Leak Detection and Slab Leak Repair in Fort Myers

Most Fort Myers homes are built on concrete slabs, so a hidden leak can run for weeks before you see it. Here’s how to spot one and what to expect from professional leak detection.

Signs of a hidden leak

• A water bill that jumps without a change in how you use water
• The water meter’s leak indicator (a small dial or triangle) moving with every fixture off
• Warm spots on tile or flooring, a sign of a hot water line leaking under the slab
• The sound of running water when nothing is on
• Damp or discolored baseboards, musty odors, or mold at the bottom of walls
• Cracks in flooring or tile that seem to grow
• Low water pressure throughout the house

Check your meter first

Turn off every faucet, the ice maker, the irrigation system and any appliance that uses water. Then look at your water meter, which is usually in a box near the street. If the leak indicator is still turning, water is escaping somewhere. Close your house’s main shutoff valve. If the meter stops, the leak is inside the house. If it keeps moving, the leak is between the meter and the house, such as in the service line or irrigation.

How professional leak detection works

Good leak detection is about finding the leak without tearing up your house. Plumbers typically use a combination of:

• Pressure testing to confirm which line (hot, cold, supply or drain) is leaking
• Acoustic listening equipment that picks up the sound of water escaping under concrete
• Thermal imaging to trace hot water leaks through the floor
• Line tracing to map where pipes actually run under the slab

A skilled technician can often pinpoint a slab leak to within a small area, which keeps the repair small.

Slab leak repair options

Spot repair: the plumber opens the floor directly above the leak, repairs the pipe and patches the concrete. This works well for a single leak in otherwise good pipe.

Reroute: the plumber abandons the leaking section under the slab and runs new pipe through the walls or attic. There’s no jackhammering, and it’s often the preferred fix in Florida slab homes.

Repipe: if the pipe is failing in several places (common with aging copper affected by water chemistry, or with polybutylene), replacing the whole system may be smarter than chasing leaks. See repiping in Fort Myers.

Insurance and slab leaks

Many homeowner’s policies treat the leak itself differently from the damage it caused, and coverage for tearing out and replacing flooring varies widely. Document everything and call your insurer early. Your plumber’s written findings (where the leak was and what caused it) help your claim.

See typical leak detection and slab leak costs in our plumbing cost guide.