Seasonal home slab leak: what to know in Arizona
Winter residents and second-home owners leave the water connected. A slab leak in an empty house is not heard, felt or noticed on the bill until someone looks.
The cost builds quietly, and so does any damage to the floor.
Slab leak signs people notice
Have the meter result ready: what the dial did with everything off, and again with the irrigation off.
Water Bill Jumped? Call UsWhy Arizona homes get slab leaks
Arizona has a large seasonal population, particularly in the Valley and southern Arizona. Water sits in lines under the slab and the system stays under pressure while the house is empty.
A routine check before you leave and when you return can catch a problem early.
What to do about seasonal home slab leaks
Before leaving, note the main meter reading and ask someone to check it on a schedule. Consider whether the main shutoff can be closed while away if that suits your house.
On return, check the meter before using water. If it moved while the house was empty, call.
What a leak detection technician does
A technician can meet you or a property manager at the house, test the lines and find the leak. Access arrangements can be made for a house that is empty.
Findings and options are explained by phone or in person.
Calls are answered around the clock, and same-day visits are the aim.
Speak With Someone LocalBefore you leave and when you return
A house left empty for weeks can run a leak the whole time. Before leaving, note the meter reading, shut off the main if you prefer, and tell someone to check the meter.
When you return, read the meter again. A change with nobody home points to a leak or to water on a timer, such as irrigation.
Do not leave irrigation or equipment adjustments to guesswork. If it is on a timer, check that it ran as expected.
If the meter has moved and the house was quiet, call before running everything.
Before you leave for the season
Read the meter with everything off and write down the number and the date. Take a photo of the dial if that is easier. This one reading is the most useful thing you can leave behind, because it lets anyone compare later.
If you can reach the main shutoff safely, consider closing it while the house is empty. A leak cannot run for months if no water reaches the lines. If you leave the main on for irrigation or a pool, note that too.
Ask a neighbor, friend or caretaker to look in from time to time. They do not need to do anything technical: a walk through the house to look for damp floors or listen for running water is enough. Give them the number to call if something seems wrong.
Leave a note with the year the home was built, any earlier leaks and where the main shutoff is. If someone needs to call on your behalf, they will have what the dispatcher asks for.
When you come back
Before you run any water, read the meter with everything off and compare it to your note. If the number has moved and the main was off, something else is going on and is worth asking about. If the main was on and the number has risen with no one home, water has been leaving the house.
Walk the house and look for the usual signs: a warm spot, damp baseboards, lifting tile, grout that stays dark or a musty corner. Listen in a quiet room for a hiss.
If the irrigation was running while you were away, switch the controller off and read the meter again. That separates yard use from a leak under the house.
Write down what you find and call with the readings. Same-day visits are the aim.
A high bill while you are away
Many seasonal owners find out about a leak from a bill that arrives while they are somewhere else. If a bill is higher than an empty house should use, ask someone local to read the meter with everything off.
If no one can check, call and explain. The dispatcher can tell you what is possible and what access would be needed.
A bill alone does not prove a slab leak. Irrigation, a pool auto-fill or a running toilet can all add up over weeks. The meter check with the controller off separates most of these.
When the leak is found, the technician marks it and explains the options. If you are not there, agree in advance who can approve the work.
Arranging a visit while you are away
If a leak is suspected while you are away, someone local needs to let the crew in. A neighbor, a friend, a caretaker or a property manager can all do this.
Give the dispatcher their name and number, and yours. Agree in advance who can approve work.
The technician locates the leak, marks it and explains the options. If you are not there, they can describe the findings by phone.
Nothing is booked until someone with authority agrees. If that is you, be ready to take the call.
Ask for the findings in writing so you have them when you return.
Irrigation and pools in empty homes
Many seasonal owners leave irrigation running to keep plants alive, and leave pools full. Both draw water through the meter while the house is empty.
If the main is left on for these, a slab leak can run alongside them unnoticed.
Some owners set up a separate shutoff for the house, so irrigation can stay on while the house lines are closed. A plumber can advise on that.
If you leave everything on, ask whoever checks the house to read the meter with the irrigation off now and then.
On return, do the meter checks before using any water.
A checklist for leaving
Read the meter with everything off and note the reading.
Close the main if you can reach it safely, or note that it is open.
Arrange for someone to look in from time to time.
Leave the dispatcher number and your contact details with them.
Leave a note with the year built, any earlier leaks and where the main shutoff is.
A typical return-home call
An owner returns in autumn after five months away. The main was left on for irrigation. The house smells slightly musty, and a guest bedroom carpet is damp along one wall.
With everything off and the irrigation controller off, the meter still turns. Testing finds a leak on the cold line to the guest bathroom, under the bedroom.
Because the leak ran for some time with nobody home, the area under the floor may have been wet for weeks. The technician describes what they see if the floor is opened, which helps any restoration trade that follows.
The owner chooses a repair, and before the next trip away decides to close the main and run irrigation from a separate line. A plumber can advise on that separately.
Nothing is opened until the leak is marked and you have heard the options.
Need a Leak Located? Call UsQuestions about seasonal home slab leaks
Should I turn off the water when I leave?
Closing the main is common practice. Ask the technician what suits your system.
Can someone let you in?
Yes, with your agreement. Tell us who will be there and how to reach them when you book, which is common for homes that sit empty part of the year.
Will a long leak damage the floor?
It can. Report what you find.
Do you offer monitoring?
No. The technicians we connect you with locate and repair slab leaks.
Should I shut off the main when I leave?
Many people do. It is a personal choice.
What if a neighbor checks the house?
Ask them to read the meter and look for dampness. Tell us what they find when you call.
Can a leak run for months?
Yes, if no one is there to notice. A meter reading on return, with everything off, is the first check.
What should I tell the crew?
How long the house was empty and what the meter showed. That helps the technician start in the right place.