Leaks
Leak repair in Matthews, NC
A warm spot on the floor, a water bill that jumped without an obvious reason, or a stain spreading across a ceiling, we find the source before we cut into anything.
What kind of leak we're usually looking at
Slab leaks are common in homes built through the 1980s and 1990s around Matthews and Pineville where copper supply lines run under the concrete rather than through walls, and decades of Charlotte's shifting red clay can stress a joint until it finally gives. A jump in the water bill with no visible wet spot is the classic sign.
Crawlspace leaks show up differently, usually a musty smell or visible moisture on the vapor barrier under a house off Lawyers Rd or in older Waxhaw neighborhoods. And in homes with any remaining polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe common in construction from the late 1970s through the mid 1990s, a leak at a fitting is often a sign the whole run is due, not a one-time fix. We'll say so if that's what the camera and the fitting condition show.
How a leak gets found before anything's opened
- Listen firstElectronic listening gear picks up the sound of water moving under a slab or behind a wall, often narrowing the search to a few feet before a single cut is made.
- Thermal camera confirms itA leak under a slab in a Matthews Township Pkwy subdivision or a crawlspace off Park Rd shows up as a temperature difference the eye alone won't catch.
- Price before anything's openedOnce the leak's located, the plumber tells you what the opening and repair cost, whether that's a small slab cut, a wall section, or crawlspace access, before anything gets opened.
- Repair the pipe, not just the symptomCopper, PEX, or the occasional remaining stretch of polybutylene each get repaired differently, and we match material to what's already there unless you want it upgraded.
- Close it back up or hand off to your contractorWe patch what we can. For full drywall or flooring restoration, we'll tell you straight if that's outside what we do and point you toward finishing it.
Water bill was double for two months straight and we couldn't find a thing. They found it under the slab in twenty minutes with the listening equipment.
Homeowner, Waxhaw · Sample
Questions we get on the phone
How do you find a leak without tearing up my floor?
Listening gear picks up the sound of water escaping under pressure, which narrows the search area significantly, and a thermal camera confirms the location by temperature difference. Only then do we mark a spot to open, instead of guessing and cutting.
My water bill went up but I don't see any water. Could it still be a leak?
Yes, this is one of the most common ways a slab leak shows up. Water traveling under a foundation before it ever reaches a visible surface can run for weeks before there's a stain or a wet spot to notice.
Is polybutylene pipe dangerous or just old?
It's not dangerous on its own, but it's known to become brittle at the fittings with age and chlorine exposure, and a leak at one fitting often means the rest of the run is close behind. If we find it during a leak repair, we'll tell you what we saw and let you decide on a full repipe versus a spot fix.
How much does leak repair cost?
It depends entirely on where the leak is and how it needs to be accessed; a slab, a wall, and a crawlspace are three different jobs. Once the leak's located, the plumber tells you what the repair costs before any opening starts, rather than guessing over the phone.
Can a leak cause damage even before I notice water?
Yes. A slow slab leak can run for weeks feeding into surrounding soil or under flooring before a stain ever shows up on the surface, and a crawlspace leak can soak insulation and framing long before there's a smell strong enough to notice from inside the house. That's why we take an unexplained water bill jump seriously even without a visible sign, and check with listening gear rather than waiting for proof you can see.