How Long Does It Take to Fix a Water Main Break?
It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to have a water main break completely repaired. The amount of time that it takes to fix a water main break depends on the size of the break, where the break is located and what type of environment it is in.
Water main breaks are generally repaired and completed within a few hours; the average time for a water main repair is 4 hours. While this is the most common, it is not what always happens. Things that need to be taken into consideration are the location of the break, how much damage the break caused and even the age of the pipes where the water main break occurred.
When a water main breaks, the location can be very crucial to the amount of time it will take to be repaired. A water main that is buried deep inside the earth underneath a building will often take at least 24 hours to repair. A water main that is located in a parking lot that can be dug up without much damage will generally only take a few hours.
If a water main breaks in an area that is fairly populated, it can cause a lot of damage. The water main can cause the area to flood and delay the repair of the break because it may be inaccessible due to flooding.
The age of the pipes does not have as much to do with the actual reparation of the pipes but has everything to do with how easily the water will be restored. Older pipes tend to have rust, and a water main break can cause the rust to contaminate the water.
