Rising Water Bills or a Stain on the Ceiling?
Tommy Bynum finds hidden water leaks in Gastonia and Gaston County homes: inside walls, under floors, in crawl spaces and on the line from your water meter. Call (704) 825-4463 and tell us what you’re seeing. We’ve been in Gastonia homes since 1979, and leak detection is the same phone number and the same company that handles your heating and air.
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What Does Leak Detection Cover?
Leak detection is finding where water is escaping when you can’t see the source. The first sign is usually indirect: a water bill that jumped, a stain spreading across a ceiling, a floor that feels warm or soft, or the sound of water running with every fixture off. Tommy Bynum confirms there is a leak, narrows down where it is, and tells you what it will take to reach it before anything gets opened up. If you can already see the leak, you need a plumbing repair, not detection.
What Are the Signs of a Hidden Water Leak?
A hidden leak usually shows up somewhere other than where it starts. Water runs along pipes, framing and joists before it appears, so a stain on the ceiling can sit several feet from the joint that failed. The signs below tell us where to look first. If water is coming through a ceiling, wall or floor right now, shut off the main valve and call (704) 825-4463. We take emergency calls 24/7. Everything else can be booked.
| What you notice | Where it usually points |
|---|---|
| Water bill higher with no change in how you use water | A toilet first, since a worn flapper leaks silently. Then a supply line you can't see |
| Water running with every fixture off | A toilet refilling, or a pressurized line leaking in a wall or under the floor |
| A stain on the ceiling under a bathroom | The tub, shower or toilet above, often a seal or drain connection rather than a supply line |
| A stain on an upstairs ceiling in summer | The air conditioner's condensate drain, especially with an attic or upstairs unit |
| A warm spot on a slab floor | A hot water line leaking under the concrete |
Where Do Hidden Leaks Start in Gastonia Homes?
In most Gastonia homes, a hidden leak starts in one of three places: the service line between the water meter and the house, a supply line under the floor, or, in summer, an air conditioner drain that looks like a plumbing leak. Which one is likeliest depends on the house. The median Gastonia home was built in 1979, and nearly four in ten predate 1970, so many are still on supply lines that old unless they’ve been replaced. Knowing the likely source before anyone arrives keeps the search short and the opening small.
The service line from your meter to the house
The pipe from the water meter to your house belongs to you. Two Rivers Utilities maintains the line up to the meter; everything past it is yours. To tell which side the leak is on, close the main shutoff where the line enters the house. If the meter keeps moving, the leak is between the meter and the house. A leak on that buried stretch usually shows up as a soggy patch in the yard, a higher bill, or pressure that has dropped across the whole house. Two Rivers publishes a service line map, searchable by address, that shows the recorded material on your side of the meter. Galvanized lines corrode from the inside and tend to keep leaking after a spot repair.
Under the floor: crawl spaces and slabs
Where the leak sits under the floor decides most of the cost. In a crawl-space house the pipes are exposed, so a leak usually leaves dripping, a wet spot or damp insulation that can be traced by eye. In a slab house the lines run in or under the concrete, and the signs are indirect: flooring that has cracked or lifted, or a warm spot over a hot water line.
Upstairs ceiling leaks in summer: check the air conditioner
A water stain on an upstairs ceiling in July is often not plumbing at all. An air conditioner pulls water out of the air and sends it down a condensate drain line. When that line clogs, or a unit in the attic sits out of level, the water comes through the ceiling instead. Our HVAC technicians find this regularly. One customer’s leak through the ceiling and between the walls turned out to be the drain lines on an upstairs split air conditioning system. Because we handle both, you don’t pay a plumber to rule out the plumbing and then call someone else for the AC.
How We Find a Leak
Finding a leak follows the same order every time, and you get a price before anything is opened. We start at the water meter to confirm there is a leak, then narrow it down one fixture and one section of line at a time before touching a wall or floor. Most of what a hidden leak costs is reaching it, so the point of the search is a small opening in the right place instead of a large one in the wrong place.
The four steps
01. You describe what you’re seeing. We tell you what to shut off, whether it can wait, and when we can be there.
02. We confirm the leak and narrow it down. We read the meter with every fixture off, then rule things out until the search points to one area.
03. You get the price before anything is opened. If reaching the leak means cutting into drywall or flooring, you know that and the cost first. If the search takes longer than one visit, you’ll know why and what it costs before we continue.
04. We fix it and give you the paperwork. Your invoice describes the leak and the repair, which is what the City of Gastonia asks for with a leak adjustment request.
Leak Detection Across Gaston County
We find and fix leaks in Gastonia, Belmont and Kings Mountain, and across Gaston County from our shop at 2232 Plastics Drive in Gastonia. Leak credits on your water bill depend on which town bills you. Gastonia can credit part of both the water and the sewer charges. Belmont adjusts the sewer portion of the bill. If another utility bills you, ask about its leak policy before the repair, so you know which receipts to keep.
Leak Detection Questions From Gastonia Homeowners
It depends on how hard the leak is to reach, which is why we price it after looking rather than over the phone. The visit starts with the same $95 diagnostic as any repair call, and it’s waived when you approve the repair. A leak on exposed pipe is often found and fixed in that visit. If pinning down a leak under a slab or behind finished walls takes longer, you get that price before we go further.
Check the meter. The EPA’s test is simple: read your water meter, use no water for two hours, then read it again. If the reading changed at all, you probably have a leak. Worn toilet flappers are among the most common household leaks, and you can test a toilet by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes without a flush, the flapper is leaking. If the toilets pass and the meter still moves, the leak is likely in a line or valve you can’t see, and that’s when to call us.
It depends on which side of the meter the leak is on. Two Rivers Utilities maintains the water line up to the meter and takes leak reports 24 hours a day at 704-866-6843. Everything from the meter into your house is yours, and that is plumber work. If the meter box is flooding or water is bubbling up at the street, call Two Rivers. If the water is inside the house, in the yard between the meter and the house, or you can hear it in the walls, call us at (704) 825-4463.
It can, if the leak qualifies and you ask within 60 days of the bill date. Under the city’s leak adjustment policy, the water lost has to be at least 3,000 gallons above your 12-month average, and you have to include a copy of the plumber’s bill. The city credits 50% of the excess water charge. For leaks where the water never reached the sewer, such as a leak underground, under the house or inside a wall, it credits 100% of the excess sewer charge instead of 50%. The adjustment covers up to two billing periods, once every 36 months. Leaks caused by carelessness don’t qualify.
Shut off the water at the fixture valve, or at the main if you can’t find the source. Move anything valuable away from the wet area, and keep clear of outlets and cords near standing water. Take photos, and write down when you found the leak and when you shut the water off. If your bill turns out to be high, the City of Gastonia’s leak adjustment request asks for both.
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