BRIGHTON, COLORADO
Leak Detection in Brighton, CO
Find the leak before it finds your drywall. Slab leaks, pinholes and hidden supply-line leaks located without opening up the whole house.
On city supply or a private well, the goal is the same: pinpoint it, then fix only what has to be opened.
Licensed Colorado plumbers · Answered 24 hours
Why hidden leaks are common in this water
Brighton's water is hard, close to 14 grains per gallon, and hard water is rough on copper over time. Mineral-laden water slowly attacks pipe from the inside, and older copper runs develop pinholes that weep behind drywall or under a slab long before anyone sees a drip. The first symptom is almost never a puddle. It is a water bill that climbed for no reason, a warm spot on a floor, or the sound of water moving when every fixture is off.
The point of leak detection is to locate that source precisely, using pressure testing, acoustic listening and moisture readings, so the repair is a small, targeted opening rather than a wall torn out on a guess.
Signs you have a hidden leak
Any one of these is worth a look; two together usually means water is escaping somewhere you cannot see.
- A water bill that jumped with no change in how you use water
- The water meter dial creeps when every tap and toilet is off
- A warm patch on a floor, or unexplained damp on a slab
- Low pressure at a fixture that used to run fine
- A faint hiss or trickle in a wall or under the floor
| Home type | Likely leak | How it is found |
|---|---|---|
| Older core home | Pinhole in aged copper or galvanized | Pressure isolation, acoustic listening on the wall run |
| Slab-on-grade subdivision home | Slab leak in a supply line under concrete | Line pressurization, acoustic and thermal locating |
| Home on a private well | Leak between pressure tank and house | Isolate the well side, watch pressure and pump cycling |
| Any home | Running toilet or failing valve | Meter test and fixture check before opening anything |
Bill climbing with no reason?
That is usually the first sign of a hidden leak. Catching it early keeps the repair small.
Call (720) 698-9956Locating first is what protects the house
The expensive version of a leak is the one that got chased with a saw. Because slab and in-wall leaks can travel along a pipe before surfacing, the wet spot is often not above the leak. Proper detection finds the actual point so only that section gets opened.
If the source turns out to be under the slab, the next step is slab leak repair, and if it is a section of tired copper feeding the whole house, a targeted repipe is sometimes cheaper over time than repeated pinhole fixes.
A confirmed leak rarely stands alone. If detection points under the concrete, slab leak detection and repair is the fix, aging copper that keeps springing pinholes is a case for repiping, and a leak that already soaked flooring or drywall needs water damage restoration alongside the plumbing repair.
Leak detection questions
Do you have to break concrete or drywall to find it?
No. The whole point of detection is to locate the leak before anything is opened, using pressure tests, acoustic equipment and moisture mapping. Only the confirmed spot gets opened for the repair, which keeps both the mess and the cost down.
How do I know if it is a slab leak versus a fixture?
A quick meter test tells a lot. Shut every fixture, note the meter, and if it still moves, water is escaping somewhere in the system. Warm floors point toward a hot-water slab line; a running toilet or dripping valve shows up when you isolate fixtures. We sort out which it is before quoting a repair.
My house is on a well. Does that change anything?
It changes where we look. On a well, a leak between the pressure tank and the house shows up as a pump that cycles on and off with no water running. We isolate the well side from the house side to tell whether the loss is plumbing or the well system itself.
Can a small hidden leak really cost that much?
Yes. A leak you cannot see runs constantly, and even a slow one adds up over a billing cycle while it quietly soaks framing or slab. The bigger cost is the damage: a pinhole caught early is a small repair, while the same leak found after it rots a subfloor is a demolition. That is why an unexplained bump in the water bill is worth acting on rather than watching.
Think something is leaking?
Better to locate it small than to find it after the drywall is soaked. Call and describe what you are seeing.