The most common signs are an unexplained spike in your water bill, a warm or damp spot on the floor, the sound of running water when everything is off, a musty smell, and visible staining on a ceiling or wall. Any one of these on its own is worth checking; two or more together is a strong signal.

In almost every case, yes. The cost of a professional inspection is typically far less than the cost of water damage, mold remediation, or a larger repair that results from a leak running undetected for months. It also avoids the alternative of blind demolition to search for a leak.

In Torrance specifically, slab leaks and toilet flapper leaks are the two most common calls we get. Slab leaks are tied to the city’s postwar housing stock; flapper leaks are common in any home regardless of age and are worth ruling out first since they’re the easiest and cheapest to fix.

Using a combination of pressure testing (to confirm a leak exists and roughly where), acoustic listening (to hear the sound of escaping water through concrete or drywall), and thermal imaging (to detect temperature differences from hot water leaks). Most inspections combine at least two of these methods.

No. Leaks in pressurized supply lines get larger over time as the surrounding pipe material continues to erode or corrode at the weak point. A leak that seems minor today is very unlikely to be smaller in six months.