
Water Leak Repair
When water is visibly running and no fixture valve stops it, close the main shutoff and find the source afterward.
When this becomes an emergency
- A bill that climbed sharply with no change in how the house is used.
- The meter dial creeping with every fixture in the house closed.
- A damp spot on a basement wall that stays wet through dry weather.
- Paint or plaster bubbling in a line along a wall or ceiling.
What a pro does
Proving there's a leak comes before finding it. The plumber closes fixtures, watches the meter, then isolates the house from the service line to establish whether the loss is inside or out on the buried run between the meter box and the wall. That distinction matters on these lots, where the service line can be long and run under a driveway or up a bank. Inside, sections get isolated and pressure tested until the loss narrows to a run, and listening equipment and moisture meters do the rest. Old galvanized supply is the frequent culprit in the prewar and midcentury houses here. It corrodes from the inside and leaks first at a threaded joint, often behind a wall in a bathroom that's been remodeled around it. Copper from later decades leaks as pinholes instead. He cuts the failed section, uses proper transition fittings if two materials meet, and pressure tests before closing anything up. Then he checks the rest of that run, because the pipe next to a failure has lived the same life.
Frequently asked questions
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