When a plumber couldn't find the leak but the meter at your Las Vegas, NV home still says water is going somewhere, both can be right. That combination usually points to a leak that only runs part of the time, or one buried where nobody can look. Leak Detection Las Vegas only locates leaks in Las Vegas, NV homes, so this is the part of the job we do all day. If the bill started this, our high water bill investigation in Las Vegas begins from the same meter you can read yourself.
Why can a plumber miss a leak?
When a plumber cannot find a leak, it is usually because the leak only runs part of the time, such as an irrigation zone on its watering day, or because it is somewhere a repair visit cannot see, like under the slab or in the buried line from the meter. Neither means the plumber did a poor job.
A repair visit is set up to fix what it can see: a dripping valve, a failed supply hose. Locating an unseen leak is a separate sequence. It proves water is moving, then splits the plumbing into sections until only one can account for the loss. Treat the empty visit as information: the leak is probably not in the obvious places.
First, prove the leak is still there
The Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) gives the simplest test: turn off all water inside and outside, then watch the red or white flow-indicator triangle on the meter. If it still moves, there may be a leak. Then close the house shut-off valve. Per LVVWD's guidance, a triangle still moving with that valve closed points to a leak underground between the valve and the meter; if it stops, the leak is elsewhere on the property.
In Henderson, NV the test works the same way; the utility there is City of Henderson Utility Services.
If the triangle sits still with everything off, do not conclude there is no leak yet. Read on.
- 1Meter box. Lift the lid to see the water meter.
- 2Flow-indicator triangle (red or white) on the meter face. With all water off inside and outside the home, a triangle that is still moving means there may be a leak.
- 3Meter dial and sweep hand, which record the water that passes through the meter.
- 4Service line from the meter to the house. If the triangle still moves with the house shut-off valve closed, the leak is likely underground on this line.
- 5House shut-off valve. Close it and check the triangle again: if it stops, the leak is elsewhere on the property.
Leaks that only run part of the time
A plumber sees the house for an hour or two. Plenty of leaks are not running during that hour.
Irrigation is the big one. LVVWD's mandatory watering schedule allows sprinkler watering six days a week, Monday to Saturday, from May to August; three days a week in March, April, September and October; and one day a week from November to February, with no Sunday sprinkler watering. A cracked drip fitting only leaks while its zone runs, which in winter can be one morning a week. A visit on any other day sees a quiet meter and a dry yard.
Toilets come next. LVVWD states that more than 20 percent of gravity-flush toilets leak, and a flapper that only slips after a flush can stay silent through a whole visit if nobody uses that toilet.
Then there are the loads that run on their own: a softener regenerating on a timer, often overnight; a pool auto-fill topping up; a water heater relief valve that weeps only when pressure builds.
The method that catches these is dull and reliable. Find out when each automatic load runs (irrigation start times, softener regeneration setting, auto-fill schedule), read the meter at those times, and write down moving or still with the time beside it. A leak that only shows at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday is a leak on whatever runs at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday.
If the pattern points to a sprinkler line, the repair belongs to an irrigation contractor. Leak Detection Las Vegas does not repair irrigation.
Meter moving on a schedule? Talk to a Leak Detection Specialist.
Leaks a repair visit cannot see
The second family runs all the time but sits behind concrete, drywall or soil: hot or cold lines under a slab, supply lines inside walls, the underground service line between the meter and the house valve, and buried drip lines in the yard.
Desert soil can make this harder. Dry ground can absorb a slow underground leak without a wet spot ever reaching the surface, so a dry yard is weak evidence.
If the clues point under the floor (a warm patch on tile, running water heard with every fixture off), that is the work of slab leak detection las vegas homeowners book before any concrete is broken.
An order of checks before the next visit
Each step either finds the leak or removes a section from the list. For the full list of causes behind a bill spike, read why Las Vegas water bills jump; this list is about narrowing.
- Turn off every fixture, appliance and the irrigation controller, then check the meter triangle.
- Close the house shut-off valve and re-read it.
- Dye-test each toilet: food coloring in the tank, no flushing, check the bowl after about 15 minutes.
- On an assigned watering day, run each irrigation zone by hand with the meter in view.
- Turn the pool auto-fill off for 24 hours and compare.
- Put the water softener in bypass and re-read.
- Close the cold supply valve on the water heater and re-read. If the creep stops, the leak is on the hot side.
- Note the times the meter moves and what was scheduled to run at each.
Step 7 is the one few people know. Closing the heater's cold inlet cuts water to every hot line while the cold lines stay live, so the meter tells you which half of the plumbing is losing water. Set the heater to vacation or pilot while you test.
If step 3 or 4 finds it, you may not need anyone. A flapper is a cheap part.
When a leak detection specialist is the next call
If the meter still moves after that list, the next step changes in kind. A detection visit isolates each system, then works the remaining section: pressure-testing line segments, listening with acoustic ground microphones, scanning floors over hot lines with thermal imaging, and in some cases tracer gas where water-based methods struggle. Ground-penetrating radar can help map where lines run. None of it is exotic; it is just not what a repair visit is built around.
There is no repair to sell at the end. The output is where the water is going, marked so your plumber opens one spot. For the step-by-step version, read how does leak detection work, or see what finding a hidden leak in your home involves.
What to have ready before the visit
- Recent bills or the LVVWD flow notice
- What the plumber tested and ruled out
- Your meter readings, each with a time
- Irrigation zones and start times
- Access to the meter box, water heater and pool equipment
- Any warm or damp spots
LVVWD contacts account holders when its meters record continuous flow for at least three days, so a notice is worth bringing: it shows water ran around the clock, even on days the house looked quiet.
If the leak turns out to be outside the house
An irrigation line or valve goes to an irrigation contractor. A leak on the street side of the meter goes to the water provider: LVVWD for Las Vegas, NV and unincorporated Clark County, City of Henderson Utility Services in Henderson, NV, and your city's utility in North Las Vegas, NV. A leak between the meter and the house valve is the owner's, and goes to your plumber once pinpointed.
Book a Leak Detection Visit
Meter still moving after a clean visit? Book a leak detection visit and bring your meter notes.
