Leak Detection in Ajax

Telltales that call for leak detection

• Your water meter's low-flow indicator spins with every tap closed.
• A bill from the Region that jumped without a change in habits.
• Paint bubbling, baseboard swelling or a musty smell in one room.
• A warm patch on a basement floor, a hint that a heated line is seeping beneath the slab.

How we do the work

We work from the broad to the narrow:

1. Meter test. Every fixture closed, our plumber stares at the dial. Movement confirms a leak on the supply side; stillness points to drains or outside water.
2. Isolation. Shutting stops and branch valves in turn tells us which part of the house holds the leak.
3. Moisture mapping. A pin and pinless meter traces how far wet drywall and framing extend.
4. Thermal imaging. Hot lines show as warm streaks, cold leaks as cool blooms, behind finished surfaces.
5. Dye and flood tests for showers, tubs and drains, where the leak only happens with use.

When we know where it is, we open the smallest practical hole, mend the pipe, then square up the opening and squared so a drywaller can patch it neatly.

On Ajax streets

Common finds in Ajax include pinholes in older type M copper, a failed PEX crimp in a newer subdivision, condensation dripping from cold lines in a muggy unfinished basement, and shower pans leaking at the curb. Mistaking condensation for a leak is common in July; the meter test settles it.

Price swings on

How many zones need checking, whether thermal and moisture work is enough or a slab leak needs more, and the access to make the repair.

Worth asking the plumber

• Is the leak on the supply or the drain side?
• How big an opening will you need?
• Is there damage beyond what I can see?