Leak Detection & Repair in San Jose, CA
A water bill that jumped for no reason, or a meter that keeps moving with everything in the house turned off. Leak detection is finding where the water is going before anyone opens a wall or a floor.
Signs you need this
Two checks you can do first
Read the water meter, use no water for two hours, and read it again. If it moved, you probably have a leak. Then put a few drops of food coloring in each toilet tank and wait 10 minutes. Color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking, and the pipes may be fine. Both checks come from the EPA WaterSense program, which puts the average household's leaks at more than 9,300 gallons a year.
If the toilets pass and the meter still moves, the leak is in a pipe you cannot see. That is when you call us.
Locating it first is what keeps the opening small.
Where it usually turns out to be
Once it is located, a hidden leak becomes one of three jobs. Under the concrete floor, it is a slab leak. Between the meter and the house, it is the water service line. Inside a wall or ceiling, it is a repair at that spot, and sometimes a sign the house is due for repiping.
Locating it first is what keeps the opening small. One marked spot is a very different job from a floor or a wall opened in three places while someone hunts.
How the job runs
- 1Rule out the toilets and fixtures with the meter and a dye test
- 2Close the main to split the house from the service line
- 3Listen and trace with equipment to mark the spot
- 4Quote the repair for that one spot
Questions people ask
How can I tell if I have a hidden water leak?
Read the water meter, use no water for two hours, and read it again. If it moved, you probably have a leak. Then put a few drops of food coloring in each toilet tank and wait 10 minutes. Color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking, and the pipes may be fine. Both checks come from the EPA WaterSense program.
How do you find a leak without opening walls?
We rule out the toilets and fixtures with the meter and a dye test, close the main to split the house from the service line, then listen and trace with equipment to mark the spot. Then we quote the repair for that one spot.
Where do hidden leaks usually turn out to be?
Under the concrete floor it is a slab leak. Between the meter and the house it is the water service line. Inside a wall or ceiling it is a repair at that spot, and sometimes a sign the house is due for repiping.
How much water can a hidden leak waste?
The EPA puts the average household's leaks at more than 9,300 gallons a year.
Sources
- US EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week: checking for leaks (checked October 2, 2026)
Water where it should not be?
Call and describe what you are seeing. If it can wait until morning, we will say so.
Related work
Water Line Repair & Replacement
The service line from the meter to the house. Leaks, pressure problems and full replacements.
Slab Leak Detection & Repair
Found and located before anyone opens the floor. The finding is what saves you money, not the repair.
Whole Home Repiping
Galvanized or failing pipe replaced throughout the house, in copper or PEX.