What to Do With an Underground Water Leak in Garden Grove

Key Takeaways

• Underground water leaks can crack slabs, damage landscaping, and quietly drive up your water bill if not found early.
• Simple checks like monitoring your meter, listening for running water, and watching for warm spots or soggy areas help confirm a hidden leak.
• Professional Garden Grove leak detection uses non-invasive tools to pinpoint underground pipe damage and recommend the most cost-effective repair.
• Acting quickly when you suspect an underground water leak in Garden Grove reduces repair costs and helps protect your home’s foundation and plumbing system.

According to the U.S. EPA, the typical American household has leaks that waste 9,400 gallons of water annually. Combined, they waste almost 900 billion gallons each year.

No matter where these water leaks in your home are, they’re a complete waste of money and resources (and not just water, but energy, too!). While many are easy to spot, like leaky taps and toilets that run nonstop, others, especially those underground, are more difficult to catch.

So, what should you do if you suspect you have an underground water leak in your Garden Grove or Orange County, CA, home? Is there a way to accurately determine these problems and pinpoint their location?

Our team at Suburban Plumbing provides answers and insights in this guide, so please read on.

See How Many You Tick off This Symptom List

Underground water leaks can occur outside your home, such as in the pipes underneath the lawn soil. They can also develop in the pipes under your home’s concrete slab foundation. The latter is what industry experts refer to as “slab leaks.”

Here are some of the typical signs of underground water leak woes:

• A sudden and significant yet unexplainable increase in your water bills
• Foul or moldy odors that seem to originate from the floors or the walls
• Sounds of water running even if no one’s using water at home
• Cracks in your home’s foundation
• Faded, damp, warped, and creaky floors
• Low water pressure
• Uneven growth in your lawn

It’s worth noting that the last symptom on the list may also indicate a damaged sewer line. Sewage is full of nitrogen and phosphate, elements that nourish plants. So, if your sewer line leaks, it can “fertilize” your lawn and cause adverse plant overgrowth.

If you notice all or many of those symptoms, your suspicion of having an underground is most likely correct. However, you can proceed to the next step, which can help you further establish whether you have this plumbing problem.

Confirm Your Suspicions With the Water Meter Test

The water meter test can help you determine if you have hidden or underground water supply pipes that leak. To get accurate results, though, it’s best to do it if no one besides you is at home. If this isn’t possible, ask everyone to stop using the water for at least two hours and to help with the test instead.

Here’s how to detect water leaks affecting your underground pipes with the water meter test.

Find Your Water Meter

Grab a pen and paper or your smartphone and step outside to look for your water meter. In many Orange County, CA, homes, this device is in the front yard, housed in a metal box by the sidewalk or curb. It may have a digital face, but if it’s analog, it likely has a red spinning hand (or several) and rotating numbered dials (like the ones in retro clocks).

Record the Reading

Once you find the meter, note the numbers or photograph the display. Ask someone (if there’s a family member at home) to go through the house and listen for rushing or dripping water sounds. If it’s just you, wait about two hours before re-checking the meter.

Interpret the Results

If the meter numbers haven’t changed, it likely means you don’t have an underground leak. If they did, and you’re sure no one used water within the last two hours, take that as a solid indication you have leaking pipes.

Invest in Professional Garden Grove Leak Detection Services

Garden Grove and Orange County homeowners frequently face underground leaks due to aging infrastructure in mid-century homes, making specialized detection essential for swift, damage-free repairs.

Garden Grove Underground Leak Risks

Garden Grove’s expansive clay soils and aging homes from the 1950s-1970s make underground water leaks particularly destructive, as shifting ground stresses pipes leading to slab failures beneath dense neighborhoods. Frequent seismic activity in Orange County exacerbates cracks in older copper and galvanized lines, causing sudden high water bills and foundation damage before owners notice. Professional leak detection prevents costly excavations in these tight urban lots, preserving property value amid local drought restrictions.

If your water meter test indicates an underground leak, the next step is to determine where exactly it is. After all, even if you know a pipe is leaking somewhere but don’t know its precise location, you’ll be unable to make the necessary repairs.

If your water meter test indicates an underground leak, the next step is to determine where exactly it is. After all, even if you know a pipe is leaking somewhere but don’t know its precise location, you’ll be unable to make the necessary repairs.

At this point, you may wonder if you must rip up your flooring and concrete. The good news is that you don’t have to!

Pinpointing the location of underground leaks may sound impossible (or incredible, depending on how you look at things) without causing a mess and more destruction. However, today’s highly experienced plumbers can find hidden pipe problems in a less intrusive manner. They hunt down leaks, even those under the floors, using innovative slab or underground water leak detection technologies, such as:

• Special microphones that turn leaking water beneath the floors into audible sounds
• Pressure sensors to determine pressure and temperature changes in the foundation
• Plumbing cameras that give the pros an inside view of pipes to see where the leaks are

Once the pros determine the location of the underground leaks, they can develop a repair strategy to address the problems.

Garden Grove Slab Leak Repair Options

Garden Grove properties often require trenchless slab leak repair techniques due to concrete slab foundations common in post-war homes, allowing fixes without demolishing driveways or patios in space-constrained lots. Suburban Plumbing employs epoxy pipe lining and pipe pulling methods tailored for local clay soils that amplify leak damage, restoring integrity faster than traditional repiping while complying with strict Orange County water conservation codes. This approach minimizes disruption for busy Garden Grove families, cutting repair timelines from weeks to days.

Enlist Professional Slab Repair Services

Professional leak detection is the most accurate way to confirm your suspicions about underground leaks and their location. After this careful approach, the next step is to fix the problems immediately.

Fixing underground water leaks involves specialized equipment, so it’s best left in the hands of professionals. Depending on the severity of the issue, drilling or excavation may be necessary. However, since the pros know precisely where the leaks are, they can minimize the damage to the specific problem areas.

Please never delay leak repairs; the longer you leave them unaddressed, the more water and money go to waste. Leaks also encourage mold growth, which the U.S. CDC says can cause potential health effects. From runny noses to sneezing, wheezing, and allergies, these are just some of the things exposure to leak-driven mold growth can result in.

Leaks can also cause indirect damage through pest infestation and destruction. Cornell CALS notes that excessive indoor humidity, which leaks can contribute to, can attract “moisture” pests. While many are nuisances (e.g., centipedes and millipedes), others are destructive, such as carpenter ants and termites.

Hire Suburban Plumbing for Underground Water Leak Detection and Repair

Do you suspect you have an underground water leak, especially after conducting a water meter test? If so, Suburban Plumbing is your go-to for accurate slab and water leak detection and repair in Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Orange County.

We have over 30 years of experience with Orange County, CA, plumbing, serving our residential and commercial clients with high-quality services. From finding and fixing leaks to cleaning drains and installing and repairing water heaters, we are experts in all these and many more plumbing services.

Call us today for your free service estimate!