I used to work at a company that installed lots of water service lines. Whenever it would rain severely across the Metro Atlanta Region I knew that there was a strong possibility of upset customers calling in. These people would tell me that our company installed a water service line and that it wasn’t sealed properly or they would claim that the waterline had started to leak not realizing the true cause of the issue. After people figured out that the pipe penetration was to blame they would often become angry. They would be like: “Why would your plumber charge me all this money and do a shoddy job sealing the pipe penetration?” Sometimes they would tell me that the water had ruined their carpet. I remember one person telling me that the water had destroyed his collection of Playboy magazines. He said it was a priceless collection.
The important thing that I took away is that plumbers should always plan on making a good seal on the pipe penetration through the foundation wall. Not only should they do it but they should let customers know about it when they are trying to earn the business. People like to hear what sets your waterline apart from the next person. At the end of the day there is a pipe in the ground through which water travels from the meter to the house. As plumbers we can let people know that we will take some care to not destroy their yard, we will not use the cheapest possible pipe available, and yes we will seal the pipe penetration using hydraulic cement.