WATER LEAK DETECTION — FIND HIDDEN LEAKS WITHOUT TEARING DRYWALL

A hidden water leak is one you can't see directly — behind drywall, under tile, in a ceiling cavity, in the slab. By the time it shows up as a wet spot or mildew smell, it's been leaking for days or weeks. The longer it leaks, the more drywall, insulation, and subfloor get damaged. The job is to find it precisely before any drywall comes down.

We use three detection methods, often in combination:

Thermal imaging

Thermal cameras see surface temperature differences through walls and floors. Hot water leaks show as warm areas; cold water leaks show as cold areas. Works on slab, walls, and ceilings. Doesn't see through concrete reliably for cold lines (which is why we add acoustic for slab leaks).

Acoustic detection

Sensitive ground microphones and contact mics hear the leak as a hiss or rush through pipes, walls, or concrete. Triangulating multiple readings narrows the leak to within 6-12 inches. Best on pressurized supply lines (any active leak).

Smart-home flow monitoring

If you have a Flo by Moen, Phyn, or Streamlabs smart leak detector at your main, the device may have already identified unusual flow patterns or auto-shut the water off. We can pull the data from the device, identify when and how much water is leaking, and use it to narrow the search.

Common Lehi hidden leak scenarios

1. Slab leak (Traverse Mountain, Holbrook Farms, Skye Estates) — see slab leak repair for the dedicated page
2. Behind tile in shower — pinhole leak in shower valve supply, water seeping into wall behind tile
3. Ceiling drip from upstairs bathroom — toilet wax seal failed or shower pan leaking, water dripping down
4. Wall leak behind drywall — supply line to a sink, toilet, or laundry pinhole leaking inside the wall cavity
5. Old Lehi galvanized pinhole leak — Original galvanized supply line with a slow pinhole, water gradually saturating the cavity
6. Outdoor irrigation underground — sprinkler manifold, drip line, or supply line buried in the yard
7. Builder-grade fitting failure — push-to-connect SharkBite or crimped PEX fitting that wasn't done right, fails years later

Why detection matters

Without detection, the only way to find a hidden leak is to start cutting drywall in the suspected area. A 12x18" exploratory cut costs $300-$500 in drywall repair labor — and if you cut in the wrong place, you do it again. Professional detection finds the leak to within 6-12 inches before any drywall comes down. We then make one strategic cut directly at the leak location.

What Valley does differently

Lehi office at 1490 N 300 E with thermal imaging cameras and acoustic detection equipment on every truck. Same-day detection in most cases. Detection cost ($195-$485) is waived if you approve the repair with us. We install Flo by Moen, Phyn, and Streamlabs smart leak detectors as preventive measures and integrate with Home Assistant, Hubitat, SmartThings, or any standard MQTT broker.

Quality Service Club Plumbing membership ($79/year) includes annual leak detection scan as preventive service — useful for catching small leaks before they become emergencies.