Slab Leak Detection & Repair — San Francisco, CA
We've been the after-hours number for San Francisco-area homeowners and a few local property managers since 2019. Calls go to a real person. Three things you can count on: we show up when we say we will, we quote before we work, and we don't pad the bill.
What this service includes
Slab leaks are pinhole leaks in copper plumbing lines that run inside or under a concrete slab foundation. Common in 1960s through 1980s slab-on-grade builds across the Sun Belt and parts of the Midwest.
Signs: warm or wet spots on the floor, unexplained jumps in the water bill, the sound of running water when nothing is on, mildew smell along baseboards. Hot-side leaks show up faster than cold-side because of the warm spot.
Detection runs $280–$480 standalone. We use acoustic listening equipment plus an infrared thermal camera. Once we've located it, you have two repair options.
San Francisco-area patterns we see
Climate and housing age in San Francisco tend to drive specific failure patterns. We see the same handful of issues every season.
On bigger jobs we'll bring two techs. On simpler ones, just one — fewer hands, faster billing.
From the books — a recent San Francisco job
Recent San Francisco job: mildew smell along the baseboard in a 1980s home. We re-routed the cold line and dried the slab after diagnosing slow cold-water slab leak under the kitchen. Cost ran $2275 — pretty middle-of-the-road for that fix.
What it costs
For slab leak detection & repair jobs in the San Francisco area:
- Slab leak detection (acoustic + infrared): $350 – $600
- Re-route a single line overhead: $1,750 – $3,500
- Pinhole repair in slab (jackhammer): $2,250 – $4,250
- Full re-pipe of slab home (PEX overhead): $10,625 – $22,500