The Manchester Water Works needs your assistance in determining your water service material.  The steps below will help you locate and guide you in locating your water service and will guide you on determining the water service’s pipe material. 

Service Line Submission Form

Water Service Line Inventory Video

Guide to locating your water service

Step 1

Your water service most likely enters through the lowest level, up through the basement floor or low along the foundation wall. 

The water service line may also be located within a crawl space or utility closet and will be connected to your water meter. 

Step 2

Once you have located your water service, you will need to determine your water service pipe material.  To do this, you will need a magnet and a key, coin, or flathead screwdriver to lightly scratch the pipe.  The four most common pipe materials are summarized below:

Start by testing the water service with the magnet. If the magnet sticks to the pipe, it will likely be galvanized iron and will usually appear rusty and may flake when scratched. Use a key, coin or the flat edge of a screwdriver to scratch through any corrosion that may have built up on the outside of the pipe DO NOT use a sharp object to perform the scratch test and be careful not to puncture a hole in the pipe. The base metal may become shiny silver when scratched.

If the pipe is black, blue, or white with lettering printed along the length of the pipe it is most likely plastic.  Plastic will not easily scratch and will not be magnetic.

Copper is identifiable by its color, usually a dull oxidized green or brown and will shine like a new penny when scratched.  Copper is also non-magnetic.

Step 3

Now that you can identify your water service pipe material using your smartphone, fill out the online form, attach a photo of your water service, and click submit to complete!

We appreciate your help!