What is This Blue Wire on a Water Main?

Explaining what this seemingly random loose blue wire is sticking out of the ground on your water main riser or inside your house. Tracer wire is used to locate a nonmetallic water service line from the water meter to the water riser or wherever the water enters the home so that a utility company can locate the lines. They use a wire tracer to detect where the tracer wire runs underground to help mark the lines so you know where you shouldn’t dig, OR where to dig if you need to make a repair or replace the water main.
Details on why this is an IMPORTANT step and the GOOD news on what it tells you about your plumbing.
CODE REFERENCES:
○ 2006 UPC Section 604.8 has no mention of tracer wire:
archive.org/details/gov.law.i...
○ But it is there in 2009 UPC Section 604.8:
ia600208.us.archive.org/6/ite...
○ 2021 UPC Section 604.10.1: epubs.iapmo.org/2021/UPC/
RELATED PLAYLISTS:
○ This video is part of a video series on DIY water main replacement:
• Water Service Line Rep...
○ Leak Detection - • Supply Plumbing Leak D...
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[@JRedbone81]

Great, thanks for the information.

[@NoMoreLeaks]

Glad it was helpful!

[@luissonoma6255]

Thanks again for another one!! Quick question, maybe it’s a silly one but I’m just wondering… I seen that the wire it’s just wrapped around/hanging lose would it be ok to clamp it on to the metals(brass/copper) coming out of house or meter? And wouldn’t that have to be somewhat connected to the ground from the electrical panel? At first I thought it was for grounding purposes when I heard of a wire since the replacement of metal pipe to PVC or PEX is taking place…😅

[@NoMoreLeaks]

I'm going to have to punt to a plumber for that answer. Around here the new neighborhood built just a few years ago looks identical to this where they just wrap the wire around the hose Bibb and make it difficult to see the blue on the tracer wire by spray painting the pipe and wire to match the house color. While we didn't spray paint, we followed suit. My understanding is that a piece of equipment is hooked up to the exposed wire at the meter as well as the exposed wire at the house, sending the electrical signal by a plumber when detection is needed and left to the elements for the rest of its life. I could be wrong though and the advice is worth the price charged. In the 80's--when our neighborhood was built--tracer wire was nowhere in the picture so this is an upgrade we included as well as the detectable warning tape.

[@MarcoRodriguez-ho3nt]

Tracer wire helps for copper pipes too???

[@NoMoreLeaks]

That is correct. You don't want to energize the copper pipes.