Wichita Falls, TX · Answered 24/7

Leak Detection and Repair Without Tearing Up Your House

A hidden leak wastes water, feeds mould and undermines slabs. We find the exact point of failure first, then open the smallest access needed to repair it.

Acoustic listening, thermal imaging and pressure isolation
Slab, wall, ceiling, yard and service line leaks
You see the evidence before anything is opened

Call (940) 905-8032 Non-invasive location, targeted repair

Plumber using acoustic listening equipment to locate a slab leak on a tile floor in Wichita Falls — **24/7**Live dispatch **Licensed**Texas plumbers 8Cities covered

Direct answer

How do you find a water leak you cannot see?

A concealed leak is located by isolating the system and then listening for it. The meter is checked with every fixture closed to confirm loss, sections are isolated with valves and pressure gauges to narrow the leak to a supply or drain branch, and acoustic equipment picks up the sound of pressurised water escaping through the slab or wall. Thermal imaging maps temperature differences from hot-side leaks, and tracer methods confirm the point. Only then is anything opened, and only at the located spot.

Water bill jumped with no explanation?

Call (940) 905-8032 and we will confirm whether you have a real leak, find exactly where it is, and show you the evidence before a single tile comes up. Locating first is what keeps the repair small.

Call (940) 905-8032

The leak you cannot see

Concealed leaks do their damage quietly and continuously

Unlike a burst pipe, a concealed leak makes no scene. It seeps into the slab, the wall cavity or the soil under the foundation, and the first evidence is usually indirect: a bill that climbed, a floor that feels warm in one spot, a musty smell in a closet, or a patch of yard that stays green in August.

It is a structural problem as much as a plumbing one. Continuous moisture under a slab washes fines out of the supporting soil and contributes to movement in the expansive clay this region sits on. Inside a wall it saturates bottom plates and sheathing and gives mould a permanently damp substrate to grow on.

Guesswork makes it worse. Opening drywall or breaking slab in the wrong place doubles the cost of a repair that had one right answer. Location is the part of the job that saves money, and it is the part most often skipped.

Targeted slab opening exposing a repaired copper water line inside a Wichita Falls home

How location works

Four techniques, used in order

Confirmation first. With every fixture closed and the water heater isolated, the meter dial tells us whether water is leaving the system at all, and roughly how fast. A leak that does not show at the meter is a drain-side or condensate problem, and that changes the entire approach.

Then isolation. Valving off sections and applying static pressure with a gauge narrows the loss to a branch: the service line from the meter, hot side, cold side, or a specific run. Watching gauge decay tells us a great deal before any equipment goes on the floor.

Then acoustic and thermal work. Pressurised water escaping through concrete makes a characteristic sound that ground microphones pick up through flooring; thermal imaging maps hot-side leaks by the heat signature they push into the slab or wall. Where needed, we introduce a safe tracer to confirm the exact point.

The repair follows the location, not the other way around. That may mean a targeted slab break and a section repair, a reroute above ground through the attic to abandon a failed under-slab run, or a straightforward wall access and pipe replacement.

How the job runs

Our leak detection and repair process

Detection is a process of elimination. Doing it in sequence is what keeps the access hole small and the repair honest.

01
Meter verification
Everything is closed and the meter is observed. This separates a genuine supply leak from a running toilet flapper or an irrigation valve that never fully shuts.
02
System isolation
Valves and gauges divide the system so the loss can be attributed to the service line, the hot side, the cold side or a single branch.
03
Acoustic sweep
Ground microphones and listening discs follow the pipe route and find the loudest point, which is the escape point.
04
Thermal confirmation
Infrared imaging cross-checks the acoustic result on hot lines and shows moisture spread in walls, ceilings and flooring.
05
Minimum access
Only the located area is opened, whether that is a slab cut, a small drywall access or an exposed run in the attic or crawl space.
06
Repair, test and restore
The failed section is replaced, the system is brought back to pressure and held on a gauge, and the meter is rechecked with everything closed to prove the loss has stopped.

Thermal imaging camera showing a warm hidden water leak inside a wall cavity

Warning signs

Signs of a hidden leak in your home

A water bill that climbed with no change in household use
A warm or hot spot on a tile or laminate floor over the slab
The sound of running water when every fixture is off
Cracking, lifting or discoloured flooring in one localised area
A musty smell in a closet, cabinet or along one wall
Low pressure at fixtures that used to run strong
A patch of yard that stays wet or unusually green during dry weather

Before we arrive

Useful things to do before we get there

Turn off every fixture, appliance and irrigation zone, then photograph your meter reading. A second photo an hour later is genuinely useful data.
Check each toilet by adding a few drops of food colouring to the tank. Colour appearing in the bowl without flushing means the flapper is passing water and can mimic a leak.
Note where and when you hear water running, and whether the warm spot on the floor changes with hot water use.
Clear access to the water heater, the main shut-off and any wall or floor area you suspect.
Do not start cutting drywall or flooring yourself. Undisturbed conditions make the acoustic sweep more accurate.

Why us

Why homeowners here keep our number

Location before demolition

The whole point of leak detection is a small hole in the right place. We do not open walls to go looking.

Equipment, not intuition

Ground microphones, thermal imaging, pressure gauges and tracer methods, used together, so the result can be shown to you rather than asserted.

Slab experience in clay soil

Under-slab leaks in this region come with soil movement and foundation implications. We repair with that in mind and will tell you when a reroute beats a slab break.

Documentation for claims and sales

Photos, thermal images and readings are provided, which matters if you are dealing with an insurer or a pending property sale.

Verified repair

We do not just fix and leave. The system is held on a gauge and the meter is rechecked so you have proof the loss has stopped.

Leak detection in Wichita Falls

Slabs, clay and why leaks here behave the way they do

Most homes built here since the 1960s sit on slab-on-grade foundations over expansive clay. That soil swells when it gets wet and shrinks hard during the dry heat of a North Texas summer. The resulting movement stresses under-slab supply lines and drain joints, which is why slab leaks are a routine call in this city rather than an exotic one.

A leak under a slab makes the movement problem worse in a very direct way. Continuous moisture in one area keeps that section of clay expanded while the rest of the perimeter dries and contracts, and differential movement is what cracks slabs and sticks doors. Finding a slab leak early is a foundation issue, not only a plumbing one.

Yard and service line leaks are common too, particularly on older streets near downtown, Floral Heights and the university area, where original galvanised or early plastic service lines are still in the ground. Out toward Iowa Park, Lakeside City and Pleasant Valley, long service runs from the meter to the house add distance and more opportunity for a buried failure.

Service area

Plumbers for Wichita Falls and the towns around it

We run leak detection and repair calls across Wichita Falls and every town in our 940 service area. Pick your town for local detail, or call and we will confirm coverage in seconds.

FAQ

Questions we get asked on the phone

Can you find a leak without breaking the slab?

Yes. Location is non-invasive. We use meter verification, pressure isolation, acoustic listening and thermal imaging to pinpoint the leak. Concrete is only opened at the located point when the repair itself requires it, and sometimes a reroute avoids opening it at all.

How accurate is acoustic leak detection?

On pressurised supply lines it is very accurate, usually within a small area rather than a general zone. Accuracy drops on drain lines because they are not under constant pressure, so those are approached with camera inspection and other methods instead.

What is a slab leak reroute?

Instead of breaking concrete to repair a failed under-slab run, the line is abandoned in place and a new run is routed through the attic or walls to reconnect the fixture. It is often faster, cleaner and better value than repeated slab repairs on aged pipe.

Will my homeowners insurance cover a slab leak?

Policies vary. Many cover the resulting damage and the cost of accessing the pipe while excluding the pipe repair itself. We supply photos, thermal images and a written description of the failure so your adjuster has what they need.

How much water does a small leak actually waste?

A continuous leak the size of a pinhole can run thousands of gallons a month without ever becoming visible. That is why an unexplained bill increase is worth investigating even when nothing looks wrong.

Do you find leaks in irrigation and pool lines?

Yes, we locate leaks on irrigation mains and service lines. Pool structure and equipment leaks often need a pool specialist, and we will say so rather than take the job for the sake of it.

Related services

Other work that often comes with this job

Pipe Repair & Repiping

Section repairs and planned whole-home repipes in PEX or copper.

Emergency Plumbing

Live answer around the clock for failures that cannot wait until morning.

Water Heater Repair & Installation

Repair, replacement and code-correct installs for gas, electric and tankless.

One call ends it

A hidden leak is charging you twice

Once for the water on your bill, and again for the framing, flooring and slab it is soaking every day it runs. Call (940) 905-8032 and we will locate it precisely, repair it properly and leave you with a system that holds pressure.