A water bill that jumped 30% with no change in usage. A ceiling stain that keeps reappearing after painting. A soft spot in flooring with no visible source. These are signs of a hidden leak that's been running long enough to cause structural damage โ and every day it runs is money lost and damage accumulating. Masters Plumbing Service uses acoustic ground microphones, thermal imaging cameras, and precision pressure decay testing to locate leaks in Burlington homes without speculative demolition.

A pressure test tells us a leak exists. Detection equipment tells us precisely where.
Most effective on metal pipe under slab or in concrete โ materials that conduct sound efficiently. We establish a clean acoustic baseline by briefly shutting off the house before scanning.
Active water leaks create temperature differentials on the surfaces they contact. An infrared camera shows these as color-coded heat maps, revealing the wet zone inside a wall or under a floor without any cutting. A cold water leak behind drywall appears as a spreading cool zone; a hot water leak shows the inverse.
Pressure decay testing is the standard by which we confirm a leak is present before committing detection equipment time. A rapid drop vs. a slow one also indicates the approximate size of the escape point.
For leaks that don't produce sufficient acoustic signature โ very slow leaks, polyethylene pipe, or leaks deep under concrete โ we introduce a nitrogen/hydrogen tracer gas mixture into the isolated pipe and use a calibrated gas detector at the surface to find where the gas escapes. Sensitive to concentrations far below what produces an audible acoustic signal.
Our detection service covers the full property, not just the obvious locations.
Supply lines running under or through the concrete slab fail from corrosion, shifting, or manufacturing defects โ and the leak is invisible from the surface but audible to acoustic equipment. We walk the floor on a grid pattern, map the loudest detection points, and triangulate to a specific floor location, typically within a square foot. Confirmed slab leak location is documented with marked coordinates for the repair crew.

We document the thermal anomaly, mark the approximate pipe location, and recommend a minimal access cut rather than a wide wall opening โ typically saving hundreds in drywall repair costs.
Supply lines between the meter and the structure run underground and are vulnerable to corrosion, ground movement, and root damage. A main supply line leak shows as high meter usage with all interior fixtures off, sometimes with wet ground or sinkholes along the line path. Acoustic detection locates the failure in the buried line precisely enough to minimize excavation footprint โ we mark the surface above the leak so the repair crew opens only the section they need to.
Pool plumbing โ suction and return lines buried between the equipment pad and the shell โ develops leaks at fittings or in the pipe body that show as unexplained water loss. We pressure-test the pool plumbing circuit, isolate return and suction lines separately, and use acoustic detection to find which line and where.

We format detection reports specifically for insurance submission and provide documentation on our detection equipment and methodology to claims adjusters on request.
Commercial buildings have complex pipe networks where a supply or drain leak can go undetected through multiple floors before surfacing. We approach commercial detection systematically โ zone-by-zone pressure isolation, thermal scan of suspect surfaces, and acoustic confirmation.
Finding a hidden leak isn't a single step โ it's a protocol that combines water loss confirmation, zone isolation, and targeted detection in sequence.
We start at the meter. All fixtures off, we watch the meter for 10 minutes. Movement confirms active water loss from the supply side. We also check for visible evidence โ stains, soft floors, moisture readings with a moisture meter at suspect wall surfaces.
Zone isolation turns "there's a leak somewhere in the house" into "the leak is on the hot side supply between the water heater and the master bath."
We document findings with thermal images and note detection readings at multiple grid points to triangulate the strongest signal.
Insurance-formatted reports are available for claims submission at the same standard โ no additional cost.

My water bill doubled over three months. Masters Plumbing Service confirmed the meter was moving with everything off, isolated the cold supply to the kitchen as the failing branch, and used the acoustic device on the slab to pinpoint a location 4 feet from the outside wall under the kitchen floor. The repair crew opened a 10-inch circle in the tile, found a pinhole copper elbow exactly where detection said it would be. I was genuinely amazed at the precision.
Our insurance company required professional leak detection documentation before approving the claim. Masters Plumbing Service's written report with pressure test data and thermal imagery was exactly what the adjuster needed. Claim approved. The detection cost was covered as part of the claim.
Commercial building with elevated water costs for six months. Masters Plumbing Service ran zone-by-zone pressure isolation across four floors, narrowed the loss to the third-floor kitchen supply branch, and located the failure with thermal imaging at a concealed valve body in the ceiling. No damage to the finished ceiling.
Masters Plumbing Service provides professional Leak Detection for residential and commercial properties throughout Burlington and the surrounding Burlington, WI service area. Detection appointments available most weekdays and Saturdays.

Call now to schedule โ most detection appointments available within 24โ48 hours.
๐ Call +1-844-833-0201 Now