Leak detection · Greeley, CO
Leak detection in Greeley, CO: find the water you cannot see
A water bill that keeps climbing, the sound of running water with everything off, or a damp wall in a Greeley, CO home can mean a leak behind the surface. The leak has to be found before it can be fixed, and that is what leak detection does. This page covers the signs, the acoustic and pressure diagnostics a plumber uses to locate a leak, what an undetected slab leak does to the ground under a house, and what comes after. Call now to connect with a local plumber for leak detection in Greeley.
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Leak detectionSigns, diagnostics, finding the leak
Signs
Leak detection in Greeley: when it is the right call
A hidden leak rarely announces itself. These are the signs that most often point to one.
A higher water bill
The bill climbs and your habits did not change.
Running water, nothing on
A hiss, trickle or hum in a wall or floor when every tap and appliance is off.
Damp, stains or a musty smell
A stained ceiling, a soft or bubbling wall, peeling paint, or a smell that will not go away.
A warm spot in the floor
A patch of floor that feels warm can mean a hot-water line is leaking below it.
Pressure that dropped
Weaker flow at the taps, with no clog or valve to explain it. Water pressure problems
A wet or lush patch in the yard
Soggy ground, or grass greener than the rest, between the street and the house.
Water you can see is a different page. Water spraying or pouring from a pipe is a burst pipe, not a hidden leak. Close the main shutoff and see burst pipe repair or emergency plumber. How to shut off the water to your house shows where the valve is.
How leaks are found
Sub-slab acoustic and pressure diagnostics
A hidden leak is located by measurement, not by opening floors at random. The water meter is the starting evidence: with every fixture off, a meter that still moves means water is escaping somewhere on the property.
Confirm the loss at the meter
With every tap and appliance off, a plumber reads the meter and its low-flow indicator, then closes the main shutoff inside the house and reads it again. A meter that stops with the main closed puts the loss inside the house; a meter that keeps moving puts it on the line between the meter and the house.
Isolate a section with pressure
In hydrostatic pressure isolation, the plumber valves off one run of supply pipe at a time and holds it under test pressure on a gauge. A run that loses pressure holds the leak and a run that holds is cleared, so a leak under a slab is narrowed to one pipe run before any concrete is touched.
Listen for the leak
Pressurized water escaping through a pinhole makes a hiss and a vibration that travels along the pipe and through the slab. Acoustic listening equipment on the floor, walls or exposed pipe picks that sound up, and the reading is strongest directly over the leak. A pair of sensors on a pipe can calculate how far along it the leak sits.
Confirm before cutting
A second method confirms the spot: a thermal camera can show the warm patch of a hot-water line leaking below a floor, and a moisture meter confirms wet material. Opening a floor or wall comes last, and only at the confirmed point.
What a slab leak does below the surface
A pinhole in a line under pressure is a steady jet, and under a concrete slab the water has nowhere to go but into the base material under the floor. Over weeks it washes out the fine sand and gravel that support the slab, leaving voids. Where the soil is clay, the moisture also makes it swell, and the ground can push up on the slab while the washed-out sections drop away from it. That uneven movement shows as cracked tile, doors that stop closing, gaps at baseboards and, in time, foundation heaving.
Water that reaches the wall base and the underside of flooring also feeds mold colonization and softens wood framing and subfloor. A leak that has run for months is a much larger repair than the same leak found early, which is why a running meter, a warm floor spot or the sound of water with everything off justifies a call for an immediate evaluation.
Whether you may operate the curb stop or the meter valve is a question for the City of Greeley Water and Sewer department, a city department. Looking at the meter is fine.
Where leaks hide
Four places a hidden leak can be
Where it is decides how the leak is found and how much has to be opened up to reach it.
- In a wall or ceilingA supply pipe or joint behind drywall. Stains, soft spots and a damp smell show up first.
- Under a slab floorPipes laid in or under a concrete floor. A warm floor spot, or water heard with everything off, can be the clue.
- In the yard-side lineThe line that runs from the property line into the house. The City of Greeley says the customer owns that line, which may include the curb stop and water meter, and that the city owns the main up to the property line. Water service line replacement
- At a fixture or connectionUnder a sink, behind a toilet, or at a water heater connection. These are easier to reach than the other three.
A wet yard can sit on either side of the property line, and this page cannot say which. The city department above can answer the ownership question.
Meter moving, or a leak you cannot place? Call now to connect with a local plumber for leak detection in Greeley.
Call (970) 633-4799Finding it
How a plumber locates a leak
The plumber picks the method, and often combines two. The choice depends on where the leak is and how the building is built.
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ListeningSound
Sensitive listening gear picks up the sound of water escaping from a pressurized pipe, and helps narrow the spot along a wall, floor or yard.
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Thermal imagingTemperature
A thermal camera shows temperature differences on a surface. A hot-water leak or wet material can show up as a warm or cool patch.
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CameraInside a pipe
A small camera can look inside a drain line or reach into an open space. It does not see inside a pressurized supply pipe.
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Pressure testingConfirming
A section of pipe is isolated and held under pressure. If it will not hold, the leak is in that section.
After it is found
What happens once the leak is located
Finding the leak is step one. Repair and restoration are separate parts of the job, and it helps to ask what is included in each.
A leak at a fixture or connection may be a quick repair. A leak in a wall, ceiling or floor means getting to the pipe, which can involve opening drywall, flooring or, for a slab leak, the concrete, or running a new line another way. A yard-side leak means digging.
Afterward, wet materials may need drying, and whatever was opened needs closing up. Ask who does the patching and finishing before the work starts.
One leak
- One spot, and the rest of the pipe is in good shape
- The leak is repaired, and the pipe stays
Locating it is what this page covers.
Leaks that keep coming
- A second or third leak in different places
- Pinholes, corrosion or rusty water from several taps
That can point to the pipes themselves: Whole-house repiping
Before you call
Damage, insurance and what to tell the plumber
Questions about water damage and coverage go to your insurance company. If you may file a claim, photograph the damage before anything is cleaned up or opened.
Tell the plumber
- What you noticed first, and when
- Whether the meter moved with all water off
- Whether it stopped when you closed the main shutoff
- Where the damp spot, stain, sound or warm floor is
- Any change in the water bill or in pressure
FAQ
Leak detection in Greeley: common questions
How can I tell if I have a hidden water leak?
A bill that climbs for no reason, the sound of water with everything off, damp or stained walls and ceilings, a warm floor spot, and a drop in pressure are the usual signs. The meter is the simplest evidence: if it moves with all water off, water is going somewhere, and a plumber can then locate it.
How does a plumber confirm a slab leak?
By combining methods: a meter reading with the main closed to show which side of the house the loss is on, pressure isolation of one pipe run at a time, acoustic listening over the slab to pinpoint the sound, and thermal imaging or a moisture reading to confirm the spot. The steps are above.
What are the signs of a slab leak?
A warm spot on a concrete floor, the sound of running water with nothing on, a higher bill, and damp flooring or carpet can all point to a leak under the slab. Only a plumber can confirm it and say how to reach it.
Who is responsible for a leak in the yard?
The City of Greeley says it owns the water main up to the property line and that the customer owns the line from the property line into the house, which may include the curb stop and water meter. The city's page does not say where the line splits on a given lot. You can ask the city's Water and Sewer department. Water service line replacement
Will insurance cover the leak or the damage?
That depends on your policy. Ask your insurance company about water damage and coverage, and photograph the damage before cleanup.
What should I do while waiting for a plumber?
Note which rooms or walls are damp, whether the meter was moving, and photograph any damage before anything is cleaned up or opened. If water is escaping, close the main shutoff.
Call about a hidden leak
Say what you noticed, what the meter did, and where you think the water is going.
Reviewed October 2026