A hidden leak is urgent when the meter will not stop
Hidden leaks do their damage quietly, which is why a call about one often starts with a bill or a meter. If water is actively pooling or the meter is spinning fast with every fixture off, shut the main valve, and call our 24/7 line. Our line is answered around the clock, and we book same-day appointments when available.
Callers describe it in a few ways. The water bill has crept up for months. The utility sent a leak alert. A toilet keeps running on its own. The yard has a soggy patch in dry weather. All of them point to the same first question: is the water leaking before the house, inside it, or after a fixture?
Test your own meter in ten minutes
Turn everything off
Close all faucets, stop the washer and dishwasher, and make sure no one flushes. Check that the ice maker is not mid-cycle.
Read the meter
Open the meter box and look at the dial or the low-flow indicator, the small triangle or wheel that spins at the slightest flow. Note the numbers.
Wait and watch
Leave everything off for ten to fifteen minutes. If the indicator still turns or the numbers advance, water is escaping somewhere.
Shut the house valve and look again
Close the main valve at the house. If the meter stops, the leak is inside the house or on the house side. If it keeps spinning, the leak is between the meter and the shutoff, in the yard line.
Palm Beach County Water Utilities and your reading
Greenacres is within the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department area, which is the City's planned utility for water and sewer. If PBCWUD or another provider sends a high-use notice, use the meter test above first. It tells you whether the leak is yours and which side of the house valve it is on.
Utility meter reading and billing questions go to the utility. Plumbing repair on your side of the meter is where we come in. Ask the utility how to read your particular meter if the box looks different from what you expected.
Where hidden leaks tend to hide
Different locations leave different clues. Matching the clue to the location narrows the search.
Inside walls and ceilings
Brown stains, bubbling paint, a musty smell or a warm patch on drywall. Bathroom supply lines and shower valves are frequent sources.
Under the slab
A warm spot on tile, the sound of water with everything off, or damp flooring along an outside wall. See slab leak repair.
Buried line from the meter
Wet ground between the meter and the house, a low-pressure complaint or a green strip of lawn. See water service line repair.
Irrigation lines
A zone that stays soggy after it shuts off, a broken head, or a valve box full of water. A leaking valve can quietly spin the meter.
Pool and spa lines
A pool that drops faster than evaporation explains, or constant auto-fill. Supply and return pipes underground can leak apart from the pool shell.
Toilet and fixture leaks
A toilet that runs on and off by itself, or a faucet that drips under the sink, can each add up to hundreds of gallons a month.
Meter spinning with everything off?
Call us. Our line is answered around the clock, and we offer same-day appointments when available.
Symptom, likely area and what we do next
| What you notice | Likely area | Our next step |
|---|---|---|
| Meter turns with all fixtures off. | Yard line, slab, wall or running toilet. | Isolate by closing the house valve, then listen along the line. |
| High bill, no visible water. | Hidden slow leak or a fixture leak. | Check toilets and irrigation, then pressure test the lines. |
| Warm floor spot or running-water sound. | Hot line under the slab. | Pinpoint with acoustic and thermal tools before any cutting. |
| Stain on ceiling below a bath. | Supply, drain or shower pan. | Moisture mapping, then a water test of the fixture. |
| Soggy yard between meter and house. | Buried supply line. | Locate the line and mark the leak before digging. |
We do not claim to know the exact spot until it is confirmed. Pinpointing narrows the opening, which keeps flooring, drywall and landscaping intact.
How we pinpoint a leak without tearing things open
We start with the plumbing's own information. A pressure test on the supply lines shows whether the pipe is losing pressure, and shutting zones off one at a time shows which section holds. Then we listen and scan.
Acoustic listening picks up the sound of water escaping a pressurized pipe. Thermal scanning picks up temperature differences from hot lines or wet material. Moisture meters check drywall and baseboards. No tool is perfect, and we may combine two or three to be sure. We do not name equipment brands because the method matters more than the label.
Irrigation, pool line and yard leaks
Sprinkler systems add many joints and valves, and pool lines run underground in plastic. We test each zone and the pool supply separately so the cost of the repair stays proportionate. If a leak is outside the building line, we explain what we can fix and what a pool or irrigation specialist would handle.
What shapes the cost of finding a leak
What insurance may and may not cover
Policies differ on hidden leaks. Some pay for a sudden break and the damage it causes, and many exclude long, slow seepage. Some cover the cost of locating the leak and some do not. Check your policy, call your insurer, and keep your meter readings, photos and any utility notices.
Call for your real number. We tell you the price before work starts.
Finding a leak versus fixing it
Locating a leak is diagnostic work. Fixing it, once the pipe is exposed, is governed by the Florida Building Code, Plumbing, which Florida builds on the International Plumbing Code (IPC), which is based on the IPC.
If the fix means opening a slab or replacing lines, ask the City of Greenacres building department about permits before the work starts.
Leak detection questions
Yes. Our line is answered around the clock. If water is pooling or the meter is spinning fast, shut the main valve and call. We schedule the earliest appointment available, same day when we can.
Run the meter test. Turn everything off, note the meter reading, wait ten to fifteen minutes, and check again. If it moved, water is escaping. If not, the bill may come from usage, irrigation or a billing change you can ask your utility about.
The City of Greenacres' plan names Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department as its water and sewer provider, and the utility's report places Greenacres in its Eastern service area. For your account, ask the utility.
Yes, with listening and thermal methods combined with pressure testing. Pinpointing before cutting keeps the opening small. If a slab leak is confirmed, we explain options in our slab leak repair service.
That is the service line. We isolate it by closing the house valve and watching the meter. If the leak is confirmed there, water service line repair covers the fix.
We test the plumbing portions, such as the irrigation supply, valves and pool fill line. Sprinkler head adjustments and pool equipment are outside our scope, and we tell you when that is the case.
Possibly. It depends on your policy and the type of leak. Check with your insurer and keep your meter readings, photos and notices.