What other plumbing services does Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Edmonton offer?

Leaks are only one piece of what we handle. A lot of calls start with a leak and turn up a second issue, like a tired water heater or hard water scale. Our Edmonton plumbers also take care of: Water heater repair and replacement for tank and tankless units Water softeners and filters to cut down on mineral scale Frozen pipe repair after a cold snap Whole-home repiping with PEX Drain cleaning with HydroScrub® Jetting

Can a leak hide under my basement floor?

It does happen, mostly where a water line runs through or under the concrete slab. A hot water leak under the floor often shows up as a warm patch on bare concrete. The water heater also seems to run constantly, since it keeps reheating the water you're losing. Our thermal camera picks up that heat through the slab, and a meter test confirms water is escaping. Walk the basement floor in sock feet on a cold day. A warm spot in the middle of January isn't normal.

Should I shut off my water before a winter trip?

For anything longer than a few days, closing the main valve limits how much water a failed pipe, or fitting releases while you're gone. EPCOR recommends opening and closing your stop and drain valve once a year so it still turns when you need it. Test it a week before you pack, not the morning you leave. Keep the heat at your normal setting and have someone walk through every couple of days. If your home has boiler heat, check with us first, since some systems draw make-up water from the supply.

What affects the cost of an underground water line repair in Edmonton?

Depth and soil drive the price, along with whatever sits above the line. Edmonton water services run deep to stay below the frost line, and heavy clay soil slows excavation. Buried gas or power lines near the dig area, plus a driveway, garage, or mature tree over the route, add time and equipment. Your plumber gives you a written flat-rate price after the assessment. Financing is available for larger jobs, subject to credit approval.

Is an old lead water service line likely to leak?

Age is the bigger risk, and lead lines here are among the oldest in the ground. EPCOR says homes built before 1960 are the most likely to have lead service lines, and it has been replacing lead on the utility side since 2008. You own the section from the property line to the meter. If EPCOR mails you an annual lead notice, their records show lead on their portion, and yours is often lead too. Replacing both sections around the same time saves digging twice. Health Canada sets the maximum acceptable concentration of lead in drinking water at 0.005 mg/L.

Will leak detection leave holes in my walls?

Most of the time, no. We pinpoint the leak first, so if drywall has to open, it's one small access cut over the exact spot rather than a row of test holes. Behind tile or cabinetry, we'll talk through the least destructive way in before touching anything. Hang on to leftover paint or a spare tile if you have one, because matching the finish is often the slowest part of the patch-up.

How can I tell if my Edmonton home has Poly-B?

Look for flexible grey plastic water lines, often stamped PB2110, at the water heater or along the ceiling of an unfinished basement. According to AlbertaRealtor.ca, Poly-B reached Canada as early as 1978, saw its widest use from 1985 to 1997, and was removed from the Canadian plumbing code in 2005. Homes built or renovated in that window deserve a close look. If you're selling or renewing insurance, confirm what you've got first, because some insurers ask about Poly-B directly.

How quickly does mold grow after a water leak?

Faster than most people expect. Health Canada advises fixing the leak and drying wet surfaces within 48 hours. Small patches under one square metre on hard surfaces such as metal or vinyl clean up with bleach, or soap and water, according to Health Canada, while larger areas call for a professional. Soaked drywall and carpet underlay usually have to come out. In a finished Edmonton basement, run a dehumidifier and fans right away, since concrete walls hold moisture long after the surface feels dry.

How do I book leak detection with an Edmonton plumber?

The quickest route is to request an appointment online or call our office. Before we arrive, turn off every fixture and see if the meter's low-flow dial moves, then tell us what you saw. That five-minute test helps your plumber decide where to start. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Edmonton will locate the leak, walk you through your repair options, and give you the price before any work begins. If we find a failing shut-off valve or a leaking pipe repair along the way, we'll quote that too. If a repair ever isn't done right, our Edmonton team makes it right.

Leak Detection in Edmonton

A water bill that jumps for no reason usually means water is escaping somewhere you can't see. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Edmonton finds hidden leaks in Edmonton homes using thermal imaging, meter checks, and a close look at every accessible water line. Your Edmonton plumber pinpoints the source and quotes a flat-rate price before any work starts. Book your visit today.

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How Our Edmonton Leak Detection Process Works

Your EPCOR meter is the first test. With every tap and appliance off, the low-flow indicator on the meter shouldn't move. If it spins, water is leaving the system somewhere past the meter. On some calls, we isolate sections of the system and pressure test them to narrow the search.
A hot water line leaking behind drywall leaves a warm patch our thermal camera picks up clearly. Cold water leaks show up too, as a cooler streak where moisture spreads through the wall. We mark the exact spot instead of cutting exploratory holes across your finished basement.
Plenty of leaks give themselves away up close. We check fittings for green or white crust, valve stems for weeping, and ceilings under bathrooms for faint rings. Edmonton's water runs around 170 mg/L total hardness in EPCOR's monthly reports, so even a slow drip leaves a chalky calcium trail as it dries.

Water Leak Detection for Every Part of Your Edmonton Home

Under EPCOR's rules, you own the water service from the property line to the meter, and EPCOR owns the meter itself. A leak on that buried stretch often shows up as a sudden pressure drop or damp concrete near the meter. Older service lines here are lead or copper, and newer ones are shielded plastic. When a buried line fails, a water line replacement often uses a water line pull, a trenchless method that draws new line along the old route without trenching the whole yard.

Inside the house, the material tells us where to look first. Water lines installed before 1980 in Edmonton were generally copper or galvanized steel. Copper develops pinholes from corrosion over time. Galvanized steel rusts from the inside while sediment builds up, until a joint finally lets go. New work is almost exclusively PEX. If you've still got grey Poly-B, the tubing tends to fail without warning, and Poly-B pipe replacement beats patching it over and over.

Condensation fools people all the time. Cold water lines sweat in a humid summer basement, and the drips land on joists and look exactly like a leak. We sort out sweat from a true failure before recommending water line repair or any other fix.

Winter adds its own problem. Cold snaps below -30°C hit Edmonton most years, and a water line along an exterior wall splits when it freezes, then stays quiet until the ice melts. Our thermal camera finds those split sections quickly. Drain lines are a separate job: ABS and PVC drains leak at joints and cleanouts, and we trace those with a plumbing video camera inspection.

Why Choose Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Edmonton for Leak Detection?

You see a flat-rate price before we cut drywall or dig. No surprise add-ons after the fact. Our plumbers are licensed and insured, and every one has passed a background check. They wear shoe covers and leave the work area clean.

If a repair means replacing your water service, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Edmonton handles the City of Edmonton plumbing permit, since Alberta's Safety Codes Act requires one when plumbing is altered, while like-for-like repairs don't need one. Every job carries the Neighbourly Done Right Promise®, backed by a brand that has been fixing plumbing since 1970. Our crews also work in St. Albert and Sherwood Park, and west out to Spruce Grove.

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Why Choose Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Edmonton for Leak Detection?

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Frequently Asked Questions About Leak Detection in Edmonton

Depth and soil drive the price, along with whatever sits above the line. Edmonton water services run deep to stay below the frost line, and heavy clay soil slows excavation. Buried gas or power lines near the dig area, plus a driveway, garage, or mature tree over the route, add time and equipment. Your plumber gives you a written flat-rate price after the assessment. Financing is available for larger jobs, subject to credit approval.
Leaks are only one piece of what we handle. A lot of calls start with a leak and turn up a second issue, like a tired water heater or hard water scale. Our Edmonton plumbers also take care of:
- Water heater repair and replacement for tank and tankless units
- Water softeners and filters to cut down on mineral scale
- Frozen pipe repair after a cold snap
- Whole-home repiping with PEX
- Drain cleaning with HydroScrub® Jetting
It does happen, mostly where a water line runs through or under the concrete slab. A hot water leak under the floor often shows up as a warm patch on bare concrete. The water heater also seems to run constantly, since it keeps reheating the water you're losing. Our thermal camera picks up that heat through the slab, and a meter test confirms water is escaping. Walk the basement floor in sock feet on a cold day. A warm spot in the middle of January isn't normal.
For anything longer than a few days, closing the main valve limits how much water a failed pipe, or fitting releases while you're gone. EPCOR recommends opening and closing your stop and drain valve once a year so it still turns when you need it. Test it a week before you pack, not the morning you leave. Keep the heat at your normal setting and have someone walk through every couple of days. If your home has boiler heat, check with us first, since some systems draw make-up water from the supply.
Age is the bigger risk, and lead lines here are among the oldest in the ground. EPCOR says homes built before 1960 are the most likely to have lead service lines, and it has been replacing lead on the utility side since 2008. You own the section from the property line to the meter. If EPCOR mails you an annual lead notice, their records show lead on their portion, and yours is often lead too. Replacing both sections around the same time saves digging twice. Health Canada sets the maximum acceptable concentration of lead in drinking water at 0.005 mg/L.
Most of the time, no. We pinpoint the leak first, so if drywall has to open, it's one small access cut over the exact spot rather than a row of test holes. Behind tile or cabinetry, we'll talk through the least destructive way in before touching anything. Hang on to leftover paint or a spare tile if you have one, because matching the finish is often the slowest part of the patch-up.
Look for flexible grey plastic water lines, often stamped PB2110, at the water heater or along the ceiling of an unfinished basement. According to AlbertaRealtor.ca, Poly-B reached Canada as early as 1978, saw its widest use from 1985 to 1997, and was removed from the Canadian plumbing code in 2005. Homes built or renovated in that window deserve a close look. If you're selling or renewing insurance, confirm what you've got first, because some insurers ask about Poly-B directly.
Faster than most people expect. Health Canada advises fixing the leak and drying wet surfaces within 48 hours. Small patches under one square metre on hard surfaces such as metal or vinyl clean up with bleach, or soap and water, according to Health Canada, while larger areas call for a professional. Soaked drywall and carpet underlay usually have to come out. In a finished Edmonton basement, run a dehumidifier and fans right away, since concrete walls hold moisture long after the surface feels dry.
The quickest route is to request an appointment online or call our office. Before we arrive, turn off every fixture and see if the meter's low-flow dial moves, then tell us what you saw. That five-minute test helps your plumber decide where to start. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Edmonton will locate the leak, walk you through your repair options, and give you the price before any work begins. If we find a failing shut-off valve or a leaking pipe repair along the way, we'll quote that too. If a repair ever isn't done right, our Edmonton team makes it right.

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