Slab Leak Detection & Repair
If you think you have a slab leak, you're probably right. Here's everything you need to know — and what to do about it.
Call Now: (951) 737-5333What Is a Slab Leak?
A slab leak is a water leak in the pressurized supply lines or drain lines that run beneath your home's concrete foundation. Most homes in Southern California are built on a concrete slab — and the copper pipes that carry water through your house pass right through it.
Over time, those pipes corrode, shift with the ground, or get damaged. When a pinhole forms, water escapes under pressure into the soil or up through the slab. You won't see it — but your house will start telling you.
Left alone, a slab leak causes mold, structural damage, and eventually major foundation problems. Catching it early is everything.
Check Your Water Meter
This is the fastest DIY check. Takes 2 minutes. You don't need any tools.
- 1Turn off everythingEvery faucet, appliance, toilet — anything that uses water. Make sure the washing machine isn't mid-cycle.
- 2Find your meterUsually in a covered box near the street at the front of your property. Lift the cover.
- 3Watch for movementIf the sweep hand or the small triangle is moving with all water off — you've got a leak somewhere in the system. May or may not be the slab, but something is wrong.
Warm or Wet Floors
When a hot water supply line breaks under the slab, the escaping water heats the concrete above it. Walk across your tile or hardwood barefoot — a warm patch where there shouldn't be one is a classic slab leak sign.
Wet carpet in a room that's not near any plumbing fixture is another one. Or discoloration on your flooring that appeared without any obvious cause. These aren't coincidences.
Note: Cold water line leaks don't produce warm spots. But they still saturate the foundation and cause the same long-term damage. The meter check will catch those.
Walk barefoot on your tile.
A warm spot in an unexpected location = potential hot water slab leak.
Listen for Running Water
At night, when your house is quiet, put your ear to the floor near the bathroom or kitchen. Turn off the TV. If you can hear a faint rushing or hissing sound with all fixtures off — that's water moving somewhere it shouldn't be. Slab leaks often make a sound like a distant faucet that won't turn off.
Our acoustic leak detection equipment can hear this through the concrete, pinpointing the exact location before any concrete is touched.
Check Your Water Bill
A slab leak under pressure can lose hundreds of gallons a day. Your water company charges for every gallon — so when the bill comes in and it's double or triple what you expected, that's the first hard data point.
Compare your last 6 months. A spike without a clear reason — hot summer, full house of guests — should be investigated. The leak isn't going to stop on its own.
What Happens If You Ignore It
The longer you wait, the more expensive this gets. Free leak detection. Call us now.
(951) 737-5333How We Find It
We don't guess and we don't start breaking concrete without knowing exactly where the leak is. Our detection process is non-invasive — we find it first, then fix it.
Acoustic Detection
Specialized microphones placed on the slab surface pick up the sound signature of pressurized water escaping a pipe. We can localize a leak to within inches without touching your floor.
Thermal Imaging
Infrared cameras show the temperature differential created by hot water leaks. Even cold water leaks create visible moisture patterns. We see what you can't.
Pressure Testing
We isolate sections of your plumbing and test them under pressure to confirm which line is compromised and the approximate location before any detection equipment is used.
How We Fix It
There are three approaches. We always start with the least invasive option that will actually solve the problem — not the fastest one for us, the best one for your home.
Pipe Sleeving
We insert new PEX pipe inside the existing damaged pipe, sealing it from the inside out. Typically requires only 2–3 small drywall openings. Your floors stay completely untouched. This is our first choice whenever fixture counts and water pressure allow for it.
Pipe Re-Route
We run a new PEX line through the walls and attic, bypassing the damaged section entirely. No concrete work, no slab penetration — your floors stay untouched. The right call when the damaged line has multiple problem spots or sleeving isn't an option.
Free Detection. Lifetime Warranty.
We don't charge to find your leak. We use the detection visit to understand the full picture — pipe condition, leak location, what's above it — before we give you a recommendation. We start with sleeving when we can and re-route when we should. Either way, your floors stay intact. And when the repair is done, it's covered for life.
Slab Leak? We Find It Free.
Non-invasive detection, same-day response available. Lifetime warranty on repairs.