Confirming there is a leak
The meter is watched with the house isolated, then the hot and cold sides are tested separately. Plenty of suspected leaks turn out to be a toilet flapper, an irrigation zone or condensate from the furnace.
Leak Detection in Denver
Water that shows up with no obvious source is worth finding before it soaks a finished basement. Denver Urgent Plumber traces hidden leaks with pressure testing and acoustic listening instead of opening walls to look.
- 24/7 Emergency Service
- Upfront Quotes
- Same-Day Availability
Signs of a Hidden Leak
- A water meter that keeps moving with every fixture closed
- A bill that jumped with no change in how the house is used
- A musty smell in one room, a closet or the basement
- A stain on a ceiling or a soft patch of drywall low on a wall
- Pressure that has dropped off across the whole house
Hidden leaks behave differently depending on the house. In a 1920s bungalow with galvanized supply lines, a pinhole behind plaster can weep for months before it shows. In a newer home in Highlands Ranch or Centennial, the same leak lands on a finished basement ceiling and arrives all at once. Outside, irrigation lines and backflow devices left charged into the first freeze are a regular source of water that nobody can account for.
What the Service Includes
The point of a locate is to open the smallest hole in the right place. Denver Urgent Plumber confirms there is a leak, isolates which system it is on and then narrows the position before cutting anything.
Narrowing the system
Supply, drain, irrigation and heating lines all leak differently. Isolating them keeps the search from wandering across the whole house.
Pinpointing the position
Acoustic listening, pressure testing and line tracing put the leak into a small area, which is what keeps the access opening small.
Explaining the repair choices
Once the leak is located you are told what it will take to reach and repair it, including whether a reroute is the more sensible option.
Your Repair Options
Ask for the locate and the repair to be quoted separately. Knowing where the leak is has value on its own, especially if an insurer, a landlord or a buyer is involved in the decision.
If the water is under a concrete floor, see slab leak repair. If a line has already failed outright, go to burst pipe repair. A weeping tank fitting is covered by the repair versus replacement guide, and the warning signs post lists what to note down first.
We run locates throughout the metro, including Wheat Ridge; the full list is on the service areas page.
Leak Detection Questions
How do I know whether I have a hidden leak?
Turn off every fixture and appliance that uses water, then watch the meter for fifteen minutes. If the dial still creeps, water is going somewhere. Write down what you saw and pass it on to Denver Urgent Plumber, because that one observation usually shortens the search.
Will you have to open my walls to find it?
Not to find it. Locating is done with pressure testing and listening equipment, and an opening is only made once the leak has been narrowed to a small area. Denver Urgent Plumber explains where the access will be and how big it needs to be before anything is cut.
Could the water be coming from outside instead?
It can. Snowmelt against a foundation wall, a window well that fills, a clogged downspout or a failing sump pump all put water in a Denver basement without a plumbing fault. The locate tells you which one you are dealing with, which matters before you pay anyone to fix a pipe.
What affects the cost of leak detection?
Mostly the size of the search area and how accessible the plumbing is. A single suspect bathroom takes less time than a whole-house isolation with finished ceilings in the way. Denver Urgent Plumber quotes the locate up front, then quotes the repair separately once the leak is found.
Get a plumber out to your Denver address
Tell us what the water is doing right now and we will plan the visit around it.