Slab Leak Repair in Denver, CO

Signs worth taking seriously

• One patch of tile, vinyl or bare concrete that feels warm underfoot
• A faint hiss or trickle you only hear late at night
• Carpet that stays damp, or baseboards and laminate starting to swell
• A water heater cycling more than it used to
• A Denver Water bill climbing while your habits stay the same

A five-minute check you can do yourself

Turn off every fixture, the ice maker and the sprinkler controller. Find the meter and watch its leak indicator for a few minutes. If it moves, something is running. Now close the main valve where the supply enters the house. A meter that goes still points to a leak inside the home. A meter that keeps turning points outside, to the buried service line between the meter and the house, which Denver Water says belongs to the property owner and is handled as a water line repair instead.

Where slab leaks come from in Denver homes

Only floors poured directly on the ground can hide one, so this mostly applies to slab-on-grade houses, additions and finished lower levels with pipe set in concrete. Denver's housing skews older, with a median year built of 1975 and roughly 55.5% of homes built before 1980. In older piping, corrosion and worn joints are the usual suspects. In newer slabs, a leak is more often a fitting that was stressed during the pour or pipe chafing against concrete as it expands and contracts.

How a plumber finds the spot

The first step is isolating hot from cold to learn which side is losing pressure. From there, acoustic listening gear picks up the sound of water escaping, and a thermal camera helps trace a hot line. The tighter the locate, the smaller the opening in your floor.

Choosing a repair

What drives the price

Locating time, the floor covering over the leak, the repair you pick and how much drying the area needs all move the number. Flooring is usually its own trade. Ask the plumber whether the work needs a permit from Denver Community Planning and Development and who will apply.