If your water bill has gone up and you cannot find anything dripping, a leak under the slab is one of the more likely explanations.
What usually gives it away
- A bill that climbs with no change in how you use water
- A warm patch on the floor, which normally means a hot water line
- Water running when everything is switched off
- Flooring that is damp or lifting in one spot
- The meter still moving with every tap closed
Damp ground makes it harder to spot
On James Island the soil under a house is often damp anyway, which means the usual outdoor clue of a wet patch is less reliable here. That is exactly why we use listening equipment and thermal imaging rather than looking for surface signs.
We find it before opening anything
We narrow the leak down to a small area first, so any concrete we open is one deliberate spot rather than a search. You should not have to break up your floors to find out where the problem is.
What happens next
One leak on sound pipe is a straightforward repair. If the line has failed once already, running a new one overhead avoids the slab entirely. Several failures usually mean the pipe itself is the problem.