Water Leak Detection Services in Auburn, WA
Finding a hidden water leak starts with separating the visible symptom from the place where the water is actually escaping. Customers in Auburn call us when ordinary troubleshooting has not revealed the source.
If your water bill has climbed without explanation, your meter spins when every tap is off, or there's a damp patch that never quite dries - you likely have a hidden water leak. For homeowners, that kind of problem rarely fixes itself. It runs quietly behind walls and under slabs until it becomes a repair bill instead of a maintenance call.
Simply Leak Detection finds those leaks before they find your floors. Using acoustic sensors, thermal imaging cameras, and tracer gas - not jackhammers and guesswork - we pinpoint the exact source so your plumber can fix it in one precise opening instead of three exploratory ones. No unnecessary damage, no oversized repair scope.
We serve the area and communities throughout Western Washington. Most residential inspections take one to two hours, and you receive a written summary of findings, included with every invoice, plus an exact location your repair contractor can act on the same day.
Signs you might have a hidden leak
We're most often called in when a plumber has already looked and can't find it - but if you're experiencing any of the following, you don't need to wait that long.
Unexplained spike in your water bill
If your bill jumped without a change in usage habits, water is going somewhere it shouldn't - possibly underground or inside a wall.
Water meter moving when everything is off
Turn off every fixture and appliance, then watch your meter. Any movement - even a slow crawl - confirms water is actively leaving the system somewhere.
Soggy yard patches or zones that stay wet
Sections of lawn or landscaping that are consistently wetter than the rest - especially when the irrigation hasn't recently run - often point to a buried line failure.
Well pump running excessively
If you notice your well pump frequently cycling on (by hearing it, seeing an indicator light, or noticing a high electric bill) when no water is in use, you may have a leak.
Low or inconsistent water pressure
A supply line losing water before it reaches your fixtures will often show up first as pressure that drops or fluctuates for no clear reason.
Sound of running water with nothing on
Hissing, trickling, or rushing water sounds when every tap and appliance is off is a classic indicator of a pressurized leak somewhere in the system.
Warm or hot spots on your floors
A hot-water supply line failing beneath a concrete slab radiates heat upward. Warm patches on tile or hardwood floors are a common early sign of a slab leak.
Wet patches on walls, ceilings, or floors
Moisture that appears without an obvious source - no recent rain, no spill - usually means water is migrating from a hidden pipe failure nearby.
Musty smell, mold, or mildew without a visible cause
Persistent musty odors or mold growth in an area that never gets wet from normal use often traces back to a slow, long-running leak behind or beneath the surface.
Foundation cracks, settling, or uneven floors
Long-running slab leaks erode the soil beneath a foundation. New cracks in concrete or drywall, doors that stick, or floors that feel uneven can all follow from that movement.
Rotten egg or sulfur smell in your house
That distinct sulfur odor is added to natural gas specifically so you'll notice it. A smell near a gas line, appliance, or in your house warrants immediate investigation.
Your plumber said to call a leak detection specialist
Plumbers refer to us when a leak won't reveal itself to standard diagnostics. If yours suggested a specialist, that's exactly what we do.
Services We Offer in Auburn
From residential slab leaks to commercial irrigation systems, we locate water leaks and leaks on privately owned gas lines downstream of the meter using non-invasive equipment.
Locate buried supply-line leaks without trenching your yard, driveway, or landscaping.
Learn more →Find hidden leaks inside walls, floors, and under slabs - no exploratory demolition.
Learn more →Pinpoint sprinkler and irrigation mainline leaks without disturbing your landscape.
Learn more →Acoustic and thermal pinpointing under concrete - no guesswork, no unnecessary jackhammering.
Learn more →Precision leak detection for offices, retail, and industrial buildings with minimal tenant disruption.
Learn more →Identify the source unit and line quickly to contain damage and resolve disputes.
Learn more →Locate leaks in fire suppression systems without compromising building life-safety systems.
Learn more →Find leaks in large-diameter water mains and underground distribution lines.
Learn more →Locate non-metallic poly and PEX pipe routes acoustically when tracer wire is unavailable.
Learn more →Locate buried utilities before digging to avoid costly and dangerous strikes.
Learn more →Pinpoint electrical ground faults in underground conduit and direct-bury systems.
Learn more →Locate leaks on privately owned gas lines downstream of the meter, typically within a home.
Learn more →Licensed, insured, and earning 4.9 stars since 2010.
- ✓Washington State licensed and fully insured - UBI# 605905758
- ✓4.9-star average across 300+ verified reviews from homeowners and property managers
- ✓Clear pricing before we start - no surprises, no trip fees buried in fine print
- ✓Serving the greater Puget Sound and Western Washington for 15+ years
Three steps. No guessing.
Call or schedule online
Tell us what you're seeing - bill spikes, wet spots, meter movement. We gather details so we arrive prepared.
Non-invasive inspection
Acoustic sensors, thermal imaging, and tracer gas where needed. No jackhammers. No unnecessary openings. No guesswork.
Written summary with exact location
Precise location and photos in a summary of findings included with every invoice.
Underground Water Leak & Sprinkler Line Detection
Underground leaks are a broad category - buried service lines, mainlines, irrigation circuits, and in some cases gas distribution lines running through a property - and they share a common problem: the only way to know exactly where the loss is occurring is with specialized detection equipment. We handle the full range, from locating a single break in a half-inch residential supply line to mapping and testing a multi-zone commercial irrigation system across several acres. See our underground leak detection and irrigation leak detection service pages for more detail.
Commercial irrigation systems - multi-zone controllers, backflow prevention assemblies, and valve manifolds - operate under enough pressure that a single failed valve or cracked mainline can waste thousands of gallons before anyone notices. Property managers, HOAs, and landscaping contractors call us when a zone stops performing, a meter shows unexplained loss, or an irrigation contractor has traced the problem as far as their own equipment can reach. For properties without existing as-builts, we map the line first, then locate the leak - delivering a marked repair point and a written summary of findings included with every invoice that your contractor can work from directly.
Residential sprinkler systems get the same treatment. If it runs underground and it's losing water, we can find where - without turning your yard into a trench to do it.
In-Home & Under-Slab Leak Detection
Water leaks inside a home follow gravity and find the path of least resistance - which means the visible damage and the actual source are often in different places. A slow leak in a supply line inside a wall cavity can soak insulation for months before it reaches drywall. A pinhole in a hot-water line under the slab can migrate along a concrete crack and surface six feet away. Accurate residential leak detection means finding the source, not the damage.
We approach in-home and slab leak detection the same way we approach underground work: isolate the system, pressurize it, and use acoustic sensors to follow the signal to its origin. For slab locates, that means pinpointing the position relative to the foundation before any concrete is cored. For in-wall work, it means marking the stud bay and height so the patch is surgical. If there's concern about a privately owned gas line downstream of the meter, typically within the home, we can assess it in the same visit. The gas company is responsible for leaks on the underground service line leading up to the meter.
The outcome is always the same: a written summary of findings, included with every invoice, with an exact location and material information where known. Your plumber or repair contractor gets a clear target, not a search zone.
Whether the issue is a slab leak under your foundation or a break in a buried supply line, the detection process follows the same principle: isolate the system, pressurize it, and listen. slab leak detection and underground water leak detection are two of our most requested services, and both benefit enormously from accurate locating before any concrete gets cored or any yard gets opened.
If the source turns out to be on the service line between the meter and the structure, that's an underground locate job. If it's inside the slab itself - a hot-water supply line that's been expanding and contracting against the concrete for years - that's a slab locate job. We handle both with the same non-invasive equipment and the same precision standard.
Common questions from Auburn customers
Almost certainly, yes. Many water leaks - especially underground supply-line leaks and slab leaks - produce no visible wet spot at the surface, or the water emerges far from the actual break. A water bill that climbs without a change in usage, or a meter that keeps spinning when every fixture is off, are more reliable early indicators than visible moisture.
Turn off every water fixture inside and outside the house, including ice makers, humidifiers, and automatic appliances. Note the meter reading, wait 15–30 minutes without using any water, then check it again. If the meter has moved, water is escaping somewhere in your system. That's a good time to call us.
No. Our detection equipment - acoustic sensors, thermal cameras, and tracer gas probes - works entirely from the surface. We don't cut, core, or excavate anything during the locate. The only thing that gets opened is what your plumber opens to make the repair, and because we've marked the exact spot, that opening is as small as possible.
Every invoice includes a written summary of findings with photos showing the exact location. You take that summary to your plumber, who can schedule and price the repair accurately. We don't do repairs ourselves - which means we have no incentive to overstate the problem or expand the scope.
We provide clear pricing before any work begins - no surprise fees. Detection costs vary based on property type and leak complexity, but the investment is typically a fraction of what a missed or misidentified leak would add to the repair bill. Call us for a specific quote.
Have a question we didn't answer?
Have a leak? We'll find exactly where it is.
Non-invasive leak detection for homes and businesses in Auburn and across Western Washington. Written summary of findings and exact location - same day.