The water line is the buried pipe that carries water from the meter or curb to your house. It runs under lawn, driveway and plantings, so when it leaks you may see a soggy patch, a drop in pressure or a meter that keeps turning with everything off.
Charleston Water System lists the Hanahan Water Treatment Plant as its one surface water treatment facility, and the plant is on Hanahan Road inside the city. That sounds like it should settle who fixes what, but it tells you nothing about who owns the pipe in your yard.
The treatment plant is the utility's. The line from your meter to your house is generally not, and the exact point where responsibility changes depends on where your meter sits, which is why a call to CWS comes before any digging.
Wet yard, weak pressure or a meter that will not stop
A failing water line gives hints before it fails outright. A soggy or unusually green strip of grass between the meter and the house, a sinkhole-like dip in the lawn, the sound of running water outside, and a meter that moves with all taps off are the main ones. Pressure inside the house often sags, and water from the tap may carry dirt.
A line can also be damaged by a root, a shovel, a fence post or construction equipment. When that happens the leak is sudden and the yard fills quickly.
Water line break: what to do first
Water from a broken service line can undermine soil and flood a house. These steps buy time.
Close the shutoff at the house
Find the main valve where the line enters the house and turn it clockwise. If that stops the water in the yard, the break is on the buried line.
Check the meter
Note the reading, then see whether the dial still moves. A moving dial with the house valve closed confirms the leak is between the meter and the house.
Do not touch the utility's valve
The shutoff at the meter on the street side belongs to the water utility. If you cannot stop the flow, call CWS at (843) 727-6800.
Keep people and cars off soft ground
A saturated yard over a broken line can collapse under weight. Keep children, pets and vehicles away from the wet area.
Call the 24/7 line
Tell dispatch where the water is surfacing and whether the house valve is closed. Same-day appointments are offered when available, and after-hours calls are dispatched around the clock.
Water service line leak: finding where it starts
A water service line leak is hard to place because water travels along the pipe trench and surfaces far from the break. The wet spot in your yard may be ten feet from the actual hole. A meter test, then a pressure test of the buried line, tells us the leak exists. Listening equipment, or a specialist method we name before booking, then places it within a short stretch of pipe.
That matters because it limits digging. Instead of trenching the whole run, we expose the pipe where the data points. Our leak detection page explains each method in detail.
Water or sewage problem right now?Call the 24/7 line. A licensed plumber, a clear price before work starts.
Call (855) 575-2890Repair choices for a buried water line
The best repair depends on the pipe, the soil above it and what is on top of it.
| Option | What it involves | Good when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spot repair | Dig to the break and replace a short section with a coupling or new pipe | A single break in a line that is otherwise sound | Lowest disruption, but other weak spots may follow in older pipe |
| Open-trench replacement | Dig the full run and lay a new line from the meter to the house | Old, corroded or repeatedly failing line, or a path with no obstacles | Lawn and plantings disturbed, and the work takes more time |
| Trenchless replacement | Pull or push a new pipe through a small entry and exit hole | Line runs under driveways, walks, roots or mature plantings | Not suited to every soil or layout, and costs differ from trenching |
| Reroute | Install a new line on a different path | The old path is blocked by a structure or tree roots | Needs a clear new path and may need a utility to sign off |
Which one fits is a judgment about your pipe, your soil and what is above the line. We will explain the choice and the price before work starts.
Who owns what: the meter, the line and the utility
Charleston Water System is the water utility for Hanahan. The pipe on the street side of the meter is the utility's. What lies between the meter and your house is generally the homeowner's, but where the meter is placed changes that, and so can older arrangements. You cannot tell by looking.
Before anyone digs, call CWS at (843) 727-6800 and ask where its responsibility ends for your address. CWS's retail water area also includes North Charleston and Ladson, and the answer can differ street by street. If the problem is at or before the meter, they handle it. If it is after the meter, call us.
Sewer problems are a different utility. The City lists Berkeley County Sanitation, (843) 572-4400, for sewer, so confirm which utility serves your street.
SC811 tells homeowners planning digging projects to call 811 to submit a locate request. Do that before anyone digs for a repair, and check sc811.com for the notice rules that apply to your job.
Low water pressure: the water line or something else
Low pressure has several causes, and the service line is only one. If pressure is low at every tap, including outside, the issue is at the line, the meter, a main shutoff that is partly closed or the pressure regulator. If it is low at one fixture, the cause is probably that fixture's aerator, cartridge or supply line.
A quick test is to compare pressure at an outdoor spigot, which sits close to the line, with a faucet at the far end of the house. If both are weak, check the main valve, then the meter test. A leaking or corroded service line often loses pressure gradually, while a sudden loss after a storm or digging nearby points to damage or a utility event.
If pressure is poor on only the hot side, the water heater is the likelier cause, and our water heater repair page covers that. A pressure regulator with a bad diaphragm can also let pressure swing, and it is a common fix we can check.
How an emergency water line repair is done
The order matters because a service line is under pressure and under your yard.
- 1
Confirm the line is the problem
We run the meter test, close the house valve and check pressure, so we know we are digging in the right place.
- 2
Call before digging
The homeowner confirms with CWS where responsibility changes, and a locate request goes to 811 so buried utilities are marked.
- 3
Locate the leak
Listening gear or a specialist method we name before booking narrows down the spot so the excavation stays small.
- 4
Excavate and repair
We dig to the pipe, cut out the damaged section and install new pipe and fittings suited to the soil and pressure.
- 5
Test and backfill
We restore water, check for leaks under full pressure and fill the hole. Lawn, driveway and landscaping repair are outside our scope.
Before you call: details that speed up the repair
A few facts let dispatch plan the right equipment.
- Where the meter is: at the street, at the curb, or near the house
- Whether the leak shows at the surface and roughly where
- The meter reading and whether the dial stops when the house main is closed
- Whether the water has been brown, rusty or cloudy
- What sits on top of the suspected line: lawn, driveway, patio, trees or fence
- Whether you have already called CWS and what they said about responsibility
- Your insurance carrier, if you plan to file a claim
CWS says to flush rusty water by running a cold faucet until it clears, and to call (843) 727-6800 if it persists. A Boil Water Advisory can follow a loss of pressure after a water main break, and the advice is to bring water to a vigorous boil for at least one minute. Both are utility matters, so check with CWS before assuming your own line is the cause.
What affects the price of water line repair
Buried work varies more than almost any other plumbing job, so a clear price depends on a few answers.
- Length and depth of the line
- A short, shallow run costs less to dig and replace than a long, deep one.
- What is on top of it
- Lawn is the cheapest surface to restore. Concrete, pavers and mature plantings add labor, and trenchless methods may save on surface repair.
- Repair or replacement
- A single break can be spot repaired, but a failing old line may be better replaced end to end.
- Pipe material
- The pipe used and its fittings determine cost and how long the repair should last.
- Timing and access
- After-hours calls, tight spaces and hard soil add time.
Standard homeowner policies often do not cover the service line itself, though some offer an endorsement for it. Damage inside the house from a sudden break may be covered. Ask your carrier before work starts and check any service line coverage you bought separately.
Call with the meter location and what you see in the yard, and we can give you a clear price before work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Do you handle water line emergencies at night or on weekends in Hanahan?
Yes. Dispatch is 24/7, so a licensed plumber can be sent when a line breaks after hours. Close the valve at the house, note the meter and call.
Is the pipe from the meter to my house my responsibility?
Usually the part after the meter is the homeowner's, but it depends on where the meter is and how your property was set up. Call CWS at (843) 727-6800 and ask before anyone digs.
Do I need to call 811 before a water line repair?
SC811 asks homeowners planning to dig to call 811 for a locate request. Check sc811.com for the details that apply to your job, and make that call before the excavation starts.
My water is brown or rusty. Is that the water line?
It can be, but it can also be the utility. CWS suggests running a cold faucet until the water runs clear and calling (843) 727-6800 if it does not. If the water is clear at the meter but rusty inside, the cause is likely your own pipe.
Why is my water pressure suddenly low?
Check whether every tap is weak or just one. Low pressure everywhere points to the main valve, the regulator, the meter or the service line. Call CWS if neighbors are affected, since a main break can reduce pressure.
Can the line be replaced without tearing up my yard?
Sometimes. Trenchless methods use small entry and exit holes and can go under driveways and plantings. They do not fit every soil or layout, and a plumber must see the site first.