Slab Leak Detection & Repair in Commerce City

Acoustic listening is the first tool on a slab leak call in Commerce City. A sensitive ground-contact microphone picks up the pressurized hiss of water escaping through a fracture, and correlation software triangulates the position by comparing signal arrival time at two listening points. The math gives a location accurate to a few inches, which means the core drill that follows goes exactly where it needs to go, not where the wet spot appeared on the surface.

That precision matters in Adams County because of the soil under the slab. Bentonite clay in the Reunion and Belle Creek service area heaves 1 to 2 inches vertically with each seasonal moisture cycle. The clay expands when the South Platte alluvial zone wets out in spring and contracts again when Commerce City’s semi-arid summers arrive. Each cycle applies mechanical stress to the PEX or copper supply lines embedded in the slab, especially at fittings and at anchor points. A pressure-test gauge drop confirms which circuit is failing; acoustic detection then finds where along that circuit the fracture is.

How We Detect Slab Leaks

Pressure testing comes first. We shut off all fixtures, pressurize each supply circuit individually, and monitor gauge behavior over a set interval. A hot-water circuit losing 10 PSI in five minutes while the cold circuit holds steady tells us which line to focus acoustic equipment on. That targeting cuts detection time significantly for most Commerce City slab-leak calls.

Thermal imaging complements acoustic work in hot-water line failures. A supply line carrying 120-degree water and leaking into the slab sub-base warms the concrete surface above the fracture. A calibrated infrared camera maps that temperature differential. Commerce City’s cold winters are an advantage here: the contrast between a heated concrete section and the surrounding cold slab is sharper in January than in July, making wintertime thermal detection more reliable in Reunion and Belle Creek slab-on-grade homes.

Tracer gas handles cases where plastic pipe attenuates the acoustic signal. A nitrogen-hydrogen blend injected into the isolated circuit permeates through the fracture and the slab aggregate and surfaces above the leak point. A sensitive probe sweeps the floor surface and identifies the concentration peak, locating the breach to within about 6 inches regardless of pipe material.

Slab Leak Repair Options

Spot repair means a single core drill directly over the confirmed leak location, pipe replacement at the failure point, and concrete patch. It works well for an isolated fitting failure in a newer Reunion or Belle Creek home where the rest of the circuit is serviceable. A 4-inch core drill is less disruptive than most homeowners expect, and the repair typically completes in a single day.

Pipe rerouting runs new supply line above the slab through walls and ceiling space, bypassing the failed section entirely. No concrete is cut along the old pipe route. This approach suits homes where aging galvanized or 1960s-era type-M copper is embedded in the slab and the surrounding pipe is at similar risk. Rerouting addresses the current failure and avoids the serial-repair pattern that follows spot-repairing an aging circuit on an accelerating failure timeline.

Epoxy liner injection coats the interior of the pipe and seals the fracture without concrete removal, in specific scenarios where the pipe geometry is intact and accessible. We will tell you clearly when it applies and when it does not.

Commerce City Slab Leak Context

SACWSD delivered water at roughly 21 grains per gallon until the 2021 centralized softening project dropped that to about 7 grains per gallon. That pre-2021 very-hard water left decades of mineral deposits in the copper supply lines of homes built before the softening rollout. Type-M copper in 1960s–80s Commerce City tract homes is hitting the corrosion window where pitting opens into perforations. For a SACWSD bill spike or warm floor patch in an Adams County home, call (303) 552-3896 for pressure testing before any walls or slabs are opened.

Call 24/7: (303) 552-3896

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I have a slab leak in Commerce City?

Signs include a sudden SACWSD bill increase with no change in usage, warm spots on concrete floors most noticeable in winter, a faint sound of running water when all fixtures are off, and damp flooring at baseboard level. Front Range bentonite clay shifts seasonally, stressing PEX and copper supply lines embedded in slabs across Adams County.

What detection methods do you use for slab leaks?

Acoustic ground-contact listening, electronic correlation triangulating from two listening points, thermal imaging cameras for hot-water line temperature differentials, pressure testing to isolate which circuit is compromised, and tracer gas for plastic pipe where acoustic signal attenuation limits accuracy.

Is non-invasive slab leak detection available in Commerce City?

Yes. Acoustic, thermal, and tracer gas detection locate the leak from the surface without cutting concrete or opening walls. Core drilling only happens once the fracture location is confirmed to within a few inches by detection equipment.

Slab Leak Detection & Repair in Commerce City, CO