The meter's low flow indicator keeps turning with everything shut off
As our controlled response continues, that little triangle or dial moving with no fixture running proves water is escaping somewhere on the supply side.
Source of the water
Nationwide
Leak Detection in the United States
Our property-protection team uses moisture readings and targeted inspection to locate hidden leaks and define how far the water has spread.
- Restoration phone support around the clock
- Residential and commercial loss response
- Measured extraction, cleanup, and drying
- One restoration team from assessment to dry standard
Signs to look for
When to call us for leak detection
With damage contained, if you notice any of these problems, call us before water has more time to spread into nearby materials.
Your utility sent a high usage or continuous flow alert
To protect the property, smart meters flag flow that never drops to zero across a whole day.
You can hear a hiss or a rush in one wall
With damage contained, pressurized water escaping through a small opening makes a steady high frequency sound. With damage contained, it is one of the most locatable symptoms there is.
A strip of lawn is greener or soggier than the rest during dry weather
To protect the property, an underground service line leak waters the ground above it long before it surfaces.
The pool loses more than about a quarter inch a day
With damage contained, evaporation accounts for roughly a quarter inch daily in most conditions.
An irrigation zone stays wet after the system shuts down
To protect the property, a cracked lateral or a valve that will not seat keeps feeding one zone continuously.
What happens
How we handle leak detection
Our property-protection team adjusts the work to what got wet, how far the water traveled, and which materials can be saved.
A symptom interview that narrows the system first
As our controlled response continues, supply, drain, irrigation, pool and hydronic heating all leak differently and are found with different methods.
Meter observation and valve by valve isolation
With damage contained, we watch the water meter while closing isolation valves one at a time, section by section.
A static pressure test on the supply system
Before materials deteriorate further, the main is closed and a pressure gauge is fitted at a hose bib or a laundry connection.
Hot side and cold side separated
To protect the property, isolating at the hot water outlet splits the system in half. With damage contained, knowing which half leaks halves the search area before any listening starts.
Acoustic listening at ground and wall surfaces
With damage contained, an acoustic listening device and a ground microphone amplify the sound of water escaping under pressure.
Leak noise correlation on long buried runs
Before materials deteriorate further, a leak noise correlator places sensors at two access points and calculates the leak position from the tiny difference in arrival times.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Water loss in the United States?
Describe the source, the impacted rooms, and when you first noticed the damage.
What to expect
What to expect from our property-protection team
Before materials deteriorate further, here is how we usually handle leak detection near the United States.
-
1
You tell us the symptom and what has been ruled out
Before materials deteriorate further, meter movement, a wet spot, a sound, a bill, or a failed pressure test all start the search in different places.
Your call -
2
One check you can make before we arrive
As our controlled response continues, close every fixture, then look at the water meter and note whether the low flow indicator moves.
+10 minutes -
3
The system is identified before any tool comes out
With damage contained, we confirm whether this is supply, drain, irrigation, pool or heating. To protect the property, detection methods are system specific, and starting on the wrong one wastes an hour.
On arrival -
4
Isolation, valve by valve
As our controlled response continues, sections are closed one at a time while the meter is watched.
First 20 minutes -
5
Static pressure test to confirm and size the loss
With damage contained, a gauge on a closed system tells us whether pressure holds, and how fast it falls if it does not.
Next 20 minutes -
6
Line tracing, then the acoustic sweep
To protect the property, we map where the pipe runs, then listen along it with a ground microphone or a wall probe.
Mid visit -
7
Correlation or tracer gas if the sound is not enough
With damage contained, long buried runs get a leak noise correlator, and quiet or plastic lines get tracer gas.
As needed
Understanding the cost
What can affect the price
With damage contained, we explain the recommended work and price before you approve the job. With damage contained, these examples show what may change the estimate.
| Common situation | What the estimate may include | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Standard leak detection visit, accessible plumbing, one system | Before materials deteriorate further, national estimate for isolation, pressure testing and an acoustic sweep with a marked location. | $150 to $400 |
| Slab leak location using acoustic listening with thermal screening | To protect the property, national estimate. To protect the property, the common band for locating a leak under a slab on grade. | $250 to $600 |
| Underground water service line leak location between the meter and the house | To protect the property, national estimate including line tracing and correlation on a buried run. | $300 to $800 |
| Tracer gas testing where acoustic methods cannot isolate the line | To protect the property, national estimate. With damage contained, used on plastic pipe, low pressure lines and noisy sites. | $350 to $900 |
| Pool or irrigation line leak location | To protect the property, national estimate. To protect the property, pressure testing each line and zone, then locating the failed section. | $300 to $700 |
| Written detection report with photographs for a carrier or a builder | Before materials deteriorate further, national estimate added to the detection fee when formal documentation is required. | $100 to $300 |
| After hours or emergency detection dispatch | With damage contained, national estimate for nights, weekends and holidays, billed once rather than per hour. | $100 to $400 nationally |
Which system is leaking
As our controlled response continues, a supply line under pressure is the most locatable. With damage contained, drains, irrigation and pool plumbing each need different equipment and take longer.Whether the pipe route is known
With damage contained, if nobody knows where the line runs, tracing has to happen before listening can start.Slab, wall, crawl space or underground
As our controlled response continues, an accessible wall or crawl space is quick.Pipe material and depth
With damage contained, metal pipe carries leak sound well and is easier to hear.Background noise conditions
As our controlled response continues, traffic, machinery, wind and a busy building all mask the sound of a leak.Access and what has to be moved
Before materials deteriorate further, furniture, stored goods, landscaping and finished surfaces all slow the sweep down. To protect the property, access is labor, and labor is most of this invoice.
Why timing matters
What can happen when the area stays wet
As our controlled response continues, water can keep moving into nearby materials even when the surface looks dry.
Exploratory demolition costs more than detection
To protect the property, two or three wrong holes in tile, drywall and flooring exceed a detection fee quickly, and the repairs are visible afterward.
A repair aimed at a guess leaves the leak running
Before materials deteriorate further, replacing the section somebody suspected is how a stain returns three weeks later.
Every day is billed water and saturated ground
As our controlled response continues, a pressurized leak runs continuously, unlike a drip that only leaks when a fixture is used.
Soil washout undermines slabs and footings
With damage contained, a leak under or near a foundation moves soil as well as water.
Helpful service information
What to know about leak detection
To protect the property, start with the short explanation. As our controlled response continues, open a card if you want a little more detail.
What is happening inside the property
Before materials deteriorate further, the first move is deciding which system is losing water: pressurized supply, gravity drain, irrigation, pool plumbing or a heating loop.
Read the explanation
With damage contained, leak detection is a process of elimination, and the tools come last. Before materials deteriorate further, the first move is deciding which system is losing water: pressurized supply, gravity drain, irrigation, pool plumbing or a heating loop.
How the next step is decided
As our controlled response continues, a ground microphone on concrete or soil, or a probe against a wall, amplifies it while filtering traffic and machinery out.
Read the explanation
As our controlled response continues, acoustics work because pressurized water forced through a small opening makes a steady, characteristic sound.
What may change the work
To protect the property, the line is drained and charged with a hydrogen and nitrogen mix, safe and non toxic at the concentrations used.
Read the explanation
To protect the property, when nothing can be heard, tracer gas takes over. To protect the property, the line is drained and charged with a hydrogen and nitrogen mix, safe and non toxic at the concentrations used.
Help near you
Leak Detection near the United States
Choose your area below, or call (844) 606-0362 and describe what happened.
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Leak Detection in Alabama
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Get a Quote: (844) 606-0362Slab Leak Water Damage
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Get a Quote: (844) 606-0362Water Main Break Cleanup
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Get a Quote: (844) 606-0362Common questions
Questions about leak detection
What is leak detection?
As our controlled response continues, it is the service of locating the source of an escaping water leak without demolishing the building to find it.
How is leak detection different from moisture mapping?
As our controlled response continues, they answer opposite questions. With damage contained, detection finds where the water is coming from so it can be repaired.
Can you find a leak without breaking anything?
To protect the property, that is the entire point of the service. With damage contained, acoustic listening, correlation, line tracing and tracer gas all work from the surface.
How accurate is leak detection?
To protect the property, on a pressurized metal line in reasonable conditions we are often within a foot.
Do you repair the leak too?
Before materials deteriorate further, no. With damage contained, we locate, mark and document, and your plumber makes the repair.
How does acoustic leak detection work?
Before materials deteriorate further, water escaping a pressurized pipe creates a steady sound as it forces through a small opening.
What is tracer gas leak detection and is it safe?
As our controlled response continues, the line is drained and filled with a hydrogen and nitrogen mix, which is a safe, non toxic blend at the dilution used.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Water loss in the United States?
Describe the source, the impacted rooms, and when you first noticed the damage.
Areas we serve
Water-damage help across the United States
Identify your state to reach property protection property check, extraction, cleanup, and drying service in your area.
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