We find the leak and fix it.

Water leak detection

A water spot on the ceiling or a water bill that jumped is usually the first sign. The stain can be feet away from the leak, because water runs along a pipe or a joist before it drips.

Check for a Leak Yourself

Turn off every faucet and anything else that uses water, then look at the water meter. Many meters have a small dial or triangle that turns when water moves. If it's turning with everything off, water is leaking somewhere. If it still turns with the main shutoff at the house closed, the leak is in the line between the meter and the house. If your meter sits in a pit in the yard, lift the lid with a tool, not your hand. Call and Joe will walk you through the meter check over the phone.

On a well, turn everything off and watch the gauge on the pressure tank. If the pressure drops or the pump kicks on, water is going somewhere.

A running toilet is a common cause of a high bill. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and don't flush. If color shows up in the bowl, the flapper is leaking.

Leak repair

Under Sinks and Toilets

We repair and replace leaking supply lines, traps and shutoff valves, including old valves that won't close all the way. Water around the base of a toilet usually means the wax ring under it has failed.

Ceilings and Walls

Under a bathroom, ceiling water usually comes from the drain side: the toilet's wax ring, the tub overflow, the shower pan or worn caulk. If the stain grows only when someone showers, it's the shower or its drain. If it's wet with nothing running, it's more likely a supply line. A stain away from any bathroom can be the air conditioner's drain line in the attic.

If water is coming through a light fixture, turn off that breaker. If the ceiling sags, stay out from under it.

Crawlspaces and Basements

A wet crawlspace or a musty smell under the floor can be a supply line or a drain. We repair both, including old cast iron drains that have cracked.

Slab Leaks

A leak in a line under a concrete floor can show up as a warm spot on the floor, if it's the hot line, or as a meter that never stops. The fix can be a reroute above the floor, kept inside the heated part of the house, instead of breaking up the slab.

Water Lines in the Yard

A leak in the buried line between the meter and the house can show up as a soggy patch in the yard or low pressure inside. We dig it up with our backhoe and repair or replace the line. Buried utilities get marked through 811 before we dig, but the locate doesn't mark lines you buried yourself, like a sprinkler line, a dog fence wire or power to a shop, so tell us about those. More on this work is on the excavation page.

Pipe That Keeps Leaking

When copper keeps springing pinhole leaks, or a house still has galvanized pipe or gray polybutylene, patching each failure adds up. We replace the water lines through the whole house with PEX. Repipe prices are on the plumbing repair page.

What moves the price

Joe gives you the price before any work starts.

Common questions