A plumbing leak is frustrating when you don't know where the leak is located. A leak is obvious when your water meter is turning and the faucets are off, but if the leaky pipe is under the concrete slab foundation of your home, you may not have any idea where the leak is located. Fortunately, you can call a plumber to bring under-slab leak detection equipment to your home to track down the leak. Here are ways to find a hidden slab leak.

Use Pipe-Detecting Equipment

When pipes are buried under the slab, the plumber has no idea where they are. Without the help of detection equipment, the plumber would have to tear up your floor just to look for the pipe. A better way is to use pipe-detecting equipment that sends a current through your plumbing that can be detected with a receiving device.

The device picks up the signal from the current so the exact spot of the plumbing pipe can be detected underground. The device even lets the plumber know how deep under the slab the pipe is located so they know how deep to dig.

The plumber can mark the location of the pipe along the slab so they know exactly where it is as they plan to make repairs.

Use A Thermal Camera

A thermal camera is handy for finding water leaks because the wet area, especially if the water is hot, has a different temperature from the dry area on the floor. However, water spreads out as it leaks, so pinpointing the exact spot of the pipe and the leak may not be possible with a thermal camera. However, using the camera to find the wet spot gives the plumber a place to start listening for the leak. Plus, a thermal camera can verify the leak is present and not in some other hidden location.

Use Audio Equipment

Once the plumber knows the area of the leak and has pinpointed where the pipe is located, they can use sound equipment to listen along the pipe to find the point of the leak. They place a cup device on the floor and move it along the pipe while wearing earphones. The sound changes as the cup is moved closer to the leak or farther away. By following the sound, the plumber can find the exact area of the leak so they know where to start digging.

Under-slab leak detection equipment eliminates needless digging and tearing up your floor and foundation. Since the plumber doesn't have to waste time and effort looking for the leak by digging, repair costs may be lower too.