Leak Detection Services in Houston
A leak you can see is a repair. A leak you cannot see is a search, and the search has to come first because nobody should open a wall or a slab on a guess. Start with the symptoms and the water meter.
Signs worth acting on
A water bill that jumped with no change in habits
Flooring that is cupping, lifting or discolored in one area
Warm or damp spots on a slab floor
The sound of running water when nothing is on
Mold or a musty smell that returns after cleaning
Foundation movement or new cracks combined with any of the above
The five minute meter check
Turn off every fixture and appliance that uses water, including ice makers and irrigation
Find the meter box near the street and look at the leak indicator dial or digits
If it is moving with everything off, water is going somewhere
Note whether it moves fast or creeps, and mention that when you request service
If it is still, the leak may be in a drain line, which does not show on the meter
Supply side or drain side
The meter settles this faster than anything else. A supply line is under pressure all the time, so it leaks whether or not anyone is using water, and the meter registers every drop of it. A drain line only carries water while something upstream is running, and that water has already passed the meter on its way into the house, so the meter shows nothing at all.
Working out which side it is changes what gets looked at and in what order, so it is worth establishing before anyone quotes you for anything.
Supply side: the meter is moving with everything off. This is the one test that separates a pressurized leak from everything else on this page.
Supply side: water pressure that fell across the whole house over weeks rather than overnight.
Supply side: damp at the base of an interior wall that never quite dries out.
Supply side: ground that stays soft, or has visibly sunk, along the run between the meter and the house.
Drain side: damp that appears after a shower, a wash cycle or the dishwasher, then fades again.
Drain side: a ceiling stain directly beneath a bathroom.
Drain side: sewer odor indoors with no water you can actually see.
Drain side: loose tile, or a subfloor that gives slightly underfoot, near a tub or a toilet.
Drain side: the meter is completely still, because that water passed it before it escaped.
What you can rule out yourself
Two of the most common reasons a meter moves are not leaks in the structure at all. Ruling them out takes about ten minutes and can save you a visit.
Toilets. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and leave it alone for fifteen minutes. Color in the bowl means the flapper is passing water, and a flapper on its own is enough to keep a meter turning.
Irrigation. Close the system valve and repeat the meter check. Sprinkler and drip leaks are common here and are easy to mistake for a leak inside the house.
The water heater. Look at the pan and the floor around the base, not just the connections on top.
Under sinks. Run each fixture and feel the back corners of the cabinet. A dry cabinet front tells you very little.
Hose bibs. Check for a slow drip, and for ground underneath one that stays soft between rains.
If the meter is still turning once all of that is ruled out, the water is going somewhere you cannot see. That is the point at which detection earns its cost, rather than guessing at which wall to open.
Where leaks hide
Under the slab
Warm spots on the floor, unexplained damp carpet, the sound of water with everything off.
Slab leak detection →In walls and ceilings
Stains that grow, bubbling paint, a musty smell in one room.
Water leak guide →In the yard
A patch of grass that stays green in August, soft ground, or a sinking area.
Water leak repair →At fixtures
Cabinet floors that are damp at the back, toilet bases, tub overflow gaskets.
Plumbing repair →Why waiting costs more
Water follows the path of least resistance, which means the damage is often not where the leak is. A supply leak under a slab can travel along a pipe trench and show up two rooms away. The repair itself rarely changes much while you wait. The flooring, cabinets, drywall and insulation do.
Questions people ask us
What are signs of a hidden water leak?
A higher water bill with no change in use, the meter moving with all fixtures off, damp or warm spots on the floor, stains that keep growing, a musty smell in one area, or the sound of running water when the house is quiet. Any one of those is a reason to look before opening anything up.
Does a leak show on my water bill right away?
Not always. A slow leak can run for a full billing cycle before the number looks unusual, and a drain line leak may never show on the bill at all because that water already passed the meter. The meter check is faster and more direct than waiting for a bill.
Can you find a leak without cutting into anything?
Locating the leak and opening the structure are two separate steps, and a good plumber narrows the location as far as possible before any cutting. How far that can go without access depends on the property and the type of line, so it is fair to ask what will be opened and why before work starts.
Could it be condensation rather than a leak?
In a Houston summer, often yes. Air conditioning condensate lines, toilet tanks and cold supply lines all sweat, and a blocked condensate drain can soak an area convincingly enough to look like a burst pipe. It is worth mentioning if the damp only shows up in hot weather, because it changes what gets checked first.
Do I need leak detection if I can already see the water?
If you can see where it is coming from, this goes straight to repair and detection is an unnecessary cost. Detection is for the other case: water showing up somewhere with no way to tell which line it came from. That covers most slab leaks and most leaks inside a wall or above a ceiling.
Related pages
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