Slab Leak, Supply Line or Leaky Fixture? How to Tell

A wet spot, a jump in your water bill or a faucet that trickles when everything is off can all mean a leak. What matters is where the water is escaping, because a dripping fixture, a supply line inside a wall, a pipe under the slab and the main water line in the yard are very different jobs. The good news is that you can narrow it down yourself before anyone arrives, using your meter and a few minutes.

Start with the water meter

Turn off every faucet, the dishwasher, the washer and the ice maker. Then find your water meter and look at the small leak indicator, usually a little dial or triangle that spins when any water moves through. If it's turning with everything off, water is escaping somewhere. Write down the meter reading, wait an hour or two without using any water, and read it again. A change confirms it.

Next, close the main shutoff valve at the house and look at the meter again. If it keeps moving with the house valve closed, the leak is on the underground line between the meter and your home. If it stops, the leak is inside the house plumbing, either at a fixture or in pipes behind the walls and under the floor.

Rule out the fixtures first

Fixture leaks are the most common and the easiest to fix. Check under sinks, around the base of toilets and at outdoor spigots. A toilet is the usual culprit for a silent leak. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank, wait about fifteen minutes without flushing, and see whether color shows up in the bowl. If it does, the flapper isn't sealing. LT Plumbing handles faucet and toilet repairs, so a problem like this doesn't need a bigger investigation.

Signs of a leak in a supply line

Supply lines carry pressurized water to your fixtures, and they often run inside walls and ceilings where you can't see them. When one leaks, you might notice a stain that spreads across a ceiling or wall, paint that bubbles or peels, a musty smell, or weaker pressure at faucets throughout the house. Corroded fittings and aging copper are common places for these leaks to start. LT Plumbing's leak detection covers supply lines, corroded fittings, aging copper and shutoff valves, and it extends to larger re-piping when the pipes are wearing out in more than one place.

Signs of a slab leak

Many Florida homes sit on a concrete slab, and some water lines run beneath it. A leak there can go unnoticed for a long time because the water is under the floor. The clues include a warm spot on the floor, which can mean a hot water line is leaking, damp or lifting flooring, the sound of running water when everything is off, and a meter that keeps moving. Don't break up flooring to go looking. Finding the leak before anything is cut open is what keeps the repair as small as it can be.

Signs of a main water service line leak

The main water service line carries water from the meter to your house, and it's buried. Watch for a soggy or unusually green patch of lawn, water pooling between the meter and the house on a dry day, a sudden drop in pressure, and a meter that runs with the house valve closed. One LT Plumbing customer, Priscilla Ortiz, wrote in a Google review: "I am very satisfied and relieved my main water line leak has been fixed." That relief is common once a leak like that finally has a name and a location.

What a leak evaluation looks like

The point of an evaluation is to find the exact spot before anything gets cut open. LT Plumbing uses acoustic and video leak detection on water lines. Acoustic detection listens for the sound water makes as it escapes a pressurized pipe. Video inspection puts a camera inside the line so a technician can see corrosion, damage or a break directly.

Once the leak is found, the options run from a targeted repair to a full replacement of the affected line. LT Plumbing pressure tests after water line work, so you're not left wondering whether the fix took. A free written estimate comes before any work begins, and the workmanship carries a one-year warranty.

While you wait for help

If water is actively flowing where it shouldn't be, close the main shutoff valve at the house. Photograph the wet area and the meter reading, and note when your bill first jumped. Keep the area clear and dry what you can. Resist cutting into drywall or lifting flooring yourself. Water travels along framing and pipes before it shows up, so the damp spot often isn't where the leak is.

LT Plumbing has been locally owned in Palmetto since 2006 and is a Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor, license CFC1431822. They serve Sarasota and Manatee Counties, offer same-day response when the schedule allows and take emergency calls 24/7. If your meter test says water is escaping, call (941) 729-1111 and tell them what the meter did.