Leak Detection in McKinney, TX

Signs of a hidden leak

Leaks inside walls, under floors or underground can run for months before they show. Watch for:

• A water bill that jumps without a change in how you use water
• The sound of running water when everything is off
• Warm spots on a floor, which can mean a hot water line leaking under the slab
• Damp patches, stains or bubbling paint on walls or ceilings
• Musty smells or mold in cabinets and closets
• Low water pressure that developed gradually (see low water pressure)
• A wet or unusually green patch of yard between the meter and the house
• Cracks in flooring or baseboards separating, which can be moisture related

Test for a leak with your water meter

This simple check tells you whether water is leaving the system when nothing should be using it.

1. Turn off every faucet, shower and toilet, and make sure the washing machine, dishwasher, ice maker, water softener and irrigation system are not running.
2. Find your water meter, usually in a box near the street or sidewalk. Lift the lid carefully (spiders and wasps like meter boxes).
3. Look for the small leak indicator, often a triangle, star or small dial. If it is turning, water is flowing.
4. For a slower leak, write down the reading, avoid using any water for an hour or two, and check again.

If the meter is moving, you can narrow it down further:

• Close your home's main shutoff valve. If the meter stops, the leak is inside the house. If it keeps moving, the leak is between the meter and the shutoff, usually in the underground service line in the yard.
• Check toilets by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If color appears in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, the flapper is leaking. See leaking toilet.

Where leaks usually hide

• Toilets: worn flappers and fill valves are the most common silent leaks in any house.
• Supply lines to toilets, faucets, ice makers and washing machines.
• Water heater fittings, relief valve and drain valve.
• Irrigation systems: broken heads, cracked lines and leaking valves. These can waste a lot of water unnoticed.
• Under the slab: hot or cold water lines running beneath the foundation. See slab leak signs.
• The yard service line between the meter and the house.
• Inside walls, at fittings behind showers and sinks.

How professional leak detection works

A plumber who does leak detection combines several methods to find a leak without opening walls or floors at random:

• Isolation and pressure testing: closing off parts of the system (hot vs cold, house vs yard) and watching pressure gauges to see which section is losing water.
• Acoustic detection: sensitive microphones and ground listening devices pick up the sound of pressurised water escaping, even through concrete.
• Thermal imaging: infrared cameras show temperature differences, which are especially useful for tracing hot water leaks under floors.
• Moisture meters to map how far water has spread in walls and floors.
• Line tracing to locate the path of pipes under a slab or yard.
• Camera inspection for drain and sewer leaks, which are a different problem from pressurised supply leaks.

The output should be a marked location and a recommendation. Detection and repair are often priced separately, so ask how it works.

What happens next

Once a leak is located, the repair depends on where it is:

• A fixture or supply line: usually a straightforward repair
• Inside a wall: open a small section, repair, then patch
• In the yard: dig at the marked spot and repair the service line
• Under the slab: see slab leak repair for the options, including rerouting

What to ask a plumber

• Which detection methods do you use, and is detection priced separately from repair?
• Will you mark the leak location and give me something in writing for insurance?
• If it's a slab leak, will you give me options beyond breaking the slab?

Verify the license on the TSBPE lookup.