Leak detection and slab leak repair in northern Utah

Stop the water first. Then protect yourself and the house.

1. Close the main water valve. It is usually where the water line enters the house, often in the basement or a utility room. Turn the handle until the water stops.
2. Stay out of standing water near outlets, cords, or appliances. Shut off power at the breaker only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot.
3. If the leak is at the water heater, close the cold water supply valve above the heater. Leave the gas valve and the wiring alone.
4. Open a faucet on the lowest floor to take the pressure off the pipes.
5. Move rugs, boxes, and furniture out of the water's path, and take photos of the damage.
6. Call our emergency line. It is answered 24/7.

If the leak is a slow drip, put a bucket under it and call during office hours.

A hidden water leak shows up in the water bill, the water meter, and the building before you ever see water. Watch for:

• A water bill that climbs with no change in how you use water.
• The sound of running water when every faucet is off.
• A warm spot on the floor, which points to a hot water line under the slab.
• Stains, bubbling paint, or soft drywall.
• A musty smell that does not go away.
• A patch of lawn that stays green and wet.
• Lower water pressure than you used to have.

The EPA gives a simple test: check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak. The EPA also says the average household's leaks can waste more than 9,300 gallons of water every year.

Leak detection narrows the search step by step, so the only hole that gets cut is at the leak.

1. Meter test. We confirm that water is moving through the meter with every fixture off.
2. Isolation. We close valves one at a time to learn whether the leak is on the hot side or the cold side, and whether it is inside the house or in the line from the meter.
3. Pressure test. We put a section of pipe under pressure and watch a gauge. If the pressure drops, that section leaks.
4. Listening. Water escaping a pipe under pressure makes noise. Acoustic equipment picks up that sound through concrete, soil, and walls.
5. Heat. A thermal camera can show the warm trail of a hot water leak under a floor.

The trade also uses tracer gas and pipe cameras for leaks that are hard to find. We explain which methods your leak needs before we start.

A slab leak is a leak in a water line that runs under a concrete floor. The signs are a warm spot on the floor, the sound of water under the house, damp flooring, or a water meter that moves when nothing is on.

There are three ways to repair a slab leak:

• Spot repair. We open the concrete at the leak, fix that section of pipe, and patch the floor. It suits a newer pipe with one bad spot.
• Reroute. We take the line under the slab out of service and run a new one through the walls or ceiling. It avoids breaking the floor, and it suits a line that has leaked before.
• Repipe. When the pipe is failing in several places, replacing the home's water lines ends the cycle of repairs.

We show you what we found and lay out the options with the cost of each.

Most leaks are found in a single visit. A leak under a sink, behind a toilet, or at a water heater is found quickly. A leak inside a wall or under a slab takes longer, because we test the system in sections before we pinpoint the spot.

The repair is a separate step. How long it takes depends on where the pipe is:

• A leak in an open wall or ceiling is often repaired in the same visit.
• A slab leak takes longer, because concrete has to be opened and patched, or a new line has to be routed around the slab.
• A buried line between the meter and the house needs a utility locate before anyone digs.

Drywall and flooring repair come after the pipe is fixed and the area is dry. We tell you what to expect before we begin.

We give free estimates and do not post prices. These are the things that change the cost of finding and fixing a water leak:

• How hidden the leak is. A leak you can see costs less to find than one under a slab or a lawn.
• The methods needed. Some leaks take more than one kind of test to pinpoint.
• Where the pipe runs. Opening drywall is a smaller job than opening concrete or digging a trench.
• The repair. A spot repair, a reroute, and a full water line replacement are very different jobs.
• The pipe's condition. Old galvanized or polybutylene pipe often has more than one weak spot.
• Restoration. Patching concrete, drywall, and flooring adds to the job.

Financing is available. Ask your insurance company what your policy covers before you approve the repair.

Repeat water leaks usually trace back to pressure, hard water, freezing, or old pipe. Each has a fix.

• Pressure. High water pressure strains pipes, hoses, and valves. A pressure regulator on the main line keeps it in check, and we can test yours.
• Hard water. Provo's 2025 water report gives typical hardness of 10–15 grains per gallon. Scale from hard water wears out valves, supply lines, and water heaters. A water softener slows that down.
• Freezing. In Park City, the normal January low is 15.6°F. Disconnect garden hoses in fall, and insulate pipes in garages and outside walls.
• Old pipe. Galvanized and polybutylene pipe leak more as they age. If you have had several leaks, ask about repiping.
• Supply hoses. Replace old rubber hoses on washing machines and toilets with braided stainless steel ones.

Learn where your main water valve is, and make sure it turns.