Leak detection and repair

At a glance

First test

Water meter check with all fixtures off

Tools

Moisture meter, thermal camera, pressure test

Usual suspects

Toilet seals, shower valves, drain joints, supply fittings

Opening walls

Kept small and placed where repair is easiest to patch

Supply or drain?

A leak from a supply pipe drips whether or not anyone is using water. A leak from a drain only shows up when a fixture is running. Watching the stain while someone runs the shower, then flushes the toilet, then fills the sink often tells us which line to look at.

• The water meter is the other early test.
• With everything off, a moving low-flow indicator means water is escaping somewhere.

Tracing without wrecking

A moisture meter maps the wet area and shows which way the water is coming from. A thermal camera helps show cool, damp spots behind drywall. Then we cut a small, square opening where the pipe joint is most likely to be, so the patch is easy afterwards.

• In bathrooms, the culprit is often a worn wax ring under the toilet, a cracked shower drain body or a failed grout line letting water past the tile.

Repairing at the source

We replace the failing fitting, seal or drain part rather than smearing sealant on the outside. Where an old copper line has one pinhole, we check nearby for thinning walls, because one pinhole is often the first of several.

• You get the opening left clean and ready for a drywall patch.

Signs to watch for

• Water bill rising without more use
• Brown ring stain on a ceiling
• Soft or lifting flooring near a toilet
• Musty smell in a closet beside a bathroom
• Meter moving with every tap off

How the job runs

1. Meter test

   We confirm whether water is being lost.

2. Map the moisture

   Meters and thermal imaging narrow the area.

3. Open neatly

   A small, square access is cut where the fault is.

4. Repair and recheck

   The part is replaced and the meter checked again.