A water leak repair is the fix itself, as opposed to the search that finds a hidden one. When the leak is somewhere you can reach, under a sink, at a fixture, on an exposed run in the attic or garage, or at an outdoor hose bib, the work is direct: shut off the section, cut out the damaged piece, splice in new pipe or a new part, and pressure it back up to confirm it is dry.
In Foley the leaks we repair most often are the ones the coast is hard on. Hose bibs and outdoor valves corrode faster in salt air. Supply hoses to toilets and washing machines fail on their own schedule. Joints that were fine for years finally weep. None of these need the house torn apart, and putting off an easy repair is how a two minute fix becomes a soaked cabinet.
The leaks we fix on a normal week
Supply line failures
The braided hose behind a toilet or under a sink, or the line to the washing machine. Cheap to replace, expensive to ignore, and a leading cause of flooded rooms in empty homes.
Fixture and joint leaks
A weeping shutoff valve, a leaking p trap, a compression fitting that has given up. Reachable, and usually a quick part and a proper reseal.
Exposed pipe leaks
A pinhole or crack on a run you can see in the attic, garage or under the house. We cut out the bad section and splice in new pipe rated for the job.
Outdoor and hose bib leaks
Corroded spigots, split freeze damaged bibs and leaking irrigation tie ins that run up the bill without ever wetting the house.
The repair method follows the pipe. Copper gets cut and soldered or joined with a proper fitting; PEX gets a new crimp or expansion connection; a failed valve gets replaced rather than nursed along. What we do not do is smear the problem with tape and leave. A repair that is going to be behind a wall or under a house again needs to be one that holds, because the second callout to the same spot is the one that does the damage.
The cheap part that floods the most homes
A braided supply hose costs a few dollars and has a service life. When one lets go in an occupied home you hear it and shut the valve. When one lets go in an empty rental it runs until someone arrives. Replacing aging supply hoses on a turnover is the single easiest way to avoid the worst kind of water call on this coast.
When a repair turns into a bigger decision
Some leaks are a symptom rather than the whole story. If we open a wall and the copper is pocked with the start of several pinholes, patching one spot is a short term answer, and we will say so. That is the point where a conversation about repiping is more honest than a repair that fails again in six months. If the leak is under the slab rather than in a wall, it becomes slab leak repair instead. And if we cannot see where the water is coming from in the first place, the job starts with leak detection to find it.
Call before you keep mopping if you see
- Water pooling under a sink, behind a toilet or near the washer
- A hose bib or outdoor valve that drips even when closed
- A stain on a ceiling below an upstairs bathroom
- A fitting or valve that is green, crusty or damp to the touch
- Any active drip you have been catching in a bowl for a while
Questions Foley homeowners ask
Can most leaks be fixed in one visit?
An accessible leak usually can. If the failed pipe or part is somewhere we can reach and the replacement is standard, we carry what a common repair needs and fix it on the spot, then pressure test it before leaving. The jobs that take longer are the ones hiding behind finished walls or under the slab, where locating the leak comes first.
Is it worth fixing an old hose bib or should I replace it?
On the coast, replace it. Salt air corrodes outdoor brass and a freeze damaged bib will only get worse. A modern frost resistant hose bib is inexpensive and ends the seasonal drip, which is a better use of money than repairing a fitting that is already tired.
I turned off the water and the leak stopped. Do I still need a plumber?
Yes, and here is why. Shutting the main stops the immediate damage but it also leaves you without water, and the leak is still there. Getting it repaired restores the supply and, more importantly, means the next time the property sits empty the failure is not waiting to run. A stopped leak is a paused leak, not a fixed one.
The leak is behind a tiled wall. What happens then?
We locate the exact point first so the opening is as small as possible, make the repair, and leave the wall ready for a tile or drywall patch. We are upfront that some finish work follows a concealed leak repair, and we keep the access as tight as the repair allows rather than opening more than we need.
Got a leak you can point to?
Call and describe where the water is coming from. Most reachable leaks are a same visit repair once we are on site.