Water Leak Detection in Portland, OR

Most water leaks are not visible. They work inside walls, under slabs, and through underground pipes for weeks or months before the damage shows up on the surface. 100% Plumbing Portland uses professional leak-detection equipment to locate plumbing leaks accurately and with minimal disruption to your property, so repairs can start before the problem compounds.

Signs you may have a hidden leak:

Your water bill has increased without a change in household water use
Damp areas, soft flooring, or water stains on walls or ceilings with no obvious source
Mold growth or a persistent musty smell in a bathroom, basement, or crawl space
Low water pressure at multiple fixtures
The sound of running water when nothing is turned on
Your water meter continues moving after all fixtures are shut off

What we do:

We use non-invasive leak detection tools, including acoustic listening equipment, thermal imaging, and pipe pressure testing, to locate the source of the leak before recommending any repair. You will know exactly where the problem is and what fixing it involves before any work begins.

Signs you may have a hidden leak:

Your water bill has increased without a change in household water use
Damp areas, soft flooring, or water stains on walls or ceilings with no obvious source
Mold growth or a persistent musty smell in a bathroom, basement, or crawl space
Low water pressure at multiple fixtures
The sound of running water when nothing is turned on
Your water meter continues moving after all fixtures are shut off

What we do:

Leak Services We Provide

Leak Detection

We use acoustic listening equipment, thermal imaging, and pipe pressure testing to locate hidden leaks accurately without opening walls or excavating. The goal is to find the source precisely before any repair work begins, keeping the repair targeted and limiting disruption to your property.

Leak Repair

Once the leak is located, we repair it correctly. That means replacing the affected section of pipe with materials suited to your plumbing system, not patching over the failure point. Whether the leak is at a fixture, inside a wall, under a slab, or in an underground supply line, the repair approach is matched to what the detection work actually found.

Pipe Replacement

Some leaks are symptoms of a pipe that has reached the end of its service life, where corrosion or age means the problem will reappear nearby even after a targeted repair. In those cases we recommend replacing the affected section or the full line and explain the reasoning clearly before any work begins.

Water Damage Assessment

After a leak is repaired, understanding the extent of moisture damage to the surrounding structure matters. We assess what was affected, including walls, subfloor, and insulation, and advise on what drying and remediation may be needed before surfaces are closed back up. Addressing moisture thoroughly after a repair prevents mold growth from developing inside the structure.

Professional Leak Detection in Portland

Why Leaks Are Hard to Find Without Professional Tools

A faucet drip or a slow drip under a sink is easy to spot. The leaks that cause real damage are the ones you cannot see. Water heater leaks, toilet leaks behind the wall, slab leaks under a concrete foundation, and breaks in underground pipes can all go undetected for months while water works its way through the surrounding structure. By the time a homeowner notices water stains on the ceiling, soft spots in the floor, or mold growth in a wall cavity, the moisture has often been there long enough to cause structural damage well beyond the pipe itself.

Portland's specific conditions make this worse. Older homes across the city have aging plumbing that has been under pressure, corrosion, and soil movement for decades. Shifting soil during heavy rainfall puts stress on underground pipes. Freezing temperatures in hard winters can cause pipes to crack in ways that are not immediately visible. The plumbing system in a Portland home built in the 1950s or 1960s was not designed to last this long, and the failure points are rarely where you would think to look.

How Leak Detection Works

Professional leak detection does not mean cutting open walls and hoping to find the source. Modern detection tools let experienced plumbers locate leaks accurately without major intrusion into the property.

Acoustic listening equipment amplifies the sound of water escaping from a pipe, allowing us to pinpoint the location of underground leaks and leaks inside walls or under floors without excavation. Thermal imaging detects temperature differences in surfaces caused by moisture, identifying damp areas inside walls and under slabs that would otherwise be invisible. Pipe pressure testing isolates sections of the plumbing system to confirm where pressure is being lost. Using these tools together, we can locate even a small leak with enough accuracy to make targeted repair possible rather than exploratory demolition.

Your water meter is also a useful starting point. Most residential meters have a leak-detection dial, a small indicator that moves when water flows through the meter. If all fixtures and appliances in the house are off and the dial is still moving, water is leaving the system somewhere. Checking the meter before calling gives us useful context and helps narrow down where to look.

What Undetected Leaks Cost

Even a small leak left unchecked causes compounding damage over time. Water that reaches wood framing causes rot. Water that reaches drywall feeds mold growth. Mold established inside a wall cavity spreads without any outward sign until the damage is extensive. Water that pools under a slab or in a crawl space creates structural issues that become significantly more expensive to address the longer they go unresolved.

Plumbing leaks also add meaningfully to your water bill over weeks and months. Homeowners who fix leaks promptly can request a one-time leak adjustment credit on their water bill from the Portland Water Bureau, which partially offsets the cost of the repair. That option is not available if the leak is not addressed.

Before We Arrive: What to Do

If you suspect an active leak, locate your main water shut-off valve and be ready to close it if the situation worsens. It is typically near where the water line enters the house, in the basement, crawl space, or utility area. If you cannot find it inside, check near the water meter at the street, where there is often a secondary shutoff. Closing the valve stops water from flowing into the affected area while you wait.

Do not attempt to open walls or dig in the yard to find the source yourself. Without the right tools, exploratory work creates additional damage and can make accurate detection harder. Document what you are seeing, note when symptoms started, and let us handle the diagnosis with the right equipment.

Professional Leak Detection in Portland

Why Leaks Are Hard to Find Without Professional Tools

How Leak Detection Works

What Undetected Leaks Cost

Before We Arrive: What to Do

We Find It Before We Fix It ⌄

We use professional leak detection equipment to locate the source accurately before recommending any repair. You will know exactly what you are dealing with before work begins.

Clear Communication on
Every Job ⌄

We explain what we found, where it is, and what fixing it will cost before we start. No guesswork, no surprises, and no work begins until you have approved the plan.

Reliable Leak Repair⌄

Once we locate the leak, we handle the repair correctly. Proper materials, code-compliant work, permits where required, and a focus on long-term solutions rather than quick fixes.

We Find It Before We Fix It ⌄

We use professional leak detection equipment to locate the source accurately before recommending any repair. You will know exactly what you are dealing with before work begins.

Clear Communication on Every Job ⌄

We explain what we found, where it is, and what fixing it will cost before we start. No guesswork, no surprises, and no work begins until you have approved the plan.

Reliable Leak Repair⌄

Once we locate the leak, we handle the repair correctly. Proper materials, code-compliant work, permits where required, and a focus on long-term solutions rather than quick fixes.

Commercial Leak Detection in Portland

Hidden leaks in small commercial properties and multi-unit buildings create the same structural and mold risks as residential leaks, but at a scale that affects multiple tenants and can go unnoticed longer in spaces that are not occupied around the clock. A slow leak inside a wall cavity in a commercial building can develop for months before anyone investigates a musty smell or a soft patch of drywall.

100% Plumbing Portland provides leak detection services for small commercial properties and multi-unit buildings across the Portland area. We use the same non-invasive detection tools as residential work and provide written documentation of findings and completed repairs, which is useful for property managers handling maintenance records or insurance claims. If you manage a commercial property and are seeing unexplained increases in your water bill or signs of moisture in the building, call us to schedule a leak detection inspection.

Commercial Leak Detection in Portland

Related Services

Water Lines

Leak detection is the first step. If the source turns out to be the main water service line, we handle the repair and replacement from there.

Water Line Services

Burst Pipes

A pipe that has failed suddenly needs a different response than a slow hidden leak.

Burst Pipe Services

Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes often crack without an obvious immediate sign. If temperatures have dropped and your pressure has changed, a leak inspection is worth scheduling.

Frozen Pipe Services

Leak Detection Questions

How do plumbers detect hidden leaks?

Professional leak detection uses a combination of tools depending on where the leak is suspected. Acoustic listening equipment picks up the sound of water escaping from pipes inside walls, under floors, and underground. Thermal imaging identifies areas of unusual temperature caused by moisture behind surfaces. Pipe pressure testing isolates sections of the plumbing system to confirm where pressure is being lost. The goal is to locate the leak precisely without cutting open walls or digging until we know exactly where to work.

How much does leak detection cost?

Cost depends on the complexity of the job and how accessible the suspected leak location is. A straightforward leak at a visible fixture is a different job than locating a slab leak or an underground pipe failure. We provide upfront pricing after assessing the situation so you know the cost before we start. If a repair follows the detection work, that is quoted separately once we know what we are dealing with.

What are the signs of a hidden water leak?

The most common signs are an unexplained increase in your water bill, damp or soft spots in floors or walls, water stains on ceilings without an obvious source, mold growth or a musty smell in areas that should be dry, and low water pressure at multiple fixtures. You can also check your water meter by shutting off all fixtures and appliances and watching whether the leak detection dial continues to move. If it does, water is leaving the system somewhere.