Water leak detection
Do you actually have a leak? Check the meter first
Before you spend a dollar, you can find out whether you have a leak in about ten minutes with a walk out to the meter. Here is how.
- 1
Turn off every faucet in the house. Shut off the dishwasher, the washing machine, the ice maker, and anything else that draws water. Make sure nobody flushes during the test.
- 2
Find the water meter, usually out by the street or at the property line under a lid. Lift the lid and look at the dial face.
- 3
Find the leak indicator. It is usually a small triangle, a star, or a dial that spins when water moves through the meter. Watch it for a minute or two.
- 4
If that indicator is still turning with everything in the house off, water is moving through a leak somewhere between the meter and the house. That is reason enough to call.
This test tells you whether you have a leak. It does not tell you where. That is the part Jacob does.
Where leaks hide
A leak is not always where the water shows up. Here are the spots it usually turns up, and the telltale sign for each.
Under the slab
A warm spot on the floor, the sound of running water with everything off, or a bill that climbed for no reason. A slab leak is one of the most common hidden leaks.
In a wall
A damp patch, a soft spot in the drywall, or a stain that comes back after it dries. The leak is usually on the other side of the wall the water is coming through.
In the yard, between the meter and the house
A soft or green patch in an otherwise dry yard, or water pooling where it should not. The leak is somewhere along the run from the meter to the house.
At the water heater
Water around the base, or rust at the fittings. Could be a connection, a drain valve, or the tank itself. Jacob finds out which before any work starts.
At a hose bib
A bib that drips when the hose is off, or a puddle at the wall where it mounts. Often a worn washer or a packing nut, sometimes a crack in the body.
At a toilet flapper
A toilet that runs for no reason, or a faint hiss from the tank. A worn flapper is a slow leak that drains money quietly.
The toilet dye test - free, and anyone can do it
Take the lid off the tank, drop in a few drops of food colouring, and wait about ten minutes without flushing. If colour shows up in the bowl, the flapper is leaking. That is a small repair, but it can waste a surprising amount of water over a month.
Yard line leaks
The run from the meter to the house is pipe, and pipe in the ground can crack or split. The sign is usually a soft or unusually green patch in the yard, or a drop in pressure at the house.
Out on acreage this run can be long. A house at the end of a long driveway or a pasture has more line in the ground, and that is not unusual. A long run just means more places a leak can hide, and more reason to locate it before you start digging.
Jacob locates the break along the run and repairs that section. The diagnostic to find it starts at the same $125.
What the $125 buys
The diagnostic starts at $125 and pays for locating the leak, not guessing at it. Jacob narrows down which line is leaking and roughly where, using the tools that find pressure loss and the sound of water escaping the pipe. The point is to know where the problem is before anything gets opened up.
Locating is separate work from repairing, and there is a reason for that. Finding a leak that is buried or hidden behind a wall is its own skill and its own time. On a complex job that takes an hour or more to locate, the diagnostic can run higher than $125. The repair is a different job on top of it.
What's it costing you
How much is that leak costing you?
A leak does not fix itself. The longer it runs, the more it costs. See roughly how much water and money a leak wastes while you wait.
Interactive tool
How much is that leak costing you?
Pick the leak rate that looks closest to what you are seeing, and enter how long it has been going. The calculator gives you a rough estimate of the water wasted and what it adds to the bill. It is a ballpark, not a meter reading.
1. What does the leak look like?
2. How long has it been leaking?
On a well
On a well system there is no city meter to watch. A leak shows up as the pump cycling when nothing in the house is running. If the pump kicks on by itself and you are not using water, a leak is one of the first things to check.
Jacob works on the pressure tank and the plumbing side of a well system. If the leak is on the plumbing, he finds it and fixes it.
Leak detection questions
How do I know if I have a leak?
Do the meter test first. Turn off every fixture in the house, go out to the meter, and watch the leak indicator. If it is still moving with everything off, you have a leak somewhere between the meter and the house. It costs nothing and takes ten minutes.
What does leak detection cost?
The diagnostic to locate a hidden leak starts at $125. On a complex job that takes an hour or more to locate, it can run higher. Coming out and looking at something visible is free. There is no minimum charge.
Do you have to cut into my walls?
Not always. Locating the leak is its own step, done before anything gets opened up. Jacob narrows down where the leak is first. If a wall has to come open to reach it, you know that and agree to it before the saw comes out.
What if the leak is in the yard?
Yard line leaks are common, especially out on acreage where the run from the meter to the house can be long. Jacob locates the break along that run and repairs the section. The diagnostic to find it starts at the same $125.
Will my water bill be refunded?
Some water utilities have a leak adjustment policy and some do not. It is up to your water provider, not the plumber. Call them and ask whether they adjust a bill after a leak is repaired. JK Ranch cannot tell you whether yours will.
Get on the schedule
(979) 206-0888Call and you get Jacob. Or send a request and he will call you back.
Think you have a leak?
Run the meter test first if you have not. Then call Jacob. He'll give you an honest arrival window on the phone, and the diagnostic to locate the leak starts at $125. Free estimates on any job.
Monday to Saturday, 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Closed Sunday. After-hours and Saturday calls carry a $75 non-refundable service fee.