A hidden water leak costs money in two directions simultaneously — the water you are being billed for, and the damage it is doing quietly behind a wall, under a slab or beneath the yard. The expensive mistake is opening up finished surfaces to hunt for it.
Locating it precisely first is the entire reason detection exists as a separate service. Access gets opened at one confirmed point rather than at three hopeful ones.
Start with the meter test — it is free
Before calling anyone, run this. It costs nothing and it answers the first question.
- Turn off every fixture and water-using appliance in the house — taps, toilets, dishwasher, washing machine, ice maker, irrigation.
- Find your water meter and note the reading, including the small leak-indicator dial if it has one.
- Wait 30 to 60 minutes without using any water at all.
- Read the meter again.
If the reading has moved, water is leaving the system somewhere it should not be. That is a pressurised-side leak, and it will not fix itself.
How we find it
Acoustic listening
Water escaping a pressurised pipe makes a sound — a specific, consistent hiss produced by the pressure drop at the point of escape. Ground microphones and amplified listening equipment pick that up through soil, concrete and flooring.
Moving methodically across a suspected area, the signal strengthens toward the source. On a slab leak this is usually what gets us to a specific spot rather than a general region.
Pressure isolation
Homes have several branches on the supply side. Isolating them one at a time and watching which one loses pressure narrows the search from "somewhere in the house" to "this run".
Thermal and moisture readings
Escaping water changes surface temperature and moisture content. Thermal imaging is particularly effective on hot-water slab leaks, where the warm plume is unmistakable. Moisture meters confirm the extent of what has already been affected.
No single one of these is definitive on its own. Used together and cross-checked, they get to a location precise enough to open one small area with confidence.
Signs worth acting on
- A water bill that rose sharply with no change in usage
- The meter continues moving with everything shut off
- A warm patch on a floor slab
- The sound of running water with nothing turned on
- Damp patches, staining or a musty smell on walls, ceilings or floors
- Ground in the yard that stays soggy during dry weather
Why precision is the whole point
Consider a slab leak under a tiled kitchen floor. Located precisely, the repair opens one section of floor. Located approximately, it opens several while somebody searches.
The plumbing repair is often the smaller half of that bill either way. What detection controls is the restoration — and that is where the money actually goes.