When a hidden leak is an emergency
A drip under a sink is a repair. Water coming through a ceiling, a wall that is wet to the touch or a floor that feels warm and damp is different, because the leak is active and the structure is taking it in.
Close the main shutoff valve, then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the lines. If water is near a light fixture or outlet, stay away and switch off that circuit at the panel only if the panel is dry and you can reach it safely. Then call, any hour. We offer same-day appointments when available.
- Water staining or dripping from a ceiling.
- A wall, baseboard or floor that is wet with no visible source.
- Warm spots on a floor or the sound of running water when everything is off.
- A water meter that keeps moving with every fixture closed.
The water meter that will not stop running
The meter is the fastest way to learn whether you have a leak at all. If it moves while nobody is using water, water is escaping somewhere between the meter and the fixtures. The test takes about half an hour and needs no tools.
- Stop every use. Turn off the dishwasher, washer and ice maker, and make sure no one flushes a toilet or runs a tap.
- Find the meter. It is usually in a lidded box near the street or inside the home where the water line enters. Lift the lid carefully and wipe the dial clean.
- Look at the leak indicator. Most meters have a small triangle or star dial that spins at the slightest flow. If it turns with everything off, water is moving.
- Confirm with a reading. Write down the numbers, wait 30 minutes without using water, then read again. Any change means a leak.
If the number moved, shut the main valve and look at the meter again. A meter that stops after the main is closed puts the leak inside your property. A meter that keeps running with the main closed points to a problem on the utility side of the valve.
High water bill and who to call about it
A bill that jumps with no change in habits is often the first sign of a leak, and a running toilet is the most common source. Drop a little food coloring in the tank, wait 15 minutes without flushing, and see whether color reaches the bowl.
For questions about the bill itself, such as readings, billing periods or an adjustment, call Missouri American Water at 866-430-0820, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We find and fix the leak. The utility decides what happens on your account, and we cannot change that for you.
A plumber is on the 24/7 line now. Call before more water reaches the drywall.
Call (855) 575-2890Leaks in ceilings, walls, attics and slabs
Ceiling, wall and attic leaks
Water travels. A stain in a ceiling can start at a supply line or drain several feet away, and a wet attic can come from a roof, a condensate line or a pipe. We trace the path back, open as little drywall as we can and confirm the source before anything is cut.
Slab leaks
A pipe under a concrete floor can leak for months without a puddle. Signs include a warm patch on the floor, a hissing sound at night, cracked flooring and a meter that runs when the house is quiet. Reaching the pipe means opening the slab or rerouting the line overhead, and we explain both options before work starts.
Leaks under the house and in crawlspaces
A crawlspace or the space under a floor hides leaks for a long time. The first signs are usually a musty smell, a floor that feels soft or warm in one spot, or a meter that moves when every fixture is off.
Look at the underside of the floor with a flashlight if you can reach it safely, and check for dripping pipes, wet insulation and pooled water. Do not crawl into a space with standing water near wiring. Shut off the main valve, take photos and call, because a small supply leak under the floor can soak insulation and subfloor for weeks.
Drain leaks and supply leaks look different. A drain leak shows up only when water is running down a fixture, while a supply leak keeps going when nothing is in use.
Buried lines, yards, irrigation and pools
Leaks outside the house are found by their symptoms. A soggy patch of yard that stays wet in dry weather, a spot where grass grows greener than the rest, or water pooling around the meter box can all point to a line that is leaking underground.
A sprinkler system adds its own lines and valves, so a leak there may be an irrigation problem and not the house supply. Closing the irrigation shutoff and watching the meter helps separate the two. Pool and spa leaks are a specialty of their own, and we point you to the right trade when the leak is in the pool equipment instead of the house plumbing.
For a failing line between the meter and the house, see water line repair and replacement.
How leaks are located, in honest terms
No single tool finds every leak. We start with the simple checks, a meter test and a pressure test on the lines, because they tell us whether a leak exists and roughly which section holds it.
| Method | What it does | Honest limit |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure test | Isolates a line and watches for a pressure drop | Shows a leak exists, not where |
| Acoustic listening | Microphones pick up the sound of escaping water | Plastic pipe and background noise can muffle it |
| Infrared camera | Shows temperature differences in a surface | Finds a clue, usually needs another method to confirm |
| Moisture meter | Reads dampness in drywall and wood | Marks wet areas, not the pipe itself |
Infrared does not see through walls, and it cannot spot a leak by itself. It shows cool or warm patches that a plumber then checks against sound and pressure results. Anyone who promises to see a leak with one gadget is overselling it.
What decides the price of finding a leak
Leak detection is priced by how much searching the job takes, not by a flat rate. We give a clear price before work starts, after we have heard your symptoms and looked at the layout.
Water damage coverage varies by policy and by whether the leak was sudden or slow. Ask your insurer before you file, and take photos before anything is dried out or removed.
Hazelwood water service and your meter
Water in Hazelwood comes from Missouri American Water, which is the utility to call about your meter, your billing and anything on its side of the shutoff. Your own plumbing starts on the house side, so a meter that runs with the main closed is a call to the utility first.
Plumbing permits here run through St. Louis County by way of the city, and a repair that opens a wall or a slab may need one. If the leak turns out to be a failed line from the street, see water line repair and replacement. For a pipe that has already let go, see burst pipe repair. Calls from Florissant and the nearby towns come to the same line, for example on our Florissant plumber page.
The testing chapter of the International Plumbing Code (IPC) describes pressure tests for water and drain piping, which is the same basic idea behind isolating and pressure-testing a suspect line. Acoustic and infrared tools narrow down where to look, and a pressure test confirms whether a line holds.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call, tell us where the water is showing up, and close the main valve while you wait. We offer same-day appointments when available.
Turn off every fixture and appliance, find the meter and look at the small leak indicator dial. If it spins, or the reading changes after 30 minutes with no water use, water is escaping somewhere.
Check the toilets first with food coloring in the tank, then run the meter test. Call Missouri American Water at 866-430-0820 for billing questions. If the meter shows a leak, call us to find it.
Often we can narrow it to a section using pressure testing and listening gear before any cutting. Some leaks still need an opening to confirm, and we explain that before we start.
No. It shows temperature differences, which are clues. We combine it with pressure tests, sound and moisture readings to confirm where the water is leaving the pipe.
Yes. We state a clear price before work starts, once we have seen the layout and know how much searching and access the job needs.
Questions about your situation? A licensed plumber is on the line any hour.
Call (855) 575-2890