Slab Leak Detection and Repair
A slab leak is a leak in a water line running under your home’s concrete foundation. Many homes in Los Angeles and Orange County were built on slabs with copper lines underneath, and after decades those lines wear through. Oasis Plumbers locates the leak without guesswork, then walks you through every repair option and its trade-offs before any concrete is touched.
Electronic leak location before any digging · Written options for spot repair, reroute or repipe · Licensed plumbers · 0% financing up to 48 months
Is it a slab leak? Check your water meter
- Turn off every faucet, appliance and irrigation in and outside the house.
- Find your water meter (usually in a box near the curb) and look at the small leak indicator – a triangle or dial.
- If it spins, water is leaving the system somewhere.
- Close the main shut-off at the house. If the indicator stops, the leak is inside the home; if it keeps moving, the leak is between the meter and the house.
Combine that with these signs and a slab leak becomes likely:
- A warm or hot spot on a tile or wood floor (a hot-water line leaking)
- Sound of running water when everything is off
- Damp carpet, lifting floorboards or cracked tile with no visible source
- Water heater running far more often than usual
- A water bill that jumps without a change in use
How we find the leak under the slab
Breaking concrete in the wrong place is the most expensive mistake in slab leak repair. We isolate the hot and cold systems and pressure-test each line to confirm which one is leaking, then pinpoint the spot with acoustic listening equipment and thermal imaging. You see the marked location before we recommend a repair.
Your three repair options
| Spot repair (direct access) | Reroute | Repipe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What happens | Open the floor and concrete at the leak, replace the damaged section, refill and patch | Abandon the leaking line under the slab and run a new one through walls, attic or along the exterior | Replace all water lines in the house, usually overhead |
| Best when | Pipes are in good shape and this is the first leak | The leak is under hard-to-remove flooring or a second leak has appeared on the same line | Several leaks, thin or corroded copper, or old galvanized pipe |
| Disruption | Floor covering and concrete opened in one spot | Small wall openings; no concrete work | Wall openings throughout the house |
| Trade-off | Rest of the old line can fail later | Only the rerouted line is new | Highest cost; solves the problem for the whole house |
Epoxy pipe lining can seal some pinhole leaks from the inside without opening walls or floors.
What affects slab leak repair cost
- Which option you choose: spot repair, reroute or repipe
- Floor covering over the leak – carpet is cheap to lift, tile and hardwood are not
- Length of the reroute and how many walls it passes through
- Hot or cold line, and pipe material
- Drywall, flooring and concrete restoration afterwards
Detection and every repair option are priced in writing before work starts.
After the repair
We pressure-test the repaired or new line, check the meter leak indicator again and restore the opening. Wall openings from a reroute are patched and textured; see leak damage wall repair. If water soaked into flooring or walls, photograph it for your insurer before it’s removed.
Slab leak repair FAQs
What are the first signs of a slab leak?
Warm spots on the floor, the sound of running water when everything is off, damp flooring with no visible source and a sudden jump in the water bill. A spinning leak indicator on the water meter with all fixtures off confirms water is escaping.
Is it better to reroute or repair a slab leak?
A spot repair is fine for a first leak on pipes that are otherwise healthy. If the pipe has leaked before, is under expensive flooring or shows corrosion, rerouting the line through walls or the attic usually lasts longer.
Can a slab leak be fixed without breaking the floor?
Yes. Rerouting replaces the leaking line through walls or the attic without opening the concrete. Some small leaks can also be sealed from inside the pipe with epoxy lining.
How long does slab leak repair take?
Leak location and a spot repair are often done in one or two days. A reroute usually takes one to three days depending on the length of the new line, and a full repipe takes longer.
Can a slab leak damage my foundation?
A long-running leak can wash out soil under the slab and contribute to cracking or settling. That’s why it’s worth confirming and repairing a suspected slab leak quickly.
Does homeowners insurance cover slab leaks?
Many policies cover the cost of accessing the leak and repairing the resulting water damage, but not always the pipe itself. Check your policy and photograph any damage before it’s removed.
Slab leak repair near you
Slab foundations are common across both counties we serve, from the San Fernando Valley to south Orange County. Choose the office closest to your home:
Los Angeles County
- Sunland — 8348 Foothill Blvd, Sunland, CA 91040 · (805) 883-6154
- Santa Monica — 701 Pico Blvd #551, Santa Monica, CA 90405 · (310) 818-7582
- Calabasas — 24025 Park Sorrento #430, Calabasas, CA 91302 · (818) 330-1138
Orange County
- Laguna Hills — 25272 McIntyre St #558, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 · (949) 635-7337
- Anaheim — 800 S Brookhurst St, Anaheim, CA 92804 · (714) 706-3926
Get the slab leak located
Let us know what you noticed – warm floor, meter spinning, running-water sound – and roughly where in the house. Call (888) 803-7895 or send the form to book leak detection.