off water and call.
What to do next
If two or more of these signs add up, confirm with the meter test, then close the main valve if water is surfacing and call a plumber. We locate the leak with acoustic and electronic equipment before opening anything, so the repair targets the exact spot. Sacramento-area planning benchmarks put leak detection at roughly $200 to $600 as a planning range. Repair cost depends on depth, length, and surface restoration, and we quote flat-rate before starting.
Call Gold Country Plumbing at (831) 290-4327. We are licensed (C-36), bonded, and insured, with 60 to 90 minute emergency response across the western slope.