Meter and pressure testing
Isolating sections of the system to establish whether the loss is on the supply side, the irrigation side or inside the house.
Leak Detection in Plano
Water is showing up and you cannot tell where it comes from. Plano 24 Hour Plumber traces the leak to its source before anything is opened, so the repair goes to the right place instead of the most obvious wall.
- 24/7 Emergency Service
- Upfront Quotes
- Same-Day Availability
Signs of a Hidden Leak
- A water bill that jumps with no change in how you use water
- The meter dial still moving after everything in the house is turned off
- Damp baseboards, buckling flooring or a musty smell in one room
- A ceiling stain that grows slowly over days
- Pressure that has quietly dropped over the past few weeks
While you wait, note the meter reading, turn off everything that uses water and check it again an hour later. That one test tells the plumber a great deal. Do not cut into drywall to look, and stay out of any area where water is near wiring or a panel.
What the Service Includes
The point of a detection visit is to narrow the search before any demolition. Plano 24 Hour Plumber explains what each step rules in or out.
Listening and tracing
Acoustic equipment picks up water escaping under pressure through concrete, tile and soil, which is how a slab line gets located without guesswork.
Moisture mapping
Meters and thermal readings show where material is wet, including areas that look dry on the surface and still hold water underneath.
Checking the usual suspects
Toilets, shower pans, angle stops, supply lines to appliances and the water heater get eliminated before anything invasive is considered.
A clear finding
You are told where the leak is, what is leaking and what reaching it involves, before a repair is quoted.
Irrigation and yard lines
A wet patch in the lawn is not always a house problem. The yard side gets separated from the house side so the right line is repaired.
What Happens After the Leak Is Found
Once the source is known the choice is usually straightforward. An accessible supply line, a failed angle stop or a leaking shower valve is a repair. A line running under the foundation is a bigger decision, because it can be reached from above through the slab, rerouted through the walls or attic, or repaired in place depending on where it sits.
Slab foundations over clay soil are the default in Plano, and clay that swells in wet weather and shrinks in a dry summer moves everything sitting on it. That movement is a real cause of leaks under the slab, so if the water is coming from below, read slab leak repair and the warning signs guide. If the leak turns out to be the water heater, the repair versus replacement comparison covers what to weigh up. A sudden, fast leak is a different call altogether: see burst pipe repair.
Detection visits are booked across Plano and nearby towns including Parker, and the whole list is on the service areas page.
Leak Detection Questions
How do I know if I have a hidden leak?
The meter test is the clearest home check. Turn off every fixture and appliance that uses water, note the meter reading, wait an hour without using any water and read it again. If it has moved, water is going somewhere. Call Plano 24 Hour Plumber with that result and it saves time on the visit.
Does finding the leak mean breaking up the floor?
Not to find it. Detection is done with listening equipment, pressure isolation and moisture readings, which is the whole reason for doing it before any repair. Opening anything only happens once the location is known and you have agreed to the repair. See how a visit works.
What does leak detection cost?
It depends on how much of the system has to be isolated and tested, and whether the search covers the yard as well as the house. Plano 24 Hour Plumber quotes the detection work before starting, and quotes the repair separately once there is something definite to repair.
Can a leak damage the foundation?
Water escaping under or beside a slab changes the moisture in the clay soil underneath, and that soil moves when its moisture changes. That is why a long-running leak is worth taking seriously even when the visible damage seems minor. Finding and stopping it early is the practical answer.
Find the leak before you open the wall
Tell us what you are seeing and whether the meter is still moving.