Leak Detection in Lawrenceville, GA
A leak you can see is only part of the story. Call and we connect you with an independent local plumber who can track down hidden leaks in walls, ceilings, crawlspaces and under slabs across Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County.
Leak Detection and Leak Repair in Lawrenceville
Finding it comes first, fixing it second
The worst leaks in Gwinnett homes are the ones nobody sees. Water runs behind a finished wall, along a crawlspace floor or under a concrete slab, and the first clue is a water bill or a musty smell. This site is a referral line: call (770) 285-5619 and we connect you with an independent local plumber who handles leak detection and leak repair. The plumber, not this site, does the work and sets the price.
Signs of a leak you cannot see
- Water bill is up and nobody changed how they use water
- Running-water sound when every fixture is off
- Damp, musty smell in a closet, cabinet or room that was fine before
- Stains, bubbling paint or soft drywall on a wall or ceiling
- A warm patch on the floor
- Low pressure in one part of the house
- Water meter moves when nothing is on
Check Your Water Meter in Three Steps
A test any homeowner can do
- Turn off every faucet, the dishwasher, the washer and the ice maker. Do not flush.
- Go to the meter box near the street (Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources serves most of the county). Lift the lid and look at the meter. Most have a small leak indicator that turns whenever water moves.
- If it moves, close the main shutoff at the house and look again. If the indicator stops, the leak is inside the house. If it still moves, the leak is on the line between the meter and the house, and water line repair is the next step.
Give the plumber what you found. It narrows the search before anyone brings out equipment.
Kitchen Sink Leak Detection
The most common leak call in Lawrenceville
If the cabinet under your sink is damp, the source is almost always one of a short list. A plumber will check them in this order, and you can do the same:
- Supply lines and shutoff valves: braided hoses and old chrome stops that drip at the nut.
- Faucet base and sprayer hose: water runs down the underside and shows up at the cabinet bottom.
- P-trap and drain joints: a loose slip nut or a cracked washer.
- Garbage disposal: the flange seal on top or the drain connections on the side.
- Dishwasher supply and drain: a loose fitting under the sink where the hose ties in.
Dry everything, lay a dry paper towel under each joint, run the water for a while, and see which towel gets wet first. Shut the stop valves under the sink if you find one actively dripping. If the leak keeps returning or the cabinet floor is soft, call. Related repairs: faucet repair and garbage disposal repair.
How Plumbers Find Leaks Without Tearing Out Walls
Typical methods
Acoustic listening
Sensitive microphones pick up the hiss of pressurized water escaping a pipe, through floors, walls and soil.
Thermal imaging
A thermal camera shows the temperature difference where hot lines leak or where water has soaked a wall.
Moisture mapping
A moisture meter traces how far water has spread so the opening in a wall is as small as possible.
Pressure testing
The plumber isolates a section of pipe and watches whether it holds pressure, which separates a hot line leak from a cold line leak.
Meter and zone testing
Shutting off sections of the house one by one and watching the meter narrows the search to a zone.
Camera inspection
For drains and sewer lines, a camera shows cracks, roots and offsets that cause leaks into the soil.
Leaks Common to Gwinnett Homes
Where to look based on the house
Where a leak shows up depends on when and how the house was built.
- Older homes near downtown Lawrenceville: galvanized steel supply pipe corrodes and leaks at threaded joints, and cast iron or clay drain lines can crack.
- Homes built from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s: polybutylene supply pipe is prone to leaking at fittings. If you have gray or blue flexible pipe, read our page on repiping.
- Slab-on-grade houses: a leak in a line under the concrete is a different job. See slab leak repair.
- Crawlspace houses: leaks drip onto the ground below and often go unnoticed. Floors that feel soft, a musty smell and a rising bill are the clues.
- Newer homes: failed hose connections, water heater fittings and PEX crimp fittings are the usual causes.
A leak that comes from a sewer or drain line behaves differently and is covered under sewer line repair and drain line repair.
Water Leak Repair After Hours
What to do tonight
If water is actively running, do not wait for morning to find the source. Shut off the water at the house main and call. We connect you with a plumber who handles after-hours leaks. If the leak is slow and contained, you can leave the main off overnight and let the plumber detect and repair it in daylight, or keep the main on and use only the fixtures that you know are fine.
Whatever the hour, ask the plumber for the price before the work starts, and ask whether finding the leak and repairing it are priced together or separately. This site does not set prices or promise how a plumber prices.
Leak Detection Across Gwinnett County
Local conditions, local utilities and the areas we serve.
Water Utility
Most of Gwinnett, including most Lawrenceville addresses, is served by Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources. Buford is served by the City of Buford. Leaks on the street side of the meter are usually the utility's concern; leaks on the house side are usually the homeowner's.
Soil and Movement
Gwinnett is red clay. Clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and that movement can stress pipes in slabs and crawlspaces over the years.
Hard Freeze Leaks
After the freeze around Christmas 2022, many local homes found leaks only after the thaw. If you had cold snaps and see a new stain, start with a leak check.
Plumbing Age
Homes in Lawrenceville span from early 1900s houses to brand-new subdivisions, so the leak you have depends heavily on the pipe in the walls.
Frequently Asked Questions
The usual signs are a water bill that climbs with no change in habits, the sound of running water when everything is off, damp or musty smells, stains or bubbling paint on walls and ceilings, warm spots on the floor, and a water meter that moves when nothing in the house is using water.
Turn off every faucet, the ice maker and the washer. Go to the meter box near the street and look at the meter. Most meters have a small leak indicator (a triangle or dial) that spins when any water is moving. If it moves with everything off, water is going somewhere. Then close the house main: if the indicator still moves, the leak is on the line between the meter and the house. If it stops, the leak is inside.
Call (770) 285-5619 at any hour. The line is answered 24/7 and we connect you with an independent local plumber who handles leaks. Whether detection happens at night or the next morning is up to the plumber and how bad the leak is. If water is actively running, shut off the house main and call.
Typical tools are acoustic listening devices that pick up the sound of escaping water, thermal cameras that show temperature differences, moisture meters, pressure testing of isolated sections of pipe, and a sewer camera for drain lines. The plumber chooses what fits the situation.
Usually, yes. Under-sink leaks come from a short list: the supply lines and shutoff valves, the faucet base, the sprayer hose, the P-trap, the garbage disposal connections and the dishwasher hose. Dry the area, put a dry paper towel under each joint, run the water, and see which towel gets wet first.
It depends on the method, how many fixtures or zones the plumber has to isolate, and how hard the pipes are to reach. This site does not set prices. Ask the plumber for the price before the visit, and ask whether it covers the leak repair or only the finding.
Yes. Slab leaks involve pipes in or under the concrete floor and often need different tools and repair methods. See our page on slab leak repair.
Related Plumbing Services
Other problems that often show up alongside this one in Gwinnett homes.
Suspect a Hidden Leak?
Call and we connect you with an independent local plumber who handles leak detection and repair in Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County.