How We Find & Fix Hidden Underground Water-Line Leaks

Some plumbing problems announce themselves. An underground water-line leak usually doesn't. Because the pipe runs buried between your meter and your home, water can escape for weeks — sometimes hundreds of gallons a day — before anything shows on the surface. Often the first clue is a water bill that jumps for no obvious reason.

Signs you may have an underground leak

• An unexplained spike in your water bill.
• The water meter keeps moving even when everything in the house is shut off.
• Soft, wet, or unusually green patches in the yard.
• A drop in water pressure throughout the home.
• The faint sound of running water when no fixtures are on.

Finding it without tearing up the yard

The goal is to dig once, in the right place. Rather than guessing, we use electronic and acoustic leak-detection equipment to trace the line and pinpoint exactly where the water is escaping. Locating the leak precisely keeps the excavation small, protects your landscaping, and keeps the cost down.

The repair process

Once we've marked the spot, a typical underground repair looks like this:

• Expose the line — a targeted trench opens just the affected section while protecting the surrounding yard.
• Diagnose the cause — corrosion, ground movement, root intrusion, or a previous patch that's failing.
• Repair or re-route — depending on the pipe's condition, we replace the damaged section or re-route with new PVC or copper line.
• Backfill and restore — the area is filled, compacted, and cleaned up so your yard goes back to normal.

Why speed matters

A hidden leak doesn't fix itself, and it rarely gets cheaper. Left alone it keeps running up the bill, can undermine soil and hardscape, and may push moisture toward the foundation. If your numbers don't add up or your meter won't sit still, it's worth getting it checked sooner rather than later.