Leak Detection in Metro Atlanta, GA
Metro Atlanta Leak Detection: Find the Source Before the Damage Spreads
Water leaks do not announce themselves. They hide behind walls, under floors, and beneath slabs, costing you money and damaging your home while you try to figure out what is going on.
Plumbing Express uses thermal imaging, acoustic detection, and trace gas testing to find leaks other methods miss. We locate the source first, show you what we found, and walk you through your options before any repair work begins.
Warning Signs That Point to a Hidden Water Leak
Most homeowners do not discover a leak by seeing a burst pipe. They notice something smaller, something that feels off but is hard to explain. These are the signals that a leak may already be active in your home.
A water bill that spikes without explanation
Your usage did not change, but the bill climbed. This is one of the most common first signs of an underground or in-wall leak.
Damp or discolored patches on walls, ceilings, or floors
Water follows gravity and framing. The stain you see may be far from the actual source.
Warm or wet spots on the floor
A hot water line leak under a slab heats the concrete above it. You may feel it through tile or hardwood.
The sound of running water when all fixtures are off
Stand near your water heater or in a quiet bathroom. If you hear movement in the pipes, something is flowing that should not be.
Low water pressure that developed gradually
Pressure loss across the whole house often means water is leaving the system before it reaches your fixtures.
A water meter that keeps running
Turn off every fixture and appliance in the house. If the meter dial is still moving, water is going somewhere it should not be.
Musty odors indoors
Mold grows where moisture hides. If you smell it, water has been collecting behind a wall or under a floor long enough to create a problem.
If any of these sound familiar, the next step is a proper diagnosis, not a guess.
How Plumbing Express Locates Hidden Leaks in Metro Atlanta Homes
Finding a leak is not the same as guessing where it might be. Many plumbers rely on visual clues alone. That works sometimes. Other times it leads to unnecessary holes in your wall and a bigger repair bill than you needed.
Plumbing Express uses three detection methods to pinpoint the exact location of a leak before any repair work begins.
Thermal Imaging
An infrared camera detects temperature differences behind walls and under floors. A leaking hot water line, for example, creates a heat signature that is invisible to the eye but clear on a thermal scan. This method is completely non-invasive. No holes, no disruption.
Acoustic Detection
Pressurized water escaping from a pipe creates sound. Our equipment amplifies that sound and isolates its location, even through concrete, drywall, and soil. This is especially useful for slab leak detection where the pipe runs beneath your home’s foundation.
Trace Gas Testing
For leaks that are too small or too deep for thermal or acoustic methods, we introduce a safe, inert gas into the pipe and use sensitive detectors to find where it escapes. This is the highest-precision method available for pinpointing leaks in complex or hard-to-reach systems.
Every method serves a specific purpose. We match the right tool to your situation. You see the results before we recommend a repair.
Types of Leaks We Detect and Repair
Slab Leaks, Yard Leaks, and Hidden Pipe Failures
Where the leak is located, and what caused it, changes both the detection approach and the repair. Here is what we see most often in Metro Atlanta homes.
Slab Leaks
A slab leak happens when a water line running under your home’s concrete foundation develops a crack or pinhole. These leaks are invisible until they produce symptoms: warm floor spots, moisture at baseboards, or a water bill that keeps climbing.
Plumbing Express performs slab leak detection in-house using thermal imaging, acoustic listening, and video inspection. When a slab leak is confirmed, we typically recommend above-slab rerouting. That means running new supply lines through the walls and ceiling, bypassing the failed underground pipe entirely. It eliminates the problem at the source and removes the risk of future slab leaks on the same line.
If your home has recurring slab leaks, that pattern often points to a systemic pipe issue. A whole-home repipe may be the more complete solution.
Yard Leaks and Water Service Line Leaks
A leak between the water meter and your home is a yard leak or service line leak. Common signs include unexplained wet spots in the yard, pooling water near the meter box, or a sudden drop in water pressure inside the house.
We locate the exact point of failure before any digging starts, then complete the water line repair or replacement.
In-Wall and Ceiling Leaks
Supply lines running inside your walls and ceilings can develop leaks from corrosion, joint failure, or material degradation. Copper pipes in parts of Metro Atlanta are prone to pinhole leaks due to regional water chemistry. Homes with aging polybutylene pipe face a different but equally serious failure pattern.
If you are seeing stains, bubbling paint, or soft drywall, the leak may have been active for some time. Early detection limits the scope of both the plumbing repair and the restoration work that follows.
The Cost of Waiting: Why Hidden Leaks Get Worse
A small leak does not stay small. Water follows the path of least resistance, moving through framing, insulation, and subfloor material before it ever shows up on a surface you can see.
Here is what is at stake when a leak runs undetected:
Structural damage
Sustained moisture weakens wood framing, subfloor sheathing, and drywall. What starts as a drip can become a soft spot in the floor or a sagging ceiling.
Mold growth
Damp, enclosed spaces inside walls create ideal conditions for mold. By the time you smell it, the colony has been growing for weeks.
Wasted water
Even a slow leak under pressure loses a significant volume over time. That shows up on your water bill every month until someone finds it.
Higher repair costs
The longer a leak runs, the more damage it causes, and the more expensive the repair becomes. Finding it early is the single best way to control the cost.
The right time to check is when you first suspect something. Not after the ceiling stain grows. Not after the second high water bill. The diagnosis is the least expensive part of the process, and it determines everything that follows.
Why Plumbing Express
Honest Leak Diagnosis from Georgia Licensed Plumbers
Leak detection is a trust decision. You are relying on the plumber to tell you what is really happening inside your walls, under your slab, or in your yard. You cannot see it yourself. That is why we treat the diagnosis as the most important part of the job.
You See the Diagnosis Before We Touch Anything
We do not just tell you what we found. We show you. Thermal images, acoustic readings, and camera footage are part of the process. You see what we see before any repair decision is made.
You Get Options, Not a Prescription
If the leak is isolated, we tell you. If it is part of a pattern that suggests a bigger problem, we tell you that too. We walk you through what each repair involves, what it costs, and what it trades off. Then we step back and let you decide.
One Team, Start to Finish
Plumbing Express employs Georgia licensed plumbers as W-2 employees, not subcontractors. The person who finds your leak is connected to the team that repairs it. When leak repairs require wall access, we handle the drywall and paint restoration as part of the job. One crew, one point of contact.
Local Experience Since 1989
We have been finding and fixing leaks across Metro Atlanta since 1989. That history with local housing stock, pipe materials, and water conditions means we recognize patterns faster. A home built in the 1980s with polybutylene pipe tells a different story than a 1970s home with aging copper. We know what to look for in both.
What Atlanta Homeowners Say About Plumbing Express
Our 4.9-star rating comes from 2,000+ Google reviews written by real homeowners across Metro Atlanta. Here is what a few of them had to say.
Read more reviews on Google or visit our customer reviews page to see why Atlanta homeowners choose Plumbing Express.
Service couldn’t be completed due to needing a new system. We appreciate the very informative visit as well as insight that could help after a new unit install.
Plumbing Express was great. I had a failed sump pump that had partially overflowed into the basement. Nasty. Josh was the tech that did the work. He was efficient, neat and courteous. I will use Plumbing Express if I have any other plumbing needs and I will recommend them to my family and friends.
The technician was very knowledgeable and professional. I believe they did a very good job.
Ron was our second plumber from this company. The first plumber came, examined pipes and said he found no leak, even though we had experiences a large amount of water leaking from the ceiling in the finished basement. Several days later we had another leak-same area but less water the second time. Ron came in, listened to our frustration and did a more thorough inspection of the pipes and identified the problem. He was very personable and professional. On his third visit, we had several replacement pipes installed and are without leaks again. Our frustration, with the situation, was my son had used your company to replace pipes when he purchased the home and founding out not all the pipes were included with that process.
Tim arrived on time and was very professional. He took his time to explain the problem and the process it would take fix the water line.
Called Plumbing Express as tankless hot water not operating. Their website states "Get Free Plumbing Quote ". When service man showed up an looked at unit he said there would be a $207 charge to look into unit in order to give me a quote to fix unit. Due to not having hot water and time required to get another company to address the problem I agreed to pay $207 for quote. After looking in unit I was told he would not be able to fix due to age of unit and parts not available. I think he should have said parts not available when seeing model number on front of unit and I would not have wasted $207.
Outstanding customer service, we will definitely be using them in the future for any plumbing needs. Can’t thank them enough!
Extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. The team was excellent. The job was completed in 1 day with a great team. Very expressive.
Daniel Perez was great in coming out to check the problem I had with a water leak from my air conditioner line. His recommendation was correct.
Great and informative service while I was in a bind without a functioning water heater.
Plumbing Express is my go-to plumbing support team. They have fair pricing, well-vetted technicians, and a truly exceptional scheduling system. Rod, my technician, was the best. He quickly assessed the problem and gave a fair estimate, working hard to keep to the schedule. He even brought Josh along on the day of service, and the two of them worked well together. They addressed the bathtub drain repair with expertise and caused the least sheetrock damage. It was difficult to replace the broken pipe and get to the upstairs drain, but together they made it a success.
Daniel did a great job and was very professional during his service call last week!
Rod and Josh did an awesome job taking care of my clogged sinks. Knowledgable, professional and great to work with - I really appreciated their help today and would highly recommend them and Plumbing Express!
Daniel was excellent. The work he did was simply superb. I highly recommend your company and hopefully Daniel will get more and more work
Dylan from Plumbing Express came over and replaced our garbage disposal for us. It was older, had a massive leak, and needed to be replaced. He did a great job and was in and out in about 30 minutes! I also asked him to check out a potential leak I had been hearing in my ceiling. He used a thermal camera to investigate and was very honest and upfront about what he found. Rather than immediately cutting into the drywall to confirm something uncertain, he explained that the sound could simply be pipes expanding and that opening the wall might be unnecessary. He recommended monitoring the area and waiting to see if a wet spot appears, which would clearly indicate an actual leak. I really appreciated that he didn’t try to upsell or push unnecessary work. Overall, great service and a great guy. They will definitely be our go-to plumbing service from now on.
Once again we had some problems under our kitchen sink so we called Plumbing Express who were able to get us on their schedule pretty quickly after these storms Tim Robinson came out to do the job. Tim has been to our house for a number of different plumbing problems. He is personable & professional. As usual he did a great job even though this particular problem turned out to be far more difficult than anyone had expected. As frustrating as it was, Tim worked through it until he finished the job. We can't thank him enough.
Anthony was very competent, professional and friendly. He answered all my questions throughly. Highly recommend!
Frequently Asked Questions About Leak Detection
How do I know if I have a hidden leak?
The most reliable early indicator is your water bill. A sudden increase with no change in usage almost always means water is leaving the system somewhere it should not be. Other signs include damp spots on walls or floors, the sound of running water when nothing is on, and low water pressure that developed gradually. If you are not sure, a diagnostic visit can confirm or rule it out.
Will you have to cut into my walls to find the leak?
Not to find it. Thermal imaging, acoustic detection, and trace gas testing are all non-invasive. We locate the leak first, then discuss what the repair requires. Some repairs do involve small, targeted access points in the drywall. We do not open anything until we know exactly where the problem is.
What is the difference between a slab leak and a regular water leak?
A slab leak is a leak in a water line that runs beneath your home’s concrete foundation. It is harder to detect and more complex to repair than a leak in an accessible wall or ceiling. Plumbing Express handles slab leak detection and rerouting in-house. For slab leaks, we typically reroute the new line above the slab rather than tunneling under the foundation.
How long does a leak detection visit take?
Most residential leak detection visits take one to two hours, depending on the complexity of the system and how accessible the plumbing is. We will give you a clearer time estimate when you describe the symptoms.
Can a small leak cause serious damage?
Yes. Small leaks that run for weeks or months can cause wood rot, mold growth, and structural damage that costs far more to repair than the leak itself. Early detection is always less expensive than late discovery.
My home has copper pipes and I keep getting pinhole leaks. Is that normal?
It is common in certain parts of Metro Atlanta, but it is not something to accept as normal. Regional water chemistry in Cobb County and surrounding CCWA service areas can accelerate copper pipe corrosion. Recurring pinhole leaks may indicate a systemic issue rather than isolated failures. We can assess whether targeted repairs or a more complete solution makes sense for your situation.
My home has polybutylene pipes. Should I be worried about leaks?
Yes. Polybutylene is a known failure-prone material installed in many Metro Atlanta homes built between 1978 and 1995. If your home has gray plastic supply pipe, a proactive assessment is a better plan than waiting for the first failure. Learn more on our polybutylene pipe replacement page.
What happens if you find multiple leaks throughout my plumbing system?
When we discover widespread leaking from aging pipes or failing materials, we walk you through your options. Sometimes targeted repairs make sense. Other times, a whole-home repipe prevents recurring problems and reduces the long-term cost. We show you the evidence and let you decide.
Our Service Areas
Serving Metro Atlanta, North Georgia, and Surrounding Communities
Plumbing Express provides plumbing, repiping, water heater, and drain cleaning services to homeowners across Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Our licensed plumbers know the plumbing systems in this region, from aging polybutylene pipes in 1980s subdivisions to clay sewer lines in older neighborhoods.
We serve the following counties and communities:
Don’t see your city listed? We likely serve your area too. Visit our full service area page or call (678) 439-9540 to confirm availability at your address.
Stop Guessing. Get a Real Diagnosis.
If you suspect a leak, the worst thing you can do is wait. The second worst thing is let someone start cutting before they know where the problem actually is.
Plumbing Express finds the leak first, shows you the evidence, and gives you clear options. No pressure. No surprises.