Wet Spot in the Yard That Will Not Dry

Three Common Causes

• A leaking water line. The pipe from the street or the well to the house is under pressure. A leak pushes water up through the soil and makes a spot that stays wet, even in a dry week. The water is clean. There is no smell.
• A septic drain field problem. Wastewater from the septic tank flows out to the drain field. When the field is failing or the tank is overfull, wastewater rises to the surface. It often smells, and the grass over it can look unusually green.
• Groundwater, a spring or runoff. In the mountains, water moves through the hillside. Springs, a gutter downspout, a buried drain or a low spot can make a wet area that has nothing to do with your plumbing. It tends to show up after rain and fade in dry stretches.

The right answer matters because each one has a different fix and a different person to call.

Step One: Use Your Nose and Eyes

• Sewage or rotten egg smell, gray or dark water, toilets gurgling or slow drains inside: point to the septic system. See sewage smell in the house and how septic systems work.
• Clear, odor free water in a line from the house toward the road or the well: points to a water line.
• Wet only after rain: check downspouts, driveways and the slope above you first.

Keep children and pets away from any wet area that might be sewage. Untreated wastewater can carry germs.

Step Two: The Water Meter or Well Test

If you are on city or county water, find your meter. Turn off every faucet, the ice maker, the dishwasher and the washing machine. Look at the meter. Many have a small dial or triangle that turns if any water is moving. If it keeps turning with everything off, water is going somewhere, and a leak on your side of the meter is likely. The guide to finding a hidden water leak covers it step by step.

If you are on a well, there is no meter. Instead, listen. If the well pump turns on when nobody is using water, or the pressure tank cycles every so often, water is escaping. A pump that never rests can wear out early. See well pump short cycling, and no water from the well if the water has already stopped.

A line leak also tends to lower your pressure. If your water pressure has dropped and you have a wet spot, the two are probably connected.

Whose Leak Is It, and Who Fixes It?

With city or county water, the utility usually owns the line up to the meter, and you own the pipe from the meter to the house. If the wet spot is between the meter and the street, call your water utility. If it is between the meter and the house, it is your repair.

With a well, the pipe from the well to the house is all yours. It runs underground, and it is common for it to leak at a joint or at the point where it enters the house.

Ryan does leak repair and works on well systems and septic system repair, and he can do sewer line work. If a long buried line needs to be dug up and replaced, ask him at the free estimate what the job needs. He will not guess.

What to Do Right Now

1. Mark the wet area with a flag or stake so you can show it later.
2. Keep people and pets off it until you know what it is.
3. Do the meter or pump test above.
4. If water is running steadily and you cannot stop it, shut the main water valve. See how to shut off your water main.
5. If you think it is septic, cut back on water use: skip laundry, long showers and the dishwasher until it is checked. More water goes right into the field you are worried about.
6. Take two photos: a close one of the wet area and a wide one with the house in view. Text them.

Do not dig on your own over a wet spot. A shovel can hit a gas line, an electric line or the pipe itself. Call 811 before any digging so underground lines get marked first.

Why Mountain Properties Are Tricky

Sloped land sends water downhill, underground and on top. A spring can open after a wet season and change where water rises. A septic field on a slope can leach out below it. Water lines run long distances from a well house or a road to a home set back on a hillside, which means more joints and more places to leak.

A leak can also run a long time without a clue. The water follows soil, rock and roots, and shows up far from where the pipe broke. That is why the spot where the water appears is not always the spot to dig.

★★★★★

"The determination that Ryan displayed to get my septic system operational on a Sunday is just about unprecedented these days. Not afraid of hard work at a good price. Job two: Ryan installed a new bladder tank for my well. He showed up promptly and finished quickly at a better than fair price."

How Ryan Helps

Ryan Chastain is a licensed Master Plumber, Georgia license MPR108473. He listens to what you see, checks the house side of the water system, and tells you what he thinks the wet spot is. The estimate is free. No trip fee, no diagnostic fee. Work is backed by a warranty, with terms in writing at the estimate.

He answers his own phone, day or night. In the mountains, text works best, and photos of the wet spot are a big help.