In the Field · Part 4

Leak detection: slab leaks, acoustic and pressure methods, thermal imaging, and repipe vs. reroute

The leak call is the one where a plumber can destroy a house looking for a $200 repair, and the one where the method pays for itself fastest. This lesson is the sequence: the meter test that splits service line from house, the hot-side-versus-cold-side isolation that splits the house in two, the pressure test that finds the slow ones, the acoustic and thermal tools that put a mark on the slab, and the inspection hole that confirms before it destroys. It ends with the decision that follows a slab leak: repair the spot, reroute the line overhead, or repipe the house, each with its cost logic, its permit, and the honest statement of what the other two would have meant.