Water Leak Detection & Automatic Shutoff
Most of the damage from a water leak happens in the days before anyone notices it. Locating it early is the cheap part of this job.
Not every leak announces itself with a puddle. A lot of what we find is behind drywall, above a ceiling, or under a slab, and the only clue is a water bill that climbed for no reason or a meter dial that keeps creeping when everything is shut off. We use acoustic and pressure-based methods to narrow the location down before opening anything up, because a wrong guess means an unnecessary hole in your wall.
We also install automatic shutoff systems — the kind that monitor flow at the main and close the valve themselves when they see a pattern that looks like a burst line. They aren't cheap and they aren't right for every house, but for a home that sits empty part of the year, or one that's already been flooded once, they change the worst-case outcome from a remodel to a mop.
When this is probably your problem
What's included — and what isn't
Included in the quoted price
- Meter check and whole-house pressure test to confirm a leak exists
- Acoustic and electronic leak location to narrow down the position
- A clear report of where we believe the leak is and how confident we are
- Repair of the located leak where it's accessible
- Post-repair pressure test to confirm the system holds
Quoted separately
- The automatic shutoff device itself, if you choose to add one
- Opening and closing walls, ceilings, or flooring to reach a concealed leak
- Drywall, texture, paint, and flooring restoration afterward
- Slab excavation or line rerouting, if the leak turns out to be under the slab
- Mold remediation or water damage restoration, which is a separate trade
How this job gets priced
Leak detection is priced as its own flat visit, because locating the leak is real work whether or not the repair happens the same day. If we find it and you want it fixed on the spot, we quote the repair separately and you approve it before we start. We don't roll an unknown repair cost into the detection price and hope it works out.
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What the visit looks like
Confirm there's a leak
Meter reading and a static pressure test tell us whether water is actually escaping before we hunt for where.
Narrow the location
Acoustic listening and pressure isolation get us from "somewhere in the house" to a specific run of pipe.
Open only what's needed
We access the smallest area that gets us to the pipe, rather than exploratory demolition.
Repair and verify
Fix the line, then re-pressurize and watch the meter to confirm the leak is genuinely gone.
Questions about water leak detection & automatic shutoff
How do you find a leak without tearing up my house?
We start non-invasively: a meter check and pressure test confirm a leak exists, then acoustic equipment and pressure isolation narrow it to a specific section of pipe. Only then do we open anything, and we open the smallest area we can. It's not magic — some leaks in awkward locations still take some opening up — but we're not guessing our way through your drywall.
Is an automatic shutoff valve actually worth installing?
It depends on your situation. If you travel often, own a second home, have a finished basement or expensive flooring, or you've already been through one burst pipe, the math usually works out. For an owner-occupied house where someone's home most days, a shutoff system is a reasonable upgrade but far from essential. We'll tell you which category we think you're in.
Can you detect a leak in a gas line too?
Our leak detection service here is for water lines. If you smell gas, don't wait on a plumber — get out of the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Once the immediate hazard is handled, we can talk about the repair.
Will homeowners insurance cover this?
That's between you and your insurer, and it varies a lot by policy. Generally, sudden accidental damage is treated differently from long-term seepage, which is one more reason to have a suspected leak looked at sooner. We can document what we found, but we can't tell you how your carrier will rule.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call and describe what's happening. We'll tell you what it likely is and what confirming it costs.