Basements, Attics and Crawl Spaces - How to locate in-coming water pipe in crawler space

I recently boughts/closed on a 100+ year old 2-flat apartment in Chicago, IL (USA) with a crawler space. My plumber told me he cannot find the incoming water pipe from public city water supply network. He asked me to ask the City of Chcago Building Department for any previously submitted plans/drawings. I went to there and submitted a request for such plan (if kept at the CoC). The CoC called me back and said they do not have any plans kept since 1956.

My plumber said he may have to dig around to locate the in-coming water piple. Anyone has any idea where the in-coming water pipe may be? The 2-flat apartment has been vacant for 2 years and the water has been shut off. Many in-coming pipes were stolen or missing.

Appreciate any advice any practical way to locate it without costing me a bomb!

I assume this is a licensed plumber??? If he can't find it, I seriously doubt any of us can either. There has to be a water meter, from which the city bills you, that is the incoming supply.

Thanks for the post. He said his company is licensed. There is no water meter and I verified this with the City of Chicago that this is indeed so, and that the City bills the property twice a year ($360 per 6 months).

I was initially looking for the water meter as well but there were none.

So does it mean the only way to find the incoming suppy is to dig around the front wall of the crawler space? I think even a licensed plumber would do the same, do you think?

Else, would a plumber use some kind of magnetic or metal sensing equipment to detect underground or "wall embedded" metal water pipe?

Also appreciate comments from any licensed plumber out there, thanks!

A pipe locating service should be able to find it. I'd be amazed a real plumber doesn't know this.

If the pipe is metal (galvanized, copper, etc), you can connect a locator to it and trace it in (either to pipe inside your home or to your curb stop).

As previously mentioned, try contacting a locating company.

Any good contractor or excavator knows about 1 Call.

Call before you dig.

The phone company will send someone out with a tester which will tell you where all your gas, water, electric, phone, cable, sewage pipes and lines are located.

In some areas the telephone number is 811

Utility location - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_location)

Most companies do not charge a fee to come out and find it for you.

It costs more money for them to repair a fiber optic line that has been JCB'd then to just come and look and tell you where everything is at.