Leak Detection and Repair

Have ready

Have the water off or be ready to shut it off, and write down when the leak shows and what runs before it. Note whether the stain grows when it rains, when the heat runs, or only after a shower. The first three checks are the meter with every fixture and the irrigation off, the static and flowing pressure at an outside hose bib, and the fixtures that are on the same branch as the wet area. We also look at the water heater pan and the AC condensate line, which is not plumbing but reads like a leak.

• Meter and pressure test
• Supply vs. drain test
• Open only what has to open
• Repair and dry the bay

The visit

A leak detection and repair visit starts by naming the failure, not by selling the fix. We check what the problem touched, protect the floors and the rooms below, and leave a written scope. The work is done in one sequence by the same company, so the trade that caused the damage is the trade that closes it.

What fails first on the Shore is what we look at: salt-rotted fasteners, water finding the soft spot, and the 'quick fix' that never dealt with the cause. For leak detection and repair, the tell is usually visible on the first visit, and we say what it means in plain English.

Permit

Locating a leak needs no permit, and neither does a repair that puts the pipe back the way it was. A permit is normally required when the finding leads to a re-pipe, a new drain or vent, or a slab line that is abandoned and replaced with new pipe through the wall. Tearing out and replacing drywall or flooring after a leak is finish work and carries no permit. If the leak is under a slab and the floor is being opened, we confirm the town's position first.

On the Shore

Detection is harder here because the houses move. A slab in a shore house is often on fill that settles, and settlement shears a copper line under the floor, which is why a slab leak shows up as a warm spot or a water bill and not as a wet ceiling. Salt air corrodes the outside of copper, so a pinhole can open on a line with no history. A house that sits empty and cold gets freeze splits at the fittings. High humidity also hides a slow drip.

When we leave

Once the source is found and stopped, we prove it. The meter is read with everything off, the pressure is held and watched, and the repaired section is run at full flow while we watch the joint. A drain is tested by filling and dumping the fixture above it. We mark the location with tape so the finish patch lands there and leave a note of what failed and where. If a cavity is wet, it stays open until the moisture meter reads dry.

Built with

Detection uses a meter, a pressure gauge, an acoustic listening disc, and a moisture meter, plus a camera where a drain is suspect. Repair materials depend on what failed: copper or PEX and a new stop for supply, PVC or ABS and a coupling for drain, and a repair clamp only as a temporary hold. We keep brass and stainless fittings for the Shore. A slab line that is abandoned gets capped and marked, and the replacement runs overhead.