Signs you need leak detection
Not every leak drips where you can see it. Water travels along joists and pipes before it shows, so a brown ring on a basement ceiling may be fed from a fitting a metre or more away. Watch for soft or lifting flooring, paint that bubbles, a musty smell in one closet, or the sound of running water when every tap is closed.
Your water meter is a quiet witness. If the small leak indicator on the dial keeps turning with everything off, water is going somewhere. Our guide to causes of low water pressure also covers how a significant supply leak can show up as weak flow at the taps.
How we approach it in Markham houses
We work from the least invasive step outward. First we isolate: closing fixture stops one at a time, separating hot from cold, and watching the meter to narrow the leak to a branch. Then we use moisture readings, thermal imaging where hot lines are involved, and listening to the pipe to find the likely spot.
Markham's housing stock shapes the search. Townhouses and semis built in the 1990s and later often run PEX or copper through finished ceilings with little access. Older bungalows may have galvanized or early copper lines with pinhole corrosion. Houses with a renovated basement add a layer of drywall that hides everything, so mapping the run before cutting matters.
Clues pointing to leak detection
- Water meter spinning with every tap closed.
- Green crust or pinholes on old copper.
- Brown rings growing on drywall under a bathroom.
- Pressure dropping when two taps run together.
Finding hidden leaks behind walls and ceilings
- Confirm there is a leak with a meter test and visible evidence.
- Decide whether it is supply (pressurised, constant) or drain (only when fixtures run).
- Narrow the location with isolation and moisture readings.
- Open a small, neat access point where the readings agree.
- Repair, test under pressure, and leave the opening ready for drywall finishing.
Before you call
- Take a photo of any stain and mark its edge in pencil to see whether it is spreading.
- Read the water meter, wait an hour without using water, and read it again.
- Know where your main shut-off is in case the leak worsens.
If a leak has already burst open, close the main valve and see burst pipe repair instead. A leak traced to a water heater fitting sometimes ends with a conversation about electric water heater installation. We regularly trace leaks in Greensborough townhouses, where shared walls complicate things.
Questions homeowners ask
Leak work makes people uneasy, mostly because of the fear of torn-up rooms. The answers below explain what to expect, and we are glad to talk through your particular stain or sound before booking a visit.
Markham note: village-core houses tend to hide cast iron and galvanized behind plaster, while Cornell and Box Grove builds run PEX to a manifold. We ask the year your house was built so the right fittings ride along on the truck.
Straight from the phone log
Will you have to cut open my walls?
Often a small access opening is needed for the repair itself, but careful isolation and moisture readings keep it to one location instead of several exploratory holes.
Can a leak raise my water bill without any visible water?
Yes. A running toilet or a leak under a slab or behind a wall can use a surprising amount of water with no stain at all. The meter test is the quickest way to check.
Is it a supply or a drain leak?
Supply leaks are constant because the pipe is always under pressure. Drain leaks appear only when a fixture above is used. That difference narrows the search quickly.
Ready to get it fixed?
One call, a clear explanation, and work finished tidily before we leave.