Leak Detection in Alpharetta, GA
Hidden leaks behind walls, under floors, inside slabs, or in the yard. Acoustic, thermal, and electronic detection that pinpoints the leak location before any drywall or concrete gets touched.
Most leak detection calls start with a symptom — a high water bill, a damp spot on a ceiling, a section of yard that's always wet, the sound of running water when nothing is on. The job is to find the leak before any wall or floor gets opened. Diagnostic accuracy on this service line saves significant money vs. exploratory demo.
- Licensed & insured
- Upfront pricing
- Local Alpharetta crew
- Free estimates
What hidden leaks look like and where they live
The four locations where leaks hide in Alpharetta homes:
Behind walls. Supply lines in walls (especially behind kitchen and bath fixtures) develop pinhole leaks at copper joints or at PEX fittings. Often shows up as a damp spot on drywall, paint discoloration, or visible mold along a baseboard.
Under floors. Supply lines running under wood subfloor or tile can leak slowly for months before symptoms surface. Warm spots on hardwood, tile that suddenly cups, or unexplained mildew smell are the usual indicators.
Inside slabs. Supply lines embedded in or running under concrete slabs — see slab leak detection for the full treatment.
In the yard. Service line leaks between the meter and the house can be invisible at the surface until the soil saturates. Lush, oddly-green patches of lawn, sinkholes, or muddy patches in dry weather are the indicators.
Water bill spikes are the most common trigger for leak detection calls. The water meter is the diagnostic anchor: with everything shut off, the meter shouldn't move. If it does, you have a leak somewhere between the meter and your fixtures. Where exactly is the question.
Detection methods, in the order we use them
1. Meter isolation test. Close every fixture in the house, watch the meter. Movement confirms a leak; lack of movement says the symptom is something else (condensation, humidity, etc.). Free, takes 5 minutes.
2. Pressure test. Isolate sections of the plumbing system (hot from cold, kitchen group from bath group) and pressure-test each. Identifies which branch the leak is on without opening walls.
3. Acoustic listening. A pressurized leak makes a characteristic sound. Ground microphones for slab and yard leaks, wall microphones for behind-wall leaks. With practice, narrows location to within inches.
4. Thermal imaging. A hot-side leak warms the surrounding material. Thermal cameras make the warm zone visible. For cold-side leaks we sometimes run a brief hot-water flush through the cold line to create temperature contrast.
5. Electronic line tracing. A transmitter applied to the suspect line and a receiver above ground identifies exactly which line runs where. Useful when plumbing layout is unknown or undocumented.
Most leaks are pinpointed within 60 to 90 minutes of arrival. Once located, repair is a separate scope — sometimes same-visit, sometimes scheduled depending on access and repair complexity.
When detection alone is the deliverable
About 70% of leak detection calls end with us locating the leak and then either repairing on the same visit or quoting a scheduled repair. The remaining 30% are situations where:
The leak is the homeowner's responsibility but the repair is the responsibility of another party (a shared wall in a townhome, a service line on the utility's side of the meter), and the homeowner needs documentation to support the conversation with the other party.
The leak is inside a wall, floor, or slab that another contractor will be opening for unrelated reasons (an upcoming renovation, an insurance claim repair), and the detection report is used to plan the demolition route.
The leak isn't actually a plumbing leak — sometimes the symptoms point us to roof leaks, HVAC condensate issues, foundation moisture problems, or appliance leaks (icemakers, dishwashers, washing machines) that we identify and refer to the appropriate trade.
Either way, our deliverable is location with documentation, not opening walls speculatively.
Common Alpharetta scenarios
The repeat patterns we see:
1990s slab-on-grade homes with high water bills. Usually a slab leak. The leak detection report distinguishes slab leak (most expensive scenario) from wall leak (much cheaper to access).
Two-story homes with ceiling stains under bathrooms. Almost always a supply or drain issue in the second-floor bath. Whether it's the supply, the drain, the toilet wax ring, or the shower pan determines the repair scope by an order of magnitude.
Yard sinkholes near the meter. Usually a service line leak — between the meter and the house. If your service line is original blue polybutylene (common in 1980s-90s Alpharetta builds), the leak is likely the start of a service line replacement conversation.
Detached garages with damp slabs. Usually a buried hose bib supply line that's been damaged or has failed at a fitting. Pressure isolation identifies the affected line quickly.
Fulton County's leak adjustment credit is available when a leak is located and repaired — our documentation supports the credit request.
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Frequently asked
How much does leak detection cost?
We quote a flat detection fee that you'll know before any equipment is set up. If we proceed to repair on the same visit, the detection fee is typically credited against the repair invoice. We do not charge by the hour or pad the bill — the deliverable is leak location.
Why is my water bill high if I can't see a leak?
Most leaks aren't visible because they're inside walls, under floors, in slabs, or underground. The meter is the most reliable indicator — if the meter is moving with every fixture closed, you have a leak somewhere. Where exactly is what we're hired to find.
Can you find a leak without breaking anything?
Yes — that's the entire point of professional leak detection. Acoustic, thermal, and electronic methods locate the leak without opening walls or floors. We open something only at the actual repair stage, and only at the location we've pinpointed.
How accurate is leak detection?
On most modern construction, we pinpoint within inches of the actual leak. Older homes with multiple pipe materials or complex layouts are harder; pinpoint accuracy may be within a foot or two. Either way, we're orders of magnitude more accurate than exploratory demolition.
Should I shut off the water while I wait for you?
Yes, if you can — closing the main shutoff prevents further water damage while you wait. Open the main again briefly when we arrive so we can test the system under normal pressure.