A leak you can see is a repair. A leak you cannot see is a search, and searching blind is where money gets wasted. The value of a proper leak-detection visit is that it turns a vague symptom, a high bill, a damp wall, a meter that will not sit still, into a marked spot on the floor or in the yard before a single tile or trench is opened.
In San Tan Valley the hidden leaks split roughly between lines under the slab and lines out in the desert landscaping, and the tools for each are different.
How we run a detection visit
Confirm there is a leak
The meter test comes first. With the house shut off, a meter that keeps moving proves water is leaving the system before we spend time hunting for where.
Isolate the zone
We separate the house side from the irrigation and pool side, so the search is not chasing a drip valve when the real loss is a cracked lateral in the yard.
Locate the point
Acoustic listening equipment and thermal imaging narrow a whole-house symptom down to a specific line and a specific spot.
Mark and advise
You get the location and the honest options, whether that is a small pipe repair, a slab-leak reroute, or an irrigation fix out in the landscaping.
The desert-landscaping leak nobody notices
A large share of the hidden water loss on local properties never happens inside the house at all. Irrigation lateral lines and drip systems buried in decomposed granite crack and weep out of sight, and because the water disappears straight into dry soil there is no puddle to tip you off. The only signal is the bill. When a home with EPCOR or Arizona Water Company service sees usage climb through the spring and summer with no change in habits, an underground irrigation break is one of the first things worth ruling out.
Slab-side leaks are the other half of the work, and when the search points under the concrete the next step is a focused slab leak repair rather than more searching.
Symptoms that are worth a detection call
None of these on its own is proof, but each is a reason to test rather than wait.
- A water bill that rose without a matching change in use
- The sound of water running with every fixture closed
- A section of wall, floor or ceiling that stays damp
- Landscaping that is unexpectedly green or soggy in one spot
- A pool or water feature that drops faster than evaporation explains
Not sure whether the leak is inside or in the yard? We will find out before anything is opened.
Call (520) 347-8179From a located leak to the right fix
Detection is the diagnosis, not the cure, and where the search points decides the repair. A leak traced under the concrete becomes a focused slab leak repair, a split or failed line becomes a pipe repair, and a leak that already reached flooring or drywall needs water damage drying alongside the plumbing fix. The point of locating first is that every one of those repairs is aimed rather than exploratory, so you are paying to fix the problem and not to hunt for it. That is the whole economy of detection: a small, certain repair instead of a large, speculative one.
Questions we hear on this job
How do I know if I even have a hidden leak?
The meter test is the simplest check. Turn off every water-using fixture and appliance, note the meter reading, wait about an hour with no water used, and read it again. If the number moved, water is leaving the system somewhere you cannot see, and that is exactly what a detection visit is for.
Could my high water bill just be irrigation?
It very often is, especially through the warmer months. Buried drip and lateral lines crack and leak into dry granite with no visible sign, so the loss shows up only on the bill. We isolate the irrigation side from the house side during detection so you are not opening a wall for a problem that is actually out in the yard.
Do you have to cut into walls to find the leak?
No. The point of acoustic and thermal detection is to avoid that. We locate the leak from the surface, mark it, and only open the one spot that is directly over the confirmed problem. Cutting to look is the thing detection exists to prevent.
Need a Leak Detection in San Tan Valley?
Call and describe what is happening. You will reach a plumber, not a form.