Residential Leak Detection in the Greater Seattle Area

The clearest indicator of a residential leak is a water bill that climbs with no change in your usage. Inside the home, look for warm or damp spots on the floor (especially over a slab), peeling paint, soft drywall, mold or mildew smells in a closet or under a sink, and reduced pressure at one fixture. A water meter that keeps moving when everything is off is a smoking-gun signal.

Many of these symptoms point to common residential leak sources: toilets that are running when they shouldn't, pinhole leaks in copper supply lines inside walls, slow drain leaks behind tiled showers, failing shower-pan liners, and supply lines to ice makers, dishwashers, or hose bibs that have been quietly dripping behind cabinets for years.

We start with a quick conversation about what you're seeing and your water bill history. On site, we test the water meter for movement, inspect likely signs both inside and outside the home, isolate hot and cold supply systems, and pressurize them independently so we can determine which section is losing water before we start listening.

Then we use the right tool for the situation - acoustic ground microphones for slabs, thermal imaging to spot temperature differentials in walls and floors from leaking supply lines, and moisture meters to confirm the path of the water. The goal is a single, marked location - not three guesses.

Sometimes water appears inside even though the source is outdoors, and sometimes an unusually high bill is the only clue. We look for wet or unusually green areas in the yard, water near the foundation, meter movement when indoor fixtures are off, and evidence that the service line between the meter and the house may be leaking.

If testing points to an exterior service line, our underground leak detection process uses the appropriate non-invasive locating methods to narrow the leak area before repair. Learn more about how we investigate and locate leaks outside without starting with exploratory digging.

Most plumbers price residential leak repairs based on access. If the leak is precisely located, they cut one small section of drywall or dig one small hole and fix it. If they have to find it themselves, the access work often costs more than the plumbing.

A clear locate summary with photos and exact coordinates gets the work done faster, narrows the drywall or excavation repair, and keeps insurance claims clean by documenting the source of the loss.