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Corroded pipe cross-section showing where a pinhole leak starts

Call sheet: finding the drip

Leak Detection in Whitby

A brown ring overhead, a meter that creeps with every tap closed, or a warm spot on the floor: leaks rarely appear where they start. Finding them without wrecking walls takes method.

Talk to a plumber

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  • Licensed & insured trade work
  • Scope agreed before we start
  • Urgent calls triaged first

Signs you need this

  • Brown rings growing on drywall under an ensuite
  • Water meter turning with every tap closed
  • Pinholes or green crust on copper
  • Low pressure at every fixture at once

Kit on the van, and the method

  1. Pipe cutters for copper, PEX and galvanized
  2. Torch, flux and lead-free solder
  3. Crimp and expansion tools for PEX
  4. Pressure gauge and moisture meter

Before we leave: Pressure-hold the repaired run and watch the gauge before walls close.

Start at the meter

The water meter is the cheapest leak detector you own. Close every tap, confirm no tank is topping up and the softener is not regenerating, then watch the small dial or flow indicator. If it moves, water is going somewhere. Turning off fixture valves one at a time narrows it down; if the meter still turns with every fixture isolated, the leak is in the piping itself.

Our tools

  • Moisture meter. Maps damp drywall and subfloor so we know where to look.
  • Thermal camera. Shows hot water leaks as warm patches and cold water leaks as cool ones behind finishes.
  • Acoustic listening. Hears the faint hiss of a pressurised leak through concrete and subfloor.
  • Pressure test. Isolates a section of piping and watches a gauge for drop.
  • Dye tablets. Find toilet flapper leaks and shower pan leaks.
Field note. A toilet flapper that leaks silently can waste a lot of water over a billing period. Tint the tank water with food dye, hold off flushing for twenty minutes, then check the bowl.

Common Whitby finds

In houses from the 1970s and 1980s, pinholes in copper hot water lines are a regular discovery, often in a ceiling below a bathroom. In newer homes, crimp rings on PEX that were not fully closed can weep slowly for years. Shower valves and tub spouts leak into the wall cavity behind the tile. Under-slab leaks show as a warm floor or a sump that runs in dry weather.

Opening the wall

When we do need access, we cut the smallest clean opening we can, ideally from the back side of a closet or the ceiling below rather than a feature wall. We repair the pipe, hold it at pressure on a gauge, and hand the opening back ready for a drywaller. If the plumbing is widely corroded, we tell you and discuss whether patching one spot makes sense.

A high water bill with no visible leak? Read our high water bill note. Pipe damage beyond one spot is covered on pipe repair and repiping.

Call (365) 376-9113