What do wet spots or extra-green patches in my yard mean?
Quick Answer
Unexplained wet areas, or patches of grass noticeably greener and lusher than the rest of the lawn, can mean an underground drain line is leaking and feeding the soil. It is one of the few pipe symptoms you can see from outside the house, and it deserves a prompt look.
Why a leak makes grass happy
The pipe running from your home to the street, called the lateral, carries everything your household drains. When it cracks or a joint separates, wastewater seeps into the surrounding soil. To your lawn, that is water and fertilizer, which is why the patch above a leak often turns greener and softer than everything around it. In wetter conditions it shows up as ground that stays soggy when the rest of the yard has dried out.
The lateral ages the same way the pipes under your slab do, and it fails the same way. The difference is that a lateral leak advertises itself on the surface, while an under-slab leak hides until it becomes a backup or worse.
What we check
A camera inspection covers the lateral along with the rest of the system, and the locator tells us exactly where along the run any damage sits and how deep. Laterals can be lined with the same trenchless process we use under the home, without digging a trench across your yard.
The Homeowner Takeaway
A mysteriously happy patch of grass is worth a camera inspection. Your lawn may be telling you about a leak your house has not noticed yet.
