Leak Detection
Pinpoint concealed water loss in walls, floors or buried pipe using listening gear and pressure tests.
Plumbing guide
How to Find a Water Leak in Your House in Goodyear, AZ
Most hidden leaks can be narrowed down with a water meter, a few dry towels and a methodical walk through the house. This guide gives the order that saves the most time.
By the Goodyear Express Plumbing team ·
Start with the water meter
Close every tap and make sure no appliance is filling, including the ice maker, dishwasher and washing machine. Find the meter in the box near the street or the curb and lift the lid. Look at the small leak indicator, often a triangle or a star, that spins when even a trickle moves through.
If it spins with everything off, water is going somewhere. Take a photo of the dial, wait an hour with no use and photograph it again. A change confirms a leak between the meter and your fixtures.
Split the house in two
Next, close the main shutoff valve at the house and watch the meter. If the indicator keeps turning with the house valve closed, the leak is outside, in the buried pipe between the meter and the house. If it stops, the leak is inside, past the valve. Our page on water line repair and replacement covers that buried section.
The main valve is often on a wall near the water heater, at the front of the house or in a utility closet. Learn where it is before you need it in a hurry.
Interpreting the meter
Read the dial with fixtures off, then again after closing the house valve.
| Observation | Conclusion | Search area |
|---|---|---|
| Moves only when the house valve is open | Leak inside the home | Toilets, fixtures, heater, walls, slab |
| Moves even with the house valve shut | Leak before the house | Buried supply and irrigation tie-ins |
| Holds still | No active loss now | Review bill dates and seasonal use |
Check the usual indoor suspects
Toilets are the most common source. Add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait fifteen minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking. Next look under every sink for damp cabinet floors, and check the supply lines at the washing machine and the dishwasher.
Look at the water heater base, the ceiling below an upstairs bathroom and the wall behind a refrigerator ice line. Press on baseboards and walls with your palm and feel for cool or soft spots.
Look and listen for slab and wall leaks
A leak inside a wall or under a slab usually makes a sound. With the house quiet at night, put your ear to a wall or the floor near suspect pipes. A faint hiss or a trickle suggests pressurized water escaping. A warm patch on the floor can mean a hot water line is leaking below.
These clues call for professional tools. Read about slab leak detection and leak detection to see how technicians pinpoint the spot without tearing out whole rooms.
Outdoor and irrigation leaks
In a desert yard, irrigation lines are a frequent culprit. A zone that stays wet, a sunken patch of ground, a puddle near the meter or green grass in a dry week can all point to a break. Turn off the irrigation controller and check the meter again. If the dial stops, the leak is in the irrigation system.
A pool, spa or fountain with an autofill can also hide a leak, so look at those too. A simple bucket test, described in our pool leak guide, separates evaporation from loss.
What to do once you find water
Close the nearest shutoff, which is usually a small oval valve under the fixture. If you cannot find the source, close the main and call. Photograph any damage before moving anything, since your insurer may ask. Dry wet areas quickly, because mold can start within a day or two in wet materials.
If water is already in walls, floors or ceilings, see water damage restoration for the drying steps.
When to stop and call
Call a plumber if the meter still moves after you have closed every fixture, if you hear water in a wall or floor, if the leak is under the slab or if you cannot reach the source. Tell the dispatcher what the meter did, where the main valve is and what you have already checked. That short summary helps them send the right tools the first time.
A written log helps
Keep a short log: meter reading, time, what was on and what you checked. Two or three readings across a day show a pattern. A steady rate suggests a constant leak such as a pipe. A rate that changes with time of day often points to something on a timer, like irrigation or a softener.
Photos of damp spots, stains and the meter dial are useful too. Date them. If a claim becomes necessary, a record that shows when you noticed the problem and what you did right away supports it.
Equipment professionals use
Plumbers use acoustic listening devices to hear water escaping, thermal cameras to see temperature changes, moisture meters to measure dampness and pressure gauges to test lines. In some cases they use tracer gas for quiet leaks. Ask which tools will be used.
Using the right tool often means a small opening instead of a torn out wall.
Protect your property while you search
Move valuables off the floor, put towels under suspect pipes and keep a bucket handy. If you suspect a pinhole in the wall, shut the main overnight. Dry any wet drywall within a day or two to limit mold.
Photograph everything for your records.
Common questions
Finding a leak: questions
No. Watering, a pool, guests and a running toilet all raise a bill. The meter test shows whether water is moving when it should not.
It depends on the size. A pinhole can run for weeks. A burst line can flood a room in hours.
A phone helps you record meter readings and photos. Locating a leak in a wall or slab needs specialist tools.
For a longer trip, closing the main is a sensible precaution. Ask a neighbor to check the house.
Related services
Slab Leak Detection & Repair
Pin down a leak beneath a concrete slab and weigh reroute, spot repair or repipe options.
Water Line Repair & Replacement
Fix or swap the buried pipe that carries water from the meter into the house.
More plumbing guides
Why is my water bill so high?
Seven common reasons a bill jumps, and a quick way to separate a leak from heavy use.
Running toilet: how to fix it
A toilet that hisses or refills by itself wastes water. Work out which part is failing.
How to turn off the main water valve
Find and test your main shutoff before a leak forces the issue.
Water going somewhere you cannot see?
Phone the line and share what the meter did. The dispatcher will find a contractor nearby.