I've been down in my crawlspace a lot lately installing insulation, and I noticed some damp soil around a pipe coming out of the ground. I dug it up today, but I don't see or feel any water so I'm not sure where it's coming from. There was no water pooled in the bottom of the hole while I dug. Here are a couple pictures:





Any thoughts? How concerned should I be about this? Is this an immediate fix situation or relatively normal? A couple weeks ago I scattered some dry soil on top, and that soil was still dry this morning when I dug it up, so the wetness is definitely coming from below. I haven't seen anything that would make me believe the pipe above has been dripping on it.

The house is about 70 years old, but I've only been here about 2 years. I'm fairly certain that this is where the water enters the house from the street. Maybe that whole run needs to be replaced?

I wanted to get some outside opinions before I call a plumber. Any help is appreciated!

Looks normal to me, depending on the mineral content of the soil. There's moisture in the soil. Look at the white line on the bottom course of the wall blocks. That's more evidence of moisture in the soil.

I agree

look carefully at that pipe to see if there is any colored printing on it.
the printing is color coded to signify the grade (wall thickness) of the pipe.

green = type K which is the best

blue = type L which is acceptable

red = type M which should be replaced

as for the crawlspace..
dig the dirt away from the foundation at least 6 inches deep or more.
glue 1 inch styrofoam against the block and then lay 2 mil plastic all over the dirt as a vapor barrier.

Those white marks are just in that one spot, and that's the only place I've seen moisture down there. I'm in New Mexico and the rest of the crawlspace is dry as a bone.

I'll try digging in a different spot and see if there's a similar moisture content. I tried briefly yesterday, but the ground was hard as a rock compared to this spot, which dug up really easily.

I'll look for writing on the pipe when I go back down there to fill in the hole.

dig up the area around the pipe - you very well may have a 'pin-hole' leak in the unprotected copper


peace of mind is priceless

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

I should have taken a picture before I started digging. The dampness was visible at surface level spreading out from where the pipe enters the ground. It's the weirdest thing.

I feel like if there was a leak between the house and the street, there would be obviously healthier grass along that route. It doesn't take much moisture in the desert to see a visible difference in how fast grass grows.

Thanks for the thoughts, I'll keep an eye on it and dig around more when I get a chance.

You have multiple clues that water is leaking from that pipe: the white stains on the concrete and the dampness that you spotted originally.

Is it possible that pipe is NOT your water main? If it is only pressurized under certain circumstances, that could explain why you can't find the leak at other times.

Try wrapping toilet tissue around the whole visible section of pipe, with tape top and bottom to hold it tight. Inspect after a week. The toilet paper will wrinkle, tear or stain if just a little water touches it. You can buy special paper that turns bright pink when water touches it, but toilet paper works fine.