Phoenix Valley slab leaks
The main water line runs underground from the meter to the house. If the meter keeps turning after you close the house shut-off, the leak is on this line, not under the slab. In most Valley cities the utility owns the meter side and the homeowner owns the rest. Wet gravel, an unusually green strip of yard, or sunken soil along the route are the usual outdoor clues.
The main water line, or service line, is the buried pipe that runs from the water meter near the street to the point where it enters the house. It is not under the slab, but both make the meter spin. In most Valley cities the water utility is responsible for the meter and everything on the street side of it, and the owner is responsible from the meter to the house. If you are unsure where that line falls on your lot, your city water department can tell you before anyone starts digging.
The clearest test uses the house shut-off valve. With every fixture off, close that valve and watch the meter. If the leak indicator stops, the leak is inside the house. If it keeps turning, water is escaping between the meter and the valve, and that is the service line. Outdoors, look for a patch of gravel that stays dark, a strip of grass greener than the rest in a dry month, soil that has sunk along the line, or water pooling at the curb. Low pressure throughout the house can also point here. Irrigation lines often tee off nearby, so they are isolated first.
A single failure on a line in good condition is dug up at the leak and repaired with a new section. When the old pipe is galvanized steel, thin copper, or polybutylene, a replacement run is usually the better value, since the trench is most of the work either way. Replacement lines are commonly PE or copper, laid in a new trench or pulled through underground with trenchless equipment where the path allows. Caliche can make digging slow in parts of the Valley, and landscaping, walkways and driveways over the route all factor into which method is used.
Sometimes the test is ambiguous: the indicator slows but does not stop when the house valve closes, meaning water is being lost both outside and inside. The service line is fixed first, and then the house is tested again to see whether a slab leak remains. For that second step, slab leak detection takes over. If the old service line and the house plumbing are the same age and material, it is worth asking about a repipe at the same time, and if the house drains are backing up too, look at under-slab drain repair.
How long does it take? A single-point repair is usually done in a day; a full line replacement typically takes one to two days depending on length and caliche.
These often come up on the same house, and can be planned from the same visit:
Meter and pressure tests, acoustic listening and thermal imaging to find which line is leaking and where, before any floor is opened.
How it works →Replace every hot and cold supply line in the house, usually overhead in PEX, when leaks keep coming back on old pipe.
How it works →Camera inspection and hydrostatic testing to find breaks in the ABS or cast-iron drain lines under the slab, then repair or replace the damaged run.
How it works →Leak detection request
Tell us what you’re noticing and what the water meter did. We call back to set a time.
We’ll call to set a time. If water is coming up now, call (602) 555-0147
Something went wrong sending your request. Please call (602) 555-0147 and we’ll take the details over the phone. Your answers are still filled in below if you’d rather try again.