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Professional Plumbing Service

Slab Leak Repair in San Diego County and the Temecula Valley

A slab leak is a leak in a water line that runs under or through the concrete slab your house sits on. Pipe Dream Plumbing Co. finds and repairs slab leaks across San Diego County, the Temecula Valley and the Inland Empire, and shows you every repair option before you choose one.

Thomas, lead tech at Pipe Dream Plumbing, standing next to the company van

By Thomas, Lead Tech, over 20 years of plumbing experience. Last updated:

A slab leak is water escaping from a supply line buried under or inside the concrete slab your house is built on. You need it found and fixed when your water bill climbs for no reason, a patch of floor feels warm or damp, or you hear water running with every tap off. We find and fix slab leaks all over San Diego County, the Temecula Valley and the Inland Empire, and a real person answers every call.

There is more than one honest way to fix a slab leak. You can open the slab at the leak and repair that section, abandon the buried line and run a new one through the walls or attic, or replace the supply piping in the whole house. Each one is the right answer for some homes and the wrong answer for others, and we price all three so you can compare.

If you are not sure the leak is under the slab at all, start with leak detection and repair. Plenty of leaks that look like slab leaks turn out to be a toilet, a hose bib or an irrigation line. Once the leak is fixed, a smart water shutoff on the main line can catch the next one early by closing the water when it detects a leak.

Flat, written price before work starts.

What are the signs of a slab leak?

A water bill that keeps rising: If your usage has not changed and the bill has, water is going somewhere. Our guide to a high water bill shows how to rule out the easy causes first.
A warm spot on the floor: A leak in a hot water line under the slab can warm the tile or flooring above it. You often feel it with bare feet before you see anything.
Running water you cannot find: With every fixture off, a faint hiss or rush from the floor or a wall at floor level is worth a call.
The meter moves with everything off: Turn off every tap and appliance, then watch the leak indicator on your water meter. If it still spins, there is a leak somewhere on your side.
Damp carpet, lifted flooring or a musty smell: Water from below soaks up into carpet pad, swells wood flooring and loosens tile, often in one area of a room.
The water heater runs constantly: A leak on the hot side keeps pulling heated water out of the tank, so the heater fires far more often than it should.

How do we find and fix a slab leak, step by step?

1

Confirm the leak and which line it is on

We check the meter, then isolate the hot and cold sides. A pressure test on each one tells us which line is leaking before we start looking for where.

2

Find the spot

Acoustic equipment listens for the sound of water escaping through the concrete, and thermal imaging shows warm areas over a hot water leak. Together they narrow the leak to a small area of floor.

3

Walk you through the options

You get a written price for a spot repair, a reroute and, where it makes sense, a repipe, along with what each one involves in your house.

4

Make the repair you choose

For a spot repair we cut a small opening in the slab, repair the pipe and patch the concrete. For a reroute we run new pipe through the walls or attic and disconnect the buried line.

5

Test it and close up

We pressure-test the repaired line, check the meter again with everything off, and show you the result before we leave.

Spot repair, reroute or repipe: which is right?

A spot repair makes sense when the pipe is in good shape apart from one leak, and the leak is somewhere you can reach without tearing up an expensive floor. A reroute makes sense when the buried line has leaked before or the leak sits under a kitchen or a stone floor you do not want opened, because it takes that line out of the slab for good. A repipe makes sense when leaks are showing up in more than one place, which suggests the piping as a whole is wearing out. We tell you which one we would choose for our own house, and why.

Is a slab leak an emergency?

It depends on the size. Water spreading across a floor, or a meter spinning fast, means shut the main off and call now; see emergency plumbing. A slow leak found from a water bill is urgent but not a midnight call. Every day it runs, it wastes water and soaks the ground under the house, so do not leave it for months.

Does homeowners insurance cover a slab leak?

Policies differ. Many cover sudden water damage to the home but not the cost of finding the leak or repairing the pipe itself, and some exclude slow leaks entirely. Call your insurer before you assume either way, take photos of any damage before cleanup, and ask us for a written description of what we found.

Why do we test before we cut concrete?

Because concrete is expensive to open and patch, and an opening in the wrong place solves nothing. Isolating the hot and cold sides first, then locating the leak with equipment, means the slab is opened once, in the right spot, or not at all if a reroute is the better plan.

How do the slab leak repair options compare?

How do the slab leak repair options compare?
Spot repairRerouteRepipe
What happensOpen the slab at the leak and repair that sectionRun a new line through walls or the attic and abandon the buried oneReplace the supply piping throughout the house
Concrete workA small opening, then a patchNoneUsually none
Best whenOne leak on pipe that is otherwise soundThe line has leaked before, or the floor above is hard to replaceLeaks are showing up in several places
What it leaves behindThe rest of the buried pipe, as it wasNo supply line under the slab on that runNew piping throughout
DrywallNoneSmall openings to route the pipe, then patchingMore openings, then patching

We price every option that fits your house in writing before any work starts.

What affects the cost of a slab leak repair?

No two slab leaks are priced the same, because these things vary from house to house:

Which option you choose
A spot repair, a reroute and a repipe are very different amounts of work.
Where the leak is
Under bare concrete in a garage is simpler than under tile, hardwood or cabinets.
Floor covering
Flooring that has to be lifted and replaced adds to the job, and matching tile is not always possible.
Route for a reroute
A single-story home with an open attic is easier to reroute than a two-story home with finished ceilings.
Pipe material and condition
What the camera and the test show about the rest of the line decides whether one repair is enough.
Water damage
Drying out and repairing damaged flooring or drywall is separate from the plumbing repair.

Flat, written price before work starts.

What does our slab leak detection & repair service include?

Slab leak location with acoustic equipment, thermal imaging and pressure testing, spot repair through the slab, rerouting the affected line through walls or the attic, whole-house repiping where the pipe is failing in more than one place, and a written price for each option before any concrete is cut.

Benefits of Our Slab Leak Detection & Repair Service

The leak is located before anyone breaks concrete
Every repair option priced side by side
No pressure toward the biggest job
Hot and cold lines tested separately
Repairs pressure-tested before we close up
Experienced, insured plumbers

What maintenance keeps problems from coming back?

Learn where your main shutoff is and make sure it turns. A slab leak that suddenly gets worse is much less damaging if you can stop the water in a minute.

Glance at your water bill each cycle. A steady climb with no change in use is often the first sign of a leak you cannot see.

High house pressure strains every pipe, buried ones included. If your pressure runs high, a pressure regulator protects the whole system.

Common Questions

What do homeowners ask about slab leak detection & repair?

How do you find a slab leak without breaking the floor?

We pressure-test the hot and cold lines separately to see which one leaks, then use acoustic equipment to hear water escaping and thermal imaging to see warm spots over hot water leaks. That narrows it to a small area before any concrete is touched.

Can a slab leak be fixed without cutting the slab?

Yes, by rerouting. We run a new line through the walls or attic and disconnect the buried one, so the slab is never opened. It is often the better choice when the leak sits under a floor you do not want torn up.

Is rerouting better than a spot repair?

Not always. A spot repair keeps the existing line and fixes one leak, which is fine when the pipe is otherwise sound. A reroute takes that run out of the slab for good, which helps when it has leaked before. We price both and explain the trade-off.

Will I need to move out during a slab leak repair?

Usually not. Water is off only while we work on the line, and we restore it at the end of the day. A repipe takes longer, and we plan it room by room so the house stays usable.

Does one slab leak mean more are coming?

Not necessarily, but a second leak on the same piping is a sign the pipe is wearing out. That is when a reroute or a repipe starts to make more sense than another spot repair.

What should I do right now if I think I have a slab leak?

Check the meter with everything off, and if it is spinning fast or water is coming up through the floor, shut off the main and call. Take photos of any damage for your insurer. Then call us to locate the leak before anyone starts cutting.

Call us at (858) 330-2881, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, 7 days a week. A real person answers, you get a flat, written price before any work starts, and the work is guaranteed. Our plumbers work across San Diego County, the Temecula Valley and the Inland Empire. Request a quote online →

Our Service Area

Where do we offer slab leak detection & repair?

Our crew works all over the county and the Temecula Valley, out of our offices in La Mesa and Temecula. Pick your city below.

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Thomas, lead tech at Pipe Dream Plumbing, standing next to the company van

Thomas

Lead Tech

Thomas is a San Diego native and the lead tech at Pipe Dream Plumbing, with over 20 years of experience in the trade. He serves San Diego County, the Temecula Valley and the Inland Empire, installing and servicing water heaters, clearing and repairing drain lines, and handling whole-home water treatment. He writes these guides to answer the questions customers ask on the phone every week.

About Thomas and Pipe Dream Plumbing

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