Leak Detection in North Vancouver
The water bill went up and nobody can say where it's going.
- Google rating
- 5.0
- Verified reviews
- 104
- Service in
- English
A leak that isn't surfacing yet is found the same way a break that already has is — acoustic listening equipment and ground radar locate it without excavating the yard first to look for it. That matters most on a leak nobody can see: a rising bill, a patch of grass that's greener than the rest, or a water meter that keeps turning with every tap in the house shut off.
Their level of courtesy and professionalism was of the highest standard. And the way they conducted the post job clean up (each day and at the end of the project) left my property looking better than when they started. In sum, I would strongly recommend Modern Drainage to anyone.
What to check, and what to ask
General guidance for homeowners, not specific to your system — worth knowing before you book anyone, including us.
-
The water meter is a free leak test you can run tonight
With every fixture off and nobody using water, the meter's leak indicator (often a small triangular or spinning dial) should not move. If it does, the leak is somewhere in the system between the meter and every fixture that was off.
-
A bill that jumped with no change in habits is a real signal
A sudden, sustained increase in water usage with nothing different in how the household uses water is one of the more reliable early signs of a hidden leak, often before any visible sign shows up.
-
Sound-based detection exists before anything is opened up
Acoustic listening equipment can often narrow a hidden leak's location along a pipe run without opening a wall or a slab first. Ask whether this step happens before cutting into anything is discussed.
-
A running toilet is the most common hidden leak of all, and the cheapest
A worn flapper valve lets water run silently from the tank into the bowl, and it is often mistaken for a much larger problem. It is also one of the easier repairs there is, once identified.
Try these first
-
1. Run the water meter test
Everything off, nobody using water, and watch the meter's leak indicator for a few minutes. Movement with everything off is close to proof of a leak somewhere in the system.
-
2. Check every toilet with a few drops of food colouring
A drop or two in the tank, left for ten minutes without flushing. Colour showing up in the bowl means the flapper is letting water through — one of the most common hidden leaks there is, and one of the easiest confirmed.
-
3. Check under every sink and behind every toilet for dampness
A supply line, a shutoff valve or a connection that feels even slightly wet or shows mineral staining is worth noting and photographing.
-
4. Pull your last few water bills
Line them up and look for a jump with no change in how the household uses water. Have the numbers ready when you call.
-
5. Note anything unusual you can hear
A hiss, a trickle, or running water with every fixture off — and where in the house it is loudest. Sound travels along pipes, so loudest is a clue, not a guarantee.
Before you call
- The meter keeps moving even with everything off — what does that mean?
- Water is going somewhere between the meter and the house, or somewhere in the service line itself, even though nothing inside is running. It's the clearest sign of a leak that hasn't surfaced yet, and it's worth acting on before it does.
Tell Mike Hartman what's going on
604-984-4343Mike Hartman will call you back on the number you left.
- Address
- 165 Amherst Avenue, North Vancouver, BC V7H 1S5
- Service Area
- North Vancouver · Burnaby · Vancouver · Coquitlam
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, from 8am