
Signs You Might Have a Leak
Here are things to look (and listen) for to detect a leak:
- Dripping: If you can hear dripping when the house is quiet, there’s a leak somewhere. To test it, turn on the faucet in one room and then go into an adjacent room to listen. You may hear a “drip-drip-drip” sound. Sometimes homeowners hear a hissing sound. That could indicate a hidden leak, perhaps underground.
- Low water pressure: If your taps run slower than usual, that could indicate a drop in water pressure. It may not be due to a leak, but you need a professional plumber to run a diagnostic test.
- Strange odors: Any time you notice a foul odor near the toilet, you need professional plumbing help. It’s an indicator of a gas leak and is dangerous to your health and home not to act immediately.
- Leaky showerhead: Check the connection behind the showerhead, and if it’s wet or drippy, it needs to be tightened. If it still leaks, you need to contact your plumber to ask if you can fix it yourself. If not, you’ll need a pro.
- Running toilet: When you have to “jiggle the handle” to stop the toilet from running, that’s a temporary fix. However, if there’s nothing you can do to stop the toilet running, contact your local plumber sooner rather than later.
- Damp or warped under-sink cabinets: As soon as you see damp or warped wood in a bathroom or kitchen cabinet, check the pipes for leaks. The U-shaped bend in under-sink pipes is the most vulnerable site for plumbing leaks. Because there’s little-to-no airflow in under-sink cabinets and vanities, it’s a prime area for mold. Catching a leak here can literally save you thousands of dollars in damages.
- Water spots: Water spots may appear beneath a leaky ceiling and on the walls where there’s a hidden leak. When wet, the water spots are yellow or brownish. For example, if you see water spots on your ceiling – namely the one located directly underneath a bathroom – that’s the likely problem area.
It’s beneficial to take a monthly walk around your home to look for leaks. Most homeowners also schedule a plumbing inspection every two years and regular maintenanceto keep everything running smoothly and avoid leaks.
How Leak Detection Works
There are a couple of ways your professional plumber will locate plumbing leaks:
- We can pump a non-toxic tracer gas into the pipes. When the gas reaches the leak location, it fizzes, and our electronic listening device picks up the sound.
- Another method is using a miniature camera mounted on long fiber optic cables. The camera images show us the inside of your pipes and any problem areas.
- Leaking water from a pipe changes temperature when released. Heat scanners can find leaks by detecting temperature shifts.

Staggs Plumbing For Leak Detection in Plano
The best tool for leak detection in Plano is a trained, experienced, professional plumber. We’ve been trusted plumbing pros in Texas since 1990, and here’s proof:
- Angie’s List (Angi) – ★★★★★
- Better Business Bureau – ★★★★★
- Birdeye – ★★★★★
- Facebook – ★★★★/☆
- Top Rated Local® – ★★★★★
- Yelp – ★★★★/☆
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Everyone was very professional and did their best to accommodate any requests we had. They can in to fix a leaky kitchen sink and ended up helping us with 2 faucets, our tub, and a toilet handle. April and Nick were awesome!
Aurora B.
