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Water spreading across a concrete floor from a pipe
Water spreading across the floor from a leak.

Home service

Aisle 5 · Finding leaks

Leak Detection for North York homes

A leak wanders along framing and copper long before it shows itself. The stain on the ceiling is rarely sitting right under the leak.

  • We start at the shut-off valve and the open wall
  • On the van: moisture meter and thermal camera
  • You see the broken part before you hear a number
  • Every fixture on the run tested before we leave
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  • Licensed and insured (details on the call)
  • Price agreed before work starts
  • North York and next door

Symptoms that call for leak detection

Some leaks announce themselves with a drip. Most of the expensive ones stay quiet. Watch for these:

  • A water bill that jumps without a change in how the house uses water
  • Brown rings or bubbling paint on a ceiling or wall
  • Warped or soft flooring near a bathroom or kitchen
  • A musty smell in one room that will not clear
  • The water meter dial moving with every fixture turned off

That last check is one you can do yourself. Turn off every tap, make sure the toilets are not refilling, and watch the meter for ten minutes. If the small leak indicator moves, water is going somewhere. Our water leak signs column covers more home checks.

How the job is done

We start with the simple stuff. Toilets get a dye test for leaky flappers. Fixture shutoffs and supply lines get checked. The meter is watched with sections of the house isolated, so we can narrow it to one zone.

From there the plumber uses tools suited to the problem. A moisture meter maps wet drywall. A thermal camera can show the temperature difference of a hot water leak in a wall or slab. Acoustic listening picks up pressurized leaks under a floor. The goal is to open the smallest possible hole in the right place.

Once found, the leak gets repaired the same visit when practical. That might be a single fitting, or it might lead to pipe repair on a longer section.

Leaks under a tub or shower are often the drain, not the supply. They only leak when the fixture is used, so the meter test stays still. Tell us if the stain grows after showers.

Some leaks announce themselves with a drip. Most of the expensive ones stay quiet.

From the counter

North York housing notes

Older homes here often have a mix of copper and galvanized supply pipe, joined with fittings that corrode where the two metals meet. Pinhole leaks in aging copper show up too, especially on hot water lines. In houses with a finished basement, those leaks can run for months behind drywall before anyone notices.

In condos, a leak can start in your unit and show up in the one below, or the other way around. Who pays depends on the building's rules. See condo plumbing responsibility for how that usually works.

What to do before we arrive

  1. If water is actively coming through a ceiling, shut off the main valve.
  2. Take a photo of the water meter reading and note the time.
  3. Move furniture and rugs away from damp areas.
  4. Pull recent water bills so we can compare usage.

Not sure where your shutoff is? Read finding your main shut-off valve. For a sudden spray rather than a slow leak, go to burst pipe repair. High bills are covered in why your water bill is high.

Questions

Will you have to open my walls?

Sometimes, but the point of detection is to keep the opening small and in the right spot rather than cutting several exploratory holes.

Can a leak be under the basement slab?

Yes, though it is less common. Supply lines running under the slab in some older houses can leak, and thermal or acoustic tools help find them.

Does home insurance cover leaks?

That depends on your policy. Sudden leaks are often treated differently from slow ones. Ask your insurer before repairs if you plan to claim.

How the job runs

  1. You callDescribe what is dripping, backing up or cold, and the cross streets.
  2. We ask questionsAge of the building, pipe type if you know it, where the shut-off is.
  3. We open it upTrap off, clean-out open or wall cut: find the actual fault before quoting the fix.
  4. We test itOpen each tap on that run, watch the joints dry and show you what came out.