When to call for leak detection
- Your water meter moves while every faucet, appliance and irrigation zone is off.
- Your water bill has risen without any change in how your household uses water.
- Stains, bubbling paint or soft drywall have appeared on a ceiling or wall.
- A section of floor feels warm, or you hear water running when nothing is on.
- A patch of yard stays soggy or a depression has formed along the path of the water line.
- An insurer, buyer, seller or engineer needs a leak confirmed and located in writing.
Check your water meter first
A two-minute meter check tells you whether water is being lost and roughly where to look.
- Turn off every faucet, shower, toilet fill, dishwasher, washing machine, ice maker and irrigation zone.
- Open the meter box, usually near the street or sidewalk in front of the house.
- Watch the small low-flow indicator, a triangle or star-shaped dial. If it turns, water is moving through the meter.
- Write down the full reading, wait 30 minutes without using any water, and read it again.
- Close the main shutoff valve where the line enters the house. If the meter still moves, the leak is on the underground line between the meter and the house, and water line repair is the next step. If it stops, the leak is inside the home or under the slab.
Drain leaks do not show on the meter, because drain lines are not under pressure. Those are confirmed with hydrostatic plumbing testing.
Our leak detection process
Symptoms and meter check
We ask what you have noticed and confirm water loss at the meter.
System pressure test
Gauges on the plumbing system show whether, and how quickly, pressure drops when the water is shut off.
Line isolation
We isolate the hot side, the cold side and the main line to identify the branch that is leaking.
Tracing and listening
We trace the pipe's route and listen along it with ground microphones to narrow the search.
Confirmation
Thermal imaging, moisture readings or tracer gas confirm the location when sound alone is not conclusive.
Marking and report
We mark the leak and walk you through what we found and how it can be repaired.
The equipment we use and what each tool tells us
| Tool | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| Pressure gauges and isolation valves | Whether a line is losing pressure, and which branch is at fault: hot, cold or main. |
| Acoustic ground microphones | The sound of water escaping a pressurized pipe through concrete, tile or soil. |
| Electronic line locator | The actual route of a pipe beneath the slab or yard. |
| Thermal imaging camera | Heat patterns from hot water leaks and cooling from moisture behind surfaces. |
| Moisture meters | How far water has spread into drywall, baseboards and flooring. |
| Tracer gas | A harmless hydrogen and nitrogen mix pushed through a drained line escapes at the leak and is detected at the surface when sound alone is inconclusive. |
| Sewer camera with locating transmitter | Cracks, separated joints and roots inside drain lines, with their position and depth. |
Where hidden leaks happen in Delray Beach homes
Most hidden leaks we find fall into a few places. Leaks on copper supply lines beneath the floor are the classic slab leak, and they are common in the city's 1950s to 1980s housing. Leaks inside walls and ceilings show up on copper, CPVC and PEX lines and are handled with pipe leak repair. The underground service line from the meter to the house fails at old joints and wherever tree roots have wrapped the pipe. Drain lines under the slab crack in older homes with cast iron, which calls for sewer line repair.
Before we set up any equipment, we rule out the simple causes that also move a meter: a toilet flapper that lets water run into the bowl, a water heater relief valve that is discharging, an irrigation zone with a broken head, and a hose bib or outdoor shower that is dripping.
What you receive after detection
- The leak location marked on the floor, wall or ground.
- Which line is leaking: hot supply, cold supply, main service line or drain.
- Photographs and thermal images of the findings.
- A written summary your insurance adjuster can use.
- The repair options that fit the location, explained before any work begins.
Water Leak Detection questions
Is leak detection destructive?
No. Every method we use works from the surface: gauges, microphones, cameras and meters. Walls, floors and ground are only opened later, at the marked point, if you choose to go ahead with a repair.
How precise is electronic leak detection?
In most cases we narrow a leak down to a small, marked area of floor, wall or ground, which keeps any opening needed for the repair small. Deep pipes, thick stone floors and noisy surroundings can widen that area, and we tell you when that is the case.
Can you find a leak in a drain line?
Yes. Because drain lines are not pressurized, we confirm drain leaks with a hydrostatic test and locate them with a sewer camera and a locating transmitter instead of acoustic listening.
I can see where the floor is wet. Do I still need detection?
Usually, yes. Water travels along pipes and through the sand under a slab, so the wet spot is often several feet from the actual leak. Opening the floor at the wet spot can mean a second opening later.