Neighborhood we serve · Lake Havasu City, AZ
Plumber at the Refuge Golf and Country Club, Lake Havasu City
A golf-course community uses water differently from the streets around it. Landscaping, irrigation and a resort next door all put more water through the lot than the house alone would.
That changes where a leak hides. This page covers how to tell an irrigation leak from a house leak, what to have ready when you call, and what the city's hard water does outdoors.
Water use on a golf-course lot is different
The Refuge Golf and Country Club is a golf-course community, with an RV resort on the adjacent land. Irrigation and landscape water use are a bigger part of the picture here than in most of the city.
A house on a landscaped lot has two plumbing systems. One is inside the walls and feeds the sinks, showers and the heater. The other runs underground and outdoors to valves, sprinkler heads and drip lines, and it often runs on a timer nobody watches.
A leak in the second system does not stain a ceiling or soak a floor. It shows up as a bill that climbs, a wet patch that stays, or a lawn that is greener in one spot than another.
Where an irrigation leak shows itself
These are patterns, not diagnoses. Each one has more than one possible cause, which is the reason to look before digging.
| What you notice | What it can mean | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| A bill that rises with nothing running inside | Water moving outdoors or through a slow indoor leak | Run the meter test on this page with irrigation off, then on. |
| A patch of soft or sunken ground | A supply line or fitting leaking below the surface | Turn the system off at the valve and note where the patch is. |
| Low pressure at one zone | A broken head, a split line or a valve that does not seat | Walk the zone while it runs and look for water where it should not be. |
| A valve box full of water | A leaking valve or fitting inside the box | Leave the box as it is and describe it on the call. |
| Water running after the timer has stopped | A valve stuck open | Close the irrigation supply and see whether the meter stops. |
At the Refuge with a wet patch or a climbing bill?
Call (928) 766-1925A meter test that separates the sprinklers from the house
If the lot has irrigation, two readings tell you more than one. Do the test once with the system off and once with it on.
- Turn off every tap, the dishwasher, the washer and the ice maker, and switch the irrigation controller to off.
- Find the water meter and look at the small low-flow dial or triangle. Note whether it moves.
- If it moves with everything off, close the main valve at the house and check again. A meter that stops means the leak is inside the house.
- If it keeps moving with the house valve closed, the leak is between the meter and the house, often outdoors.
- Switch one irrigation zone on and look at the dial again. A faster spin than the heads account for points at that zone.
Write down what the dial did at each step. That record tells us where to start before anyone arrives.
Heat and scale wear out the parts you can see
In the city's own 2015 weather summary, Lake Havasu City logged 111 days at or above 100 degrees, and 35 of them at or above 110. That is one year, not an average, and it shows how long exposed parts sit in the sun.
Sun and heat age exposed plastic, rubber and fittings faster than shaded ones, so the usual weak points are risers, valve box connections and the first section of pipe above ground.
The city water adds its own wear. At 19 grains per gallon, scale collects in emitters, valves and filters as well as in heaters. The water softener and water filtration pages explain what each treatment changes.
A resort next door and a street that fills in the season
An RV resort on the adjacent land means more people on the same roads for part of the year, and more places where water runs with nobody watching it.
If you manage a property with hookups or shared outdoor plumbing, say so at the start of the call. A residential repair and a larger shared system are different jobs, and the first answer on the phone is which one this is.
What to have ready when you call from the Refuge
A few details save time on the first call.
- The full street address and ZIP 86404.
- Any gate code or entrance instruction, and where to park.
- What the meter did in the test above, with the irrigation off and on.
- Where you see water outdoors, and whether the irrigation timer has run recently.
- Whether the main shutoff at the house is closed.
- A number that will reach you if the call drops.
If you cannot find the main or the irrigation valve, say so. A description of what you see is enough to begin.
When the house is empty and the sprinklers are not
Across Lake Havasu City, 35.2 percent of residents are 65 or older and 73.2 percent of housing is owner occupied, according to the Census. Many homes sit empty for months, and an automatic irrigation system keeps running whether or not anyone is home.
A broken head or split line can run for weeks in that time. If you leave for the season, have someone check the zones, or close the irrigation supply. The leak detection page covers how a slow loss gets found, and the home checklist on the front page covers the indoor side.
Match an irrigation or house problem to a service page
A line that has split under pressure belongs with burst and broken pipe repair. A hidden loss indoors, behind a wall or under a floor, belongs with leak detection, and one under concrete with slab leak repair.
Typical price ranges are on the cost page. They are wide on purpose, because the figure depends on access and on what turns up once the line is open.
Questions from Refuge callers
Do you serve the Refuge Golf and Country Club area?
Yes. The Refuge is in ZIP 86404, one of the four Lake Havasu City ZIP codes we cover. If a gate or community entrance controls access, say so when you call.
My water bill is high but nothing inside the house is running. Where do I look?
Outdoors is the next place to look. A sprinkler line, a valve box or a drip line can leak for weeks without showing on the surface. Run the meter test on this page with the irrigation off, then with it on.
Is an irrigation leak a plumbing problem?
It is when the leak is in the supply line that feeds the system, up to the valves. Sprinkler heads, drip emitters and timers are the landscape side of the line. Describe what you see and we will say which side it is on.
How hard is the water here?
The city system reports about 19 grains per gallon, which is very hard. On a landscaped lot, that scale collects in emitters, valves and fittings as well as in water heaters.
What does a visit cost?
It depends on the cause, the access and what is found. Typical ranges by job are on the cost page, and a firm figure for the confirmed cause comes before work begins.
What if I am not sure my address is covered?
Call with the street and ZIP. The answer comes before anything is booked.
Calling from the Refuge?
Give the street, any gate or entrance note and ZIP 86404. You will hear whether the address is covered, and what the problem usually involves, before you commit to anything.