Isolating the system
Shutting valves section by section separates a house leak from irrigation, a pool line or a fixture that is running quietly, so you are not chasing the wrong pipe.
Leak Detection in Tempe
Water escaping where you cannot see it shows up as a bill, a smell or a stain long before it shows up as a puddle. Tempe Emergency Plumber traces it to the actual pipe before anyone opens a wall, a floor or a yard.
- 24/7 Emergency Service
- Upfront Quotes
- Same-Day Availability
Signs of a Hidden Leak
- A water bill that climbed with no change in how the household uses water
- A damp or discolored patch on drywall, ceiling or stucco
- Pressure that has dropped at every fixture, not just one
- A musty smell in one room, or flooring that stays soft in one spot
- Wet ground or unusually green growth in one part of an otherwise dry yard
The meter is the fastest test and you can run it yourself. Turn off every fixture and appliance that uses water, including the ice maker, the irrigation controller and the pool auto-fill. Then lift the meter box lid near the street and watch the small low-flow dial. If it moves at all, water is leaving the system. Note what you saw and tell the plumber; it saves a step on site.
What the Service Includes
Finding a leak accurately is what keeps the repair small. The whole point of the detection stage is to avoid opening things that did not need to be opened.
Pressure testing
The hot and cold sides are tested separately and held, which shows whether supply is losing water and roughly where on the system it is going.
Acoustic listening and tracing
Listening equipment and line tracing narrow a leak to a small area of wall, ceiling or floor before anything is cut.
Repair and verification
Once the failed section is repaired, the system is brought back to pressure and the meter is checked again with everything off, so you know it is actually fixed.
Where the Water Usually Goes
In this climate a leak can run for months without ever making a puddle. Water that escapes into dry desert soil or under a slab simply disappears, and outdoors it evaporates faster than it can pool. That is why the bill and the meter matter more here than a wet patch does, and why summer is the season leaks hide best: everybody expects July and August to be expensive, so a jump gets written off as the yard, the cooler or the pool.
Irrigation and pools account for a real share of the calls. Drip lines crack in the sun, backflow assemblies weep, valve solenoids stick part open and pool auto-fills keep topping up a pool that is losing water somewhere else. Inside the house, the usual suspects are a toilet flapper that seeps quietly into the bowl, an angle stop that has been weeping into a cabinet for a year, a failed shower pan and evaporative cooler supply lines on older homes that were never drained properly for the season.
If the evidence points under the concrete, go to slab leak repair or read the slab leak warning signs guide. A line that has already opened up is covered under burst pipe repair, small fixture leaks are on the toilet and faucet repair page, and a weeping tank is explained on our water heater comparison. You can request a visit at any point.
Leak Detection Questions
How much does leak detection cost in Tempe?
Detection and repair are priced separately, because until the leak is located nobody can honestly price the repair. Tempe Emergency Plumber quotes the detection work up front, then quotes the repair once there is something real to quote. Beware of anyone who prices a repair before they know where the pipe failed.
How can I tell if I have a leak or just a high summer bill?
Run the meter test. Shut off every fixture, appliance, irrigation zone and the pool auto-fill, then watch the low-flow indicator in the meter box. Movement with everything off means water is escaping. If it is still, your bill is likely usage rather than a leak, and a look at the irrigation schedule is the next step.
Do you have to cut into walls to find a leak?
Not to find it. Pressure testing, listening equipment and line tracing narrow it down first, and the opening comes afterwards and only where the pipe actually is. Cutting first and looking second is how small leaks turn into large repairs.
Could my pool be the reason my bill went up?
It is worth ruling out. A pool loses water to evaporation every summer day, so an auto-fill masks a genuine leak in the pool shell or its plumbing by quietly replacing it. Isolate the auto-fill, mark the water level and check it over a day. Tell Tempe Emergency Plumber what you find, because it changes where we look.
Find out where the water is going
Tell us what the meter is doing and what you have noticed, and we will plan the right inspection.