Advice on finding my water line in the lake

[modrama]

My water filter is clogging up very quickly and i believe it is under sludge on the lake bottom. I want to pull it up and put it on a stand but I am unable to locate it. The line comes out of the basement underground and I assume pops up from the lake bottom a few feet out. Does anyone have any tips on finding please.

[radioman]

The easiest way is to find a friend who owns a compressor. Detach waterline and inject air. This method requires 2 people, one to watch compressor and the other to watch for bubbles at water edge. Make certain to have something to mark the specific spot.

[jbolty]

The air will not come out at the bottom if there is a check valve so this method is not going to work most of the time. But still worth a try; maybe the foot valve will be stuck open a little from leaves or something.

Not too much pressure.

[modrama]

thanks, we did already try the compressor but I believe there is a check valve as the air just blew back
Any other ideas???

[Dad sold the C * C]

I have no idea if this would work. When the lake is warm enough to put your head under water with a mask on, have someone bang the pipe. It may get you close.

[ApS]

If the water is clear enough, it would be easiest to turn on the water pump, and "feed" a frozen lump of milk to see where it's drawn in.

Otherwise, suggest you borrow a saltwater fisherman's gaff, and drag the area with the shortest "run" to the water pump. (That is, if a garden rake didn't work due to rocks crowding the bottom).



Alternatively, the foot valve would be bronze, and an underwater metal detector should find it.


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[SIKSUKR]

If the water is clear enough, it would be easiest to turn on the water pump, and "feed" a frozen lump of milk to see where it's drawn in.

Anybody else know what this means?

[Bear Islander]

Freeze some milk solid and put it in the water when the lake is calm (early morning). The water in the area will turn milky as the milk melts. Turn the pump on and observe where the milk goes.

[Pricestavern]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

Freeze some milk solid and put it in the water when the lake is calm (early morning). The water in the area will turn milky as the milk melts. Turn the pump on and observe where the milk goes.

Gotta love the Forum. Probably the most resourceful gathering of people in the world. NASA ought to post "How To" questions here!

[jbolty]

Here's a thought. Never tried this but don't know why it won't work.

If you can get to the above water part of the pipe try feeding a wire or something else ridged into the pipe. There is almost certainly no elbows in the line and if you can get all the way in and hit the check valve you will at least know how far it is from shore.

[ITD]

Actually if you think it is the muck there is probably a crater or a clean spot around it, I would pick a line of site straight out from where you think the line enters the water then go straight out from shore and look down. Bring a boat hook with you and see if you can hook it. Good luck.

[dpg]

Just call "the guy"

[SIKSUKR]

How the heck do you know where to put the frozen milk if you don't know where the intake is? You're going to have a large area of milky water and what will that tell you? I doubt you're going to see the milky water being sucked up unless you happen to place the ice right next to the intake. Use or make a large hook out of rebar or the like and get in there and drag around carefully.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by modrama

My water filter is clogging up very quickly and i believe it is under sludge on the lake bottom. I want to pull it up and put it on a stand but I am unable to locate it. The line comes out of the basement underground and I assume pops up from the lake bottom a few feet out. Does anyone have any tips on finding please.

I feel like there may be more to this. I think of houses with basements as mostly being year round. i.e. not using lake water as a primary source. How deep under the ground is the pipe that leaves the house? Below frost line? Is this a seasonal house? could it be going to an old dug well instead of into the lake? For most of Winnipesaukee, you should be able to swim, canoe, etc and just look down and see pipe several feet/meters down. (How deep is it, say 50 and/or 100 feet out from shore? Where is your pump? Onshore, in the basement, in the lake? If you can't put your hand on it, it has to be in a well or in the lake. Too big not to be seen unless you have very deep water close to shore.

TIC: if all else fails, post on a new thread that your location is a great place to anchor/raft. People will come, anchor and eventually, one of them will pull up your intake pipe. You may have to get a few friends to anchor out as bait.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by modrama

My water filter is clogging up very quickly and i believe it is under sludge on the lake bottom. I want to pull it up and put it on a stand but I am unable to locate it. The line comes out of the basement underground and I assume pops up from the lake bottom a few feet out. Does anyone have any tips on finding please.

As another poster stated are you sure your pulling from the Lake?

That asside, you know where the line comes into the pump.... Hope it follows a straight or almost straight line, and walk the line that that premise creates... and hope that as you get out into the water, you will locate it within some reasonable proximity...

Next option, take up snorkeling.... and do some swimming once the water is warmer.

I take my line that runs into the lake out every year for inspection... Yes it is a lot of work..... but I always know where it is..

[Fargo]

We use to draw water from the lake. The pipe ran out 300ft from the house. The copper pipe developed a pin hole about half way out and picked up sand. At that time we blew air into the line to find the bubbles. We now have a drilled well. Good luck.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

How the heck do you know where to put the frozen milk if you don't know where the intake is? You're going to have a large area of milky water and what will that tell you? I doubt you're going to see the milky water being sucked up unless you happen to place the ice right next to the intake. Use or make a large hook out of rebar or the like and get in there and drag around carefully.

If the water depth is manageable, dragging for the line would be easiest, as it would be in most places on Lake Winnipesaukee. The OP suggests the end of the pipe is "close by". And, as the OP has stated elsewhere, their lake house site is located in Maine! The drop-off there could be severe. (Or, instead, the bottom's leaf-litter could be very thick).

Frozen milk is denser than the water surrounding it. I'd expect the milk to move downslope—indicating the intake point—"a few feet out"; otherwise, the ice-milk should be "fed", as I stated in post #6.

We also don't know if the line is galvanized steel or the usual plastic water line; however, I would anticipate no corners to stop an electrical "fish-tape". If there is a one-way valve at the waterline, the electrical "fish-tape" could be started there; if not, there may be no obstruction until reaching the foot valve. (Which, hopefully, is shorter than 50-feet).



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[Descant]

There's a lot of good info and suggestions here. After several days of posters asking questions, did I miss feedback from the OP? I certainly didn't see anything about the house being in Maine. If it is in Maine, why are we discussing this on a Winnipesaukee Forum?
I'm always willing to help, regardless of geography, but the OP has to participate. Modrama, help us help you. Tell us if you found the pipe and how you found it.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by Descant

There's a lot of good info and suggestions here. After several days of posters asking questions, did I miss feedback from the OP? I certainly didn't see anything about the house being in Maine. If it is in Maine, why are we discussing this on a Winnipesaukee Forum?
I'm always willing to help, regardless of geography, but the OP has to participate. Modrama, help us help you. Tell us if you found the pipe and how you found it.

The fact that the house is in Maine came from an earlier thread by the Original Poster back in January.