Water Line Repair in Conway and Myrtle Beach, SC

Leaking, low-pressure or failing water service lines repaired or replaced, from the meter to the house.

Camera inspection first
Written, itemized quotes
Licensed and insured

Water line repair fixes the buried service line between your water meter and the house when it leaks, splits or corrodes; replacement swaps an old galvanized, polybutylene or undersized line for new PEX, polyethylene or copper. Myrtle Beach Sewer Line Repair confirms the leak, checks which side of the meter it is on, and repairs or replaces water lines in Conway, Myrtle Beach and across Horry County, with a written, itemized quote first.

Call (843) 429-6659 if your bill jumped, the meter won’t stop moving or the yard is wet between the meter and the house.

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Choose your area

Who owns the line, which utility to call and which permits apply differ by town. Pick yours:

Myrtle Beach Conway North Myrtle Beach Surfside Beach Carolina Forest Socastee Murrells Inlet Garden City More areas

Signs your water service line is leaking

Water spraying from a leaking water service line in a yard

What you notice	Likely cause	What we do
The bill jumps with no change in use	A leak past the meter: yard line, toilet or irrigation	Meter test, then trace the loss
The meter’s red triangle turns with every tap off	A leak on your side of the meter	Close the house shutoff to isolate the yard line
Soft, wet or extra-green grass over the line	A split pipe or failed fitting	Trace the line; dig one repair hole
Water standing in the meter box	A leak at the meter or in the first few feet of your line	The utility checks its side first
Low pressure everywhere	A leak, a partly closed valve, or galvanized pipe narrowed by rust	Check valves and pressure; price a new line if it is galvanized
Rusty water that does not clear	Corroding galvanized pipe, or work on the main	Ask the utility; identify your pipe
A wet patch that smells like sewage	The sewer lateral, not the water line	A sewer camera inspection, or emergency sewer repair if sewage surfaces

Is the leak on your side of the meter or the utility’s?

Water meter and shut-off valves in a service box

Where a utility’s rules point to an answer, as GCWSD’s and GSWSA’s do, the owner’s part runs from the meter or road right-of-way to the house, and the meter and the pipe to the main are generally the utility’s. We have not confirmed the city utilities’ rules, so check whose name is on your water bill and ask before anyone digs.

Utility	Where	The line past the meter	Call
GSWSA	Surfside Beach, Garden City, Socastee, Carolina Forest, Forestbrook, Little River, Longs	Its standards define its service as the tap, saddle, corporation stop and 1-inch line, and its staff set meters; its maintenance plan suggests the owner generally has the rest	(843) 443-8200
GCWSD	Murrells Inlet	The owner is “responsible for all repairs to your water line from your home to your water meter”	(843) 546-8408 after hours
City of Myrtle Beach	The city, and the water lines in Briarcliffe Acres	Not confirmed; see sewer and water line repair in Myrtle Beach	(843) 918-2000, the repair line Briarcliffe Acres lists
City of Conway	City limits	Not confirmed	The number on your bill
North Myrtle Beach	The city	Not confirmed	(843) 280-5500
City of Loris	The city	Not confirmed	After hours, (843) 756-4004 option 2, or (843) 421-5391
Atlantic Beach	The town	The town does not own, manage or service water and sewer	The utility on your bill

GSWSA customers: a Service Line Maintenance charge on the bill ($2.60 a month for water alone, or $2.85 with sewer, for one unit) means GSWSA’s optional plan covers the line “from the existing utility system (within road right-of-way) up to the exterior perimeter of the building,” except irrigation, pools and lines to out-buildings. If it is there, call GSWSA first. GCWSD’s 2022 plan terms make an enrolled customer who calls a plumber before the district pay the repair bill.

Water line repair in Conway

Inside city limits the City of Conway supplies the water; GSWSA’s 2023 service-area map shows Conway’s own zone, plus a zone southeast of the city with Conway water and GSWSA sewer. A Conway address outside city limits may mean another utility, such as GSWSA. We have not confirmed where the city’s part of the service ends, so for a leak at or near the meter, ask the city first.

In the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey, 32.3% of the city’s homes predate 1980, double the county share, and lines from those decades may be galvanized steel, in a county where NRCS rates 68.8% of soil acreage high risk of corrosion for uncoated steel. The 30.9% built since 2010 more likely have PEX or polyethylene. More on sewer line repair in Conway.

Main Street in the Conway Downtown Historic District. Photo: Pubdog, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What happens when you call

Stop a gushing leak at the main shutoff, which South Carolina’s residential code requires near where the water service enters the house; if water comes from the meter or the street side, call your utility.
We confirm the leak with GSWSA’s test: everything off, then watch the meter’s red triangle, or read it 15 minutes apart.
The utility checks its side if the leak may be at the meter; GSWSA asks customers to “contact GSWSA to see if the leak is on your side.”
We locate the line. We request SC811 locates, which cover public utilities only, and trace your private line ourselves, so a spot repair can usually be one hole.
You get a written, itemized quote, with repair and replacement side by side when both would work.
We repair, test and restore. Licensed plumbers covered by liability insurance do the work; we pull the permit when pipe is replaced, pressure-test before backfill and schedule the inspection.

Should you repair or replace the water line?

Repair one leak in a sound line, and replace a line that is old, failing along its length or too small. A spot repair suits a split fitting or a section nicked by a fence post: we expose it, cut out the damage and join new pipe with approved fittings. Replace the line when:

It is galvanized steel, which rusts from the inside until pressure drops and leaks start.
It is polybutylene, an often gray plastic common from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s.
It keeps leaking, or roots or settling have damaged a long run; GCWSD names “aging pipes, tree roots and changes in seasons” among the causes of breaks.
It is too small, or a driveway or addition is going over it.

Angi’s water line replacement guide (November 25, 2025) says “most water main lines last around 50 years.”

Two copper water pipes running up a wall

Which pipe should a new water line be?

Usually PEX or polyethylene. GSWSA’s July 2026 water standards specify SDR 9 polyethylene or PEX for new services, with Type K copper only “where specifically approved,” a 3/4-inch house connection at the meter setter and no-lead brass. Polyethylene service tubing is often called poly or HDPE. South Carolina’s residential code approves PEX, polyethylene and copper tubing for water service, rated for at least 160 psi at 73°F.

Can a water line be replaced without digging up the yard?

Often, yes. A new PEX or polyethylene line can usually be pulled in as the old one is split or drawn out, or bored along a new path, between a pit at the meter and one at the house, sparing lawns, driveways and landscaping. An open trench is simpler when the run is short and clear. Either way, NRCS puts the water table within 2 feet of the surface on 79.5% of Horry County’s mapped acreage at its shallowest, so pits and trenches may need pumping. We quote both methods when both work.

Mini excavator and dumper beside a trench dug through a backyard

How much does main water line repair cost?

Stack of orange PVC sewer pipe

Angi’s national water line repair guide (November 23, 2025) puts the average at $1,025, with most homeowners paying $354 to $1,696; depth, length, method and what sits over the pipe set your price. These are national estimates, not Grand Strand quotes:

Job	National figure	Source
Underground repair	$100 to $200 per linear foot	Angi repair guide, Nov 23, 2025
Main water line replacement	Average $1,710; normal range $647 to $2,828	Angi replacement guide, Nov 25, 2025
Replacement per foot	$50 to $150 per linear foot	Same replacement guide
By method, per foot	Trench $50 to $250; trenchless lining $75 to $150; pipe bursting $50 to $200	Same replacement guide

Our sewer and water line replacement cost guide explains each cost driver.

What a complete written quote includes

Leak test results and the leak’s location, or why the whole line should go
Method: spot repair, open trench or trenchless
Pipe material and size
Length and depth of the run
Permit and inspection
SC811 locates, plus tracing your private line
Restoration of yard, driveway or sidewalk
Valves or fittings added, such as a main shutoff
Disposal of old pipe
Any utility fees or meter work

Permits, SC811 and the meter box

Permits. South Carolina’s 2021 residential code exempts stopping a leak in a water pipe, but replacing defective concealed water pipe is new work needing a permit and an inspection; an emergency repair can go first, with the application due the next working business day. Plumbing work over $500 needs a state-licensed plumber, though owner-occupants may do their own.

SC811. “Utility companies only mark the lines they install and maintain,” SC811 says, so private water lines are not marked, and operators get three full working days to respond.

The meter box. GSWSA asks for 3 feet of clear space around each meter box and warns never to use kerosene, gasoline or other petroleum products on fire ants there: “These chemicals can permeate the plastic (PVC) service line and contaminate the water supply.”

Blue water valve box cover set in a concrete sidewalk

Replacing the water line and sewer line together

In older homes both lines are often the same age. A sewer camera inspection shows whether the sewer lateral needs work too, and one dig can cover both within the state code’s trench rules: 5 feet of undisturbed or compacted earth between them, unless its pipe-material or 12-inch-height exceptions apply. See sewer line replacement and sewer line repair in Myrtle Beach.

Water line repair FAQ

Is the water line from the meter to my house my responsibility?

Usually, but it depends on the utility. GCWSD puts the line from the home to the meter on the owner, and GSWSA’s maintenance plan points the same way; we have not confirmed the city utilities’ rules, so ask yours.

How can I tell if my water service line is leaking?

Turn off every tap and water-using appliance, then watch the meter’s red triangle, or read the meter twice, 15 minutes apart. Movement means a leak; if it continues with the house shutoff closed, the leak is in the yard line.

Will GSWSA adjust my bill after a leak?

Possibly. GSWSA asks customers who fix a leak to save the receipt and call Customer Service at (843) 443-8202 to see if any adjustments can be made. Our itemized invoice is that receipt.

Who fixes a water main break in the street?

The utility, so call the number on your bill. Report water bubbling up at the meter box to the utility first too; it can tell whose side the leak is on.

Does homeowners insurance cover a broken water service line?

Usually not. GCWSD says most homeowners insurance policies do not cover these repairs, and national insurers say home insurance typically does not cover service line failures unless you add optional service line coverage.

Are there lead water service lines on the Grand Strand?

GSWSA says its ongoing inspections and testing have not found any lead service lines in its service area so far. North Myrtle Beach’s online lookup shows whether a line is recorded as lead, galvanized, non-lead or unknown.

What does it cost to replace a water line?

Angi’s water line replacement guide (November 25, 2025) puts the national average at $1,710, with a normal range of $647 to $2,828. Your written quote reflects your own depth, length and restoration.