How can you check for a hidden leak before you call?
Turn off every faucet and water-using appliance, then watch the water meter for 15 minutes. If the dial or the small leak indicator moves while nothing is running, water is escaping somewhere between the meter and your fixtures, and the steps below narrow down where.
The test takes about 20 minutes and no tools beyond a flashlight. Tell Ledco Plumbing what you found when you call: it tells the plumber whether to start inside the house or out in the yard.
- Find the meterIt is usually in a ground-level box near the street. The lid lifts off with a screwdriver; watch for wasps and spiders.
- Stop all water useTurn off faucets and make sure no toilet is refilling and the washer, dishwasher and ice maker are idle.
- Read the leak indicatorMost meters have a small triangle or star that spins with even a trickle. Note the reading, wait 15 minutes, read it again.
- Close the house valveShut the main valve where the line enters the house. If the meter still moves, the leak is in the yard line. If it stops, the leak is inside.
- Test the toiletsPut a few drops of food coloring in each tank. Color in the bowl within 15 minutes means the flapper leaks, a simple fix.
What are the signs of a hidden water leak?
The clearest sign of a hidden water leak is a water bill that rises with no change in use. Others are the sound of running water when every tap is off, a warm spot on a slab floor, stains or bubbling paint, and a soggy patch of yard. Any one of them is worth a meter test.
Water you pay for and never use is going somewhere: into a wall, under the slab or into the yard.
The bill jumps
A leak runs day and night, so even a small one shows up on the next water bill. Compare it with the same month last year; if your habits have not changed and the number has, start with the meter test above.
Running water, taps off
A hiss or trickle in a wall or under the floor when nothing is in use.
A warm spot on the floor
On a slab house, a warm patch you can feel barefoot points to a leaking hot-water line underneath.
Stains or bubbling paint
Brown rings on a ceiling, paint that blisters, drywall that gives when pressed, a musty smell in one room.
A soggy patch of yard
A strip that stays wet or grows greener than the rest, often between the meter and the house.
Why do pipes leak after an Oklahoma freeze?
Pipes leak after an Oklahoma freeze because water expands by about 9 percent as it turns to ice, which splits the pipe holding it. The split stays plugged with ice until the thaw, so the leak often starts days after the cold snap, inside a wall or crawl space where nobody sees it.
Pipes that split first
- Lines on outside walls, especially behind kitchen sinks
- Pipes in crawl spaces and unheated garages
- Outdoor hose bibs left with a hose attached
- Supply lines in attics
Freeze figures: Oklahoma Mesonet and the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
Where do hidden leaks happen, and how does each one show up?
Hidden leaks happen in five places: under a slab, inside a wall, in the yard service line, at a toilet or fixture, and at the water heater. Each one leaves a different clue, and each needs a different repair, which is why finding the exact spot comes before anything is opened up.
| Where | What you notice | What the repair involves |
|---|---|---|
| Under a slab | Warm spot on the floor, running-water sound, meter moving with the house valve open | Reaching the pipe through the floor at the leak, or rerouting the line through a wall or attic |
| Inside a wall | Stain, bubbling paint, soft drywall, musty smell in one room | Opening the wall at the wet spot and replacing the damaged section of pipe |
| Yard service line | Soggy or extra-green strip, meter still moving with the house valve closed, low pressure | Digging at the leak and repairing or replacing the line from the meter to the house |
| Toilet or fixture | Toilet refills on its own, drip under a sink, food-coloring test fails | Replacing a flapper, fill valve, supply line or shutoff valve |
| Water heater | Water on the floor around the tank | A valve or fitting repair, or a new tank; see water heater repair and installation |
How does Ledco Plumbing find and repair a leak?
Ledco Plumbing finds a leak by working from the outside in, then opens only what is needed to reach the pipe. The plumber confirms the leak at the meter, narrows it to inside or outside the house, and pins down the spot. You approve the repair price before a wall is opened or the ground is dug.
Not every leak is a pipe. When the trail ends at a toilet or the water heater, the fix is a part, not a hole in the wall. When it ends at a drain or the sewer, see sewer line repair. Everything else Ledco does is on the services page.
- Confirm it at the meterThe same test described above, done with the plumber on site, confirms water is being lost and roughly how fast.
- Inside or outside?Closing the main valve at the house splits the system in two, so the search starts in the right half.
- Pin down the spotThe plumber narrows the leak to one run of pipe before anything is cut, so you are not left with a row of holes.
- Repair and re-testOnce you approve the price, the damaged pipe is repaired or replaced and the meter is read again to confirm it has stopped moving.
Why call Ledco Plumbing about a leak in Seminole?
Ledco Plumbing handles leaks, water heaters, drains and sewer lines, so the search does not stop at the edge of one trade. The company is based at 316 E Oak Ave in Seminole, you see the repair price before anything is opened, and calls are taken every day of the week.
- The whole trailSupply lines, fixtures, the water heater and the sewer are all Ledco work.
- Price before openingNo wall is cut or yard dug until you approve the estimate.
- Seven days a weekFound a wet ceiling on Sunday? Call that day.
- Owner-runLedco Plumbing is owned by Mickey Ledbetter.
What should you do if a pipe bursts in Seminole?
If a pipe bursts, close the main water shutoff valve first, then call Ledco Plumbing at (405) 257-3096. The valve is usually where the water line enters the house or inside the meter box near the street. Closing it stops the flow while you wait; the question below covers when the office takes those calls.
What are your hours?
Ledco Plumbing is open 7 AM to 5 PM, 7 days a week. For a burst pipe, close the main shutoff valve first, usually where the water line enters the house or inside the meter box near the street, then call (405) 257-3096 rather than sending the form so the office hears about it right away.