Leak Detection in San Diego, CA

Clues worth checking

• A water bill that jumps without a change in use
• The meter's leak indicator turns with every tap and appliance off
• Warm spots on a floor, or the sound of running water when nothing is on
• Stains, bubbling paint or musty smells on walls and ceilings
• A wet patch in the yard between the meter and the house
• Low pressure that came on gradually

A quick meter test you can do

Turn off every faucet, appliance and the irrigation controller, then look at the meter. If the dial or leak indicator is still moving, water is escaping somewhere. Close the main shutoff at the house and check again: if the meter stops, the leak is inside the home; if it keeps going, the leak is likely on the line between the meter and the house.

Who owns which side

The City of San Diego says the property owner maintains the water system from the meter on, while the City side is before the meter. A leak at or before the meter, or water flowing in the street, is a City issue: call the Public Utilities Emergency Hotline at 619-515-3525. Anything after the meter is a job for a plumber.

How plumbers pinpoint leaks

San Diego building types matter

Newer tracts are often slab-on-grade, so a hot water leak may show up as a warm floor or a cracked tile. Older neighborhoods often sit on raised foundations, where a crawl space makes leaks easier to see but also lets them run unnoticed. Hard City water, which averages roughly 14 grains per gallon from the City's plants, leaves scale at fittings and valves, and older galvanized supply lines in neighborhoods like Hillcrest and North Park can corrode from the inside.

What affects cost

Price depends on how many systems need testing, access to the pipes, whether the leak is under a slab or in the yard, and whether the repair is quoted separately. Ask for the leak location marked and photographed.