Water Leak Detection Services in Olympia, WA
Small clues such as recurring moisture, warm flooring, or an unexpected bill increase can point to a concealed plumbing leak. Our leak detection service in Olympia is designed to locate the problem while leaving finished surfaces intact.
Some leaks cooperate - you hear it, see the moisture, fix it. Others don't: a supply line that reads clean to the meter, a slab with a warm spot but no clear signal, a water bill climbing with nothing visible inside the house. These are the jobs that need a dedicated locate, not exploratory demolition.
Simply Leak Detection serves plumbing companies and homeowners throughout Western Washington as the region's specialist locate team. Acoustic correlators, ground microphones, thermal cameras, and tracer gas - we arrive with the tools and experience to find what isn't cooperating and mark it precisely so the repair crew goes in once, not three times.
We don't repair leaks. That keeps the scope clean: we locate, we document, we hand off. Plumbers across Western Washington refer clients to us for exactly that reason - no competing scope, no overlap, just a precise location and a written summary included with every invoice.
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 Olympia
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 →Technology that finds the leak. Not one that guesses.
- ✓Acoustic correlators and ground microphones calibrated for Pacific Northwest soil and pipe conditions
- ✓Acoustic route locating for plastic poly and PEX lines without tracer wire
- ✓10,000+ leaks located since 2010 - we know what we're listening for
- ✓Precise enough to guide a single-core concrete repair instead of exploratory demolition
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 & Irrigation Leak Detection
A buried water line doesn't announce itself. Whether it's the service line running from the meter to your foundation, a mainline crossing the property, or an irrigation zone that hasn't shown up on a bill yet, underground leaks share one inconvenient trait: they run quietly until the damage is visible or the water loss becomes impossible to ignore. Our underground leak detection work covers all of it - from city-side service connections through to the sprinkler manifold at the back of the yard. See our underground leak detection and irrigation leak detection service pages for more detail.
Irrigation and sprinkler systems are among the most commonly overlooked underground leak sources because the affected zones aren't under constant observation. A cracked mainline between the backflow preventer and the valve manifold can run continuously - not just during irrigation cycles - adding thousands of gallons of loss before a water bill flags it. Signs include zones that stay wet between cycles, a controller that cycles normally but loses pressure at the heads, or a meter that keeps moving when everything is supposed to be off.
Underground water pipe leaks are located primarily through acoustics; we typically also use a safe nitrogen/hydrogen tracer-gas blend as additional confirmation of the leak location. We mark the exact leak point, typically within a foot, so the repair is a targeted dig rather than a trench across the lawn. Your landscaping stays intact until the repair contractor needs to open it, and only where they need to.
Slab Leak Detection & Foundation Leak Locating
A slab leak - a break or pinhole failure in a supply or drain line embedded in or running beneath your concrete foundation - is one of the more stressful water problems a homeowner can face. The water often appears far from the source, migrating along the path of least resistance until it surfaces under flooring, at a baseboard, or on the wall opposite the actual pipe. Combining years of experience with high-end equipment including acoustic sensors, thermal cameras, utility locators, and more - we are able to zero in on the exact location of the leak.
Hot-water supply lines are the most common slab leak culprit. They expand and contract with every cycle, and over years that movement creates friction wear against the concrete that eventually opens a pinhole. Post-tension slabs - common in Western Washington construction from the 1980s onward - add complexity because the reinforcing cables have to be respected during any repair planning. We document the position so the repair crew can work from a clear, precise target.
The same non-invasive detection process extends to residential plumbing throughout the home - in-wall supply lines, under-tile hot-water runs, and leaks that present above grade but originate below it. Whether the source is above the slab or beneath it, we locate it without guesswork.
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 Olympia customers
Yes. Non-invasive detection is the whole point. We use acoustic sensors, thermal cameras, and tracer gas - none of which require opening walls, shutting off water to occupied units beyond a brief pressure test, or issuing disruption notices to tenants. We schedule around operational hours when needed.
We isolate the building's water system by floor, riser, or tenant zone using valve and pressure tests, then use acoustic and thermal instruments to follow the leak signal to its source. In many cases we can narrow it to the specific floor and line segment on the first visit.
Yes, regularly. We understand that managed properties have different billing, reporting, and scheduling requirements than residential calls, and we accommodate that. We can coordinate with on-site staff, report to property management directly, and schedule in phases when the property requires it.
We try to accommodate urgency - an active, high-volume leak is a different conversation than a slow, monitored loss. Call us with the details and we'll give you a realistic scheduling window. For situations that can't wait, we make every effort to respond the same day.
Our written summary of findings, included with every invoice, documents the leak source and location with photos. Most insurance adjusters and contractors accept it as part of the claim package. In our experience, the summary provides what is needed to establish the source, scope the repair, and support the claim.
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 Olympia and across Western Washington. Written summary of findings and exact location - same day.