Slab Leak Detection & Repair
Track down a pipe leak under a concrete slab or basement floor and choose between a patch and a reroute.
Leaks and water lines ยท Lafayette, CO
Emergency Leak Detection in Lafayette, CO
A water bill that climbs for no reason, a stain that keeps growing, or a meter dial that creeps with every fixture off: each points to a leak you cannot see. Finding it with tools beats cutting open walls on a guess. If a ceiling is dripping or the meter is spinning, do not wait for office hours. Phone the all-hours line.
Check your meter first. If the low-flow dial spins with everything off, water is escaping somewhere.
Signs of a hidden leak
- A bill that jumpedUse more water than usual with no change in habits.
- Damp drywall or a musty cornerMoisture without a visible drip.
- The sound of running waterHissing in a wall when every tap is closed.
Start with the meter test
The cheapest leak test costs nothing. Turn off all taps, the ice maker and the dishwasher, then check the meter for the little triangle or wheel that turns at the slightest flow. If it moves, water is leaving the system. If it sits still for fifteen minutes, the supply side is probably tight.
Next, turn off the house main and check the meter a second time. If the dial halts, the loss is inside the walls. If it keeps turning, suspect the underground pipe between the meter and the foundation wall.
How leaks are located without demolition
Contractors use several tools. A listening device picks up the sound a pressurized leak makes in the pipe. Thermal imaging shows temperature differences behind drywall, which helps with hot water lines. Moisture meters map how far a damp area extends.
On buried lines, a tracer gas or an electronic correlator narrows a leak to a few feet. The goal is to open one small section of wall or floor and fix the pipe, instead of chasing the leak across three rooms.
In Lafayette
What Lafayette utility billing offers after a leak
The City of Lafayette's utility billing page says an account can receive one leak adjustment every three years. The request form must be filed within a month of the leak, and the account holder must be enrolled in leak notification alerts. Ask the city's utility billing office at 303-604-3555 how the adjustment works for your account.
Keep the repair invoice and the dated meter photos. They show when the leak started and when it was fixed, and a billing office or an insurer may ask for both.
Cost
What drives the cost of finding a leak
Pricing for detection follows how deep the leak hides and how many instruments the search requires.
Ask if the locating fee is subtracted from the repair bill when one contractor handles both steps.
Common hiding places
Leaks cluster at fittings, at shutoff valves and where pipes pass through framing. Behind a washing machine, under a tub, inside a vanity and at the water heater connections are the usual suspects. Outdoors, a failing hose bib or an irrigation valve can run unnoticed for weeks.
In Colorado, a pipe that froze and thawed can leave a hairline split that only weeps under pressure. That kind of leak often appears in spring, when someone turns the outdoor water back on.
What to do while you wait
Take a photo of the meter reading and the time, then check again after a few hours of no use. Those numbers help the contractor judge how big the leak is. Check beneath every sink for damp cabinet floors.
Move belongings away from damp walls. Should water keep spreading, close the main and phone for help. Dry air and a fan help a small damp patch, but they do not fix the source.
Once the leak is located
Water Line Repair & Replacement
Mend or replace the buried supply pipe that travels from the street meter to your house.
Water Damage Restoration
Pump out water, dry the building and repair it after a leak or flood.
Common questions
Answers on Leak detection
Shut the main at the house and watch the dial. A stopped dial puts the leak indoors. If it keeps moving, the buried line is the suspect.
Sometimes a small opening is needed to reach the pipe. Good detection keeps the opening to one spot instead of several.
No. A running irrigation system, a guest stay or a seasonal change can raise it. The meter test separates real loss from higher use.
Dispatchers work all night. Describe the damp spot and tell them whether the meter moves while every tap is closed. Shut the house main if you can get to it, then ask how soon a technician could come.
Water going somewhere it should not?
Ring the all-hours number, describe the meter's behavior and the damp patch, and the dispatcher takes it from there.