Leak Detection
Leak Detection in Washington, DC & Bethesda
I'm Mike. I find hidden leaks in DC and Bethesda homes, show you exactly what I found, and fix the pipe myself. No franchise technician rotation. No corporate upsell playbook. Just one licensed plumber who answers the phone and does the work. I'm licensed in DC, bonded, and insured, and I've done over a thousand jobs in this area across six years.
DC Licensed · Bonded & Insured · 6 Years · 1,000+ Jobs · 43 Google Reviews
Call or Text MikeSigns of a Hidden Leak
Signs You Have a Hidden Leak
A water bill that jumped with no explanation is the most common reason people call me. Other signs: a spot on the ceiling that won't dry out, a wall that feels soft or smells musty, the sound of running water when everything in the house is off, or a patch of your yard that stays wet no matter how long it's been since rain.
Older DC housing stock in neighborhoods like Adams Morgan, Navy Yard, and Anacostia tends to have galvanized steel or cast iron pipes that corrode from the inside out over decades. You don't always see it coming. The pipe looks fine on the outside until it isn't.
If any of that sounds familiar, it's worth getting eyes on it before the damage gets worse.
Your Responsibility vs. DC Water's
Is It Your Pipe or the Utility's Problem?
This is one of the most common questions I get, and it's a fair one. The short answer: DC Water owns the water main in the street and the meter. You own everything from the meter to your house, including the service line running underground from the meter to your foundation.
If the leak is in that underground service line, it's yours to fix. If it's on DC Water's side of the meter, call them. I'll tell you honestly which side of the line the problem is on before any work gets started. I'm not going to charge you to fix something that isn't your responsibility.
A spike in your water bill could also be a running toilet, a faulty fill valve, or a dripping fixture you haven't noticed. Those are easy fixes. I'll help you figure out what's actually going on before assuming the worst.
How I Find Leaks
How Mike Finds Leaks Without Tearing Up Your Home
The fear I hear most often is: "Is this going to mean jackhammers and a $10,000 excavation job?" Sometimes it does. But most of the time, it doesn't.
I start with pressure testing and a thorough visual inspection. I use acoustic listening equipment to narrow down where water is moving through a pipe it shouldn't be. For underground or in-slab pipes, I use a sewer camera to look inside the line directly. These tools let me pinpoint the location of a leak without opening up walls or floors until I know exactly where to go.
When I find it, I show you. You'll see what I see. Then we talk about the repair options honestly, including whether a targeted fix makes more sense than a full replacement. Most leaks I find don't require tearing up your entire yard or floor. Some do. I'll tell you which situation you're in before any digging starts.
What Leak Detection Includes
- Pressure testing to confirm a leak exists
- Acoustic detection to locate the source
- Sewer camera inspection for underground or in-slab lines
- Clear explanation of what I found and where
- Honest repair options with no pressure to go bigger than needed
- Vanity and sink installation
- Shut-off valve replacement
If the leak is in a wall or ceiling, I make the smallest access point that gets the job done. I'm not going to open up a whole wall to fix a single fitting.
Slab Leaks
Slab Leaks: The Expensive One to Miss
A slab leak is a pipe failure underneath the concrete foundation of your home. They're more common in older DC rowhouses and Bethesda homes built in the 1950s through 1970s, where copper lines have had decades to corrode or shift. Left alone, a slab leak causes serious structural damage and mold problems that cost far more to fix than the pipe ever would have.
Signs of a slab leak include warm spots on the floor, the sound of running water through the slab, or a water bill that keeps climbing with no other explanation. If you suspect one, the sooner you get a camera on it, the better.
Slab leak repair doesn't always mean breaking up your entire floor. Depending on where the leak is and what kind of pipe you have, trenchless repair methods can sometimes fix the problem with minimal concrete work. I'll tell you what your specific situation calls for.
Common Questions