Active leak right now: what to do first
A hidden leak feels urgent even when nothing is dripping on the floor, because every hour the meter spins you are paying for water that does damage. Our line is answered 24/7, and while you wait you can close the main shutoff valve, keep people and pets away from any wet area near outlets or appliances, and photograph the meter dial so we can compare readings.
The first job is deciding which part of the system is leaking. Supply piping under pressure, a drain line, water heater connections, an irrigation branch and the buried service line each behave differently and call for different methods.
A same-day appointment is often possible for an active leak, depending on the schedule. We ask what the meter does, where the damp spot is and whether pressure has changed, then bring the right gear.
Run the meter test before you call
Ten minutes at the meter tells you whether water is really leaving the house. It also tells you which side of the shutoff the problem is on.
- 1
Make the house quiet
Turn off every faucet, the dishwasher, the washing machine and the ice maker. Check that no toilet is refilling and that the irrigation controller is not mid-cycle.
- 2
Read the meter
Lift the lid and look for the low-flow indicator. Many meters have a small triangle, star or dial that spins at a trickle. If it moves with everything off, water is going somewhere. Note the full reading too.
- 3
Wait, then compare
Leave the water off for an hour or two and read it again. A changed reading confirms the leak even if the indicator seemed still.
- 4
Close the house shutoff
Shut the main valve where the line enters the building and look at the meter again. If it stops, the leak is inside the building. If it keeps moving, the leak is on the buried line between the meter and the house.
- 5
Try the toilet dye test
Drop food coloring in each tank and wait without flushing. Color in the bowl means a worn flapper is leaking quietly, which is a common cause of a slowly rising bill.
Why the bill climbs before anything looks wet
A slow leak shows up on paper first. If usage rises month after month with no change in household habits, compare against the same months last year, because summer irrigation explains some increases but not a steady drift.
Citizens Water is the provider listed on the Town of Avon's local utilities page, so the usage history on your Citizens account shows when the climb began. That date helps us decide where to look first.
A running toilet, stuck irrigation valve or softener that keeps regenerating can also use thousands of gallons quietly. We check those before assuming something is buried.
How we locate a leak without tearing things open
No single tool works everywhere. We pick the method from what the symptoms suggest, then confirm with a second method before anyone cuts or digs.
| Method | What it finds | Where it works best |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustic listening | The hiss or drip noise of pressurized pipe | Metal supply lines, slabs, accessible walls |
| Electronic leak correlator | Position between two contact points | Longer runs and buried lines |
| Thermal imaging | Temperature differences from moisture or hot lines | Ceilings, walls, floors, hot water lines |
| Moisture meter | How wet a surface or cavity is | Drywall, subfloor, trim, insulation |
| Pressure test | Whether a section of pipe holds pressure | Isolating one branch or the whole supply |
| Camera inspection | Cracks or breaks inside drain lines | Drain and sewer lines |
Ceiling and wall leaks: tracing the stain back to the pipe
A brown ring on a ceiling tells you where water arrived, not where it started. Water follows framing, ducts and wires before it drips, so the source can sit several feet from the stain. We scan with a thermal camera, confirm with a moisture meter and work along the likely path.
Upstairs bathrooms are the usual suspects: a tub drain slip joint, a shower valve body, a supply stub-out or a toilet seal. A stain that appears only after someone showers points to drain or shower pieces. A stain that grows with nobody home points to a supply line under pressure.
Attic leaks are a separate case. Condensation on cold ducts, a failed boot around a vent pipe or a water heater pan line can all mimic a pipe leak, so we check those before opening anything. A pinhole in a copper line is a plumbing fix. A roof leak is not, and we will say so.
Finding the leak is not the same as fixing it
Locating a leak is a diagnostic job. Once we know the spot, the repair might be a small fitting swap or a section replaced. If the pipe itself has failed, burst pipe repair covers the next step, and a line failing in several places may point toward repiping. If the leak is at the heater, water heater repair applies.
Under the house and in the crawlspace
If your home sits over a crawlspace, leaks there can run for months without a sign upstairs. Clues include a musty smell, floors that feel soft or bounce, sagging insulation, pests drawn to the damp, and a meter that moves with everything off.
We check supply lines along the joists, water heater connections, drain slip joints and tub traps overhead. Wet insulation, rust streaks on hangers and mineral crust on joints show where water has been dripping.
Much of Avon was built during rapid growth after 2000, so many crawlspace runs are newer plastic and copper. Newer pipe fails mostly at joints, which narrows the search to connections. If the space takes on water after storms while the meter is still, the cause is drainage, and a working sump pump or grading is the answer, not a pipe repair.
Water is leaving the system somewhere and the meter proves it? Call and describe what the dial is doing.
☎ Call (317) 740-1302Water service line leaks: the pipe you own
The water service line runs from the utility main to your building. Citizens Energy Group states that property owners own the service line from the main to their building, so a leak on that pipe is the owner's to repair. That is the line a meter test points to when the meter keeps moving after you close the house shutoff.
Signs include a wet or unusually green patch in the yard, a dip in pressure, a hissing sound near the shutoff and a bill that rose with no cause inside the house. Some service line leaks never surface, especially in soil that absorbs the water.
Once the leak is located, you choose between a spot repair and a replacement. A short break in sound pipe is usually a spot repair. Several breaks, or a line made of an old material, tips toward replacing the run, which is also when the lead question comes up.
Lead and service lines in Avon
Citizens says water leaving its plants and traveling in its mains is lead-free, and that lead can enter through service lines and home plumbing. It keeps a searchable service line inventory and has an Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved program (2022) for replacing customer-owned lead service lines.
If a leak repair opens your service line anyway, check the inventory and ask Citizens about the program before choosing a replacement. Citizens also suggests flushing taps for five minutes after six or more hours of non-use and using a lead-certified filter for drinking and cooking water.
Buried leaks with no puddle
An underground leak does not always surface. Water can seep through gravel, drain into a storm path or pool under a patio where nobody looks. The only clue may be a running meter or a patch of grass that stays soft.
We narrow it down with a correlator and ground microphone, then confirm with a pressure test on the isolated section. The goal is a marked spot small enough that digging means a hole, not a trench. Call 811 before any digging so utility lines are marked.
Sprinklers, spigots and the meter box
Irrigation systems leak more often than people think, because the lines sit shallow, the heads get hit by mowers and the valves collect grit. A zone valve that does not seat fully can leak into the lines all season. Closing the irrigation shutoff and rerunning the meter test tells you in minutes whether the system is involved.
Wet ground right at the meter box can mean a loose connection at the meter, or a service line leaking just downstream. The meter is the utility's equipment, so if the leak seems to be on that side, tell Citizens Water. We can tell you which side the water comes from, and our Brownsburg page lists what we cover to the north.
Apartment buildings, commercial properties and pools
We do locate leaks in multifamily and commercial buildings, but some jobs run past what a plumbing crew should promise on a first call. Several meters, large mains, fire suppression lines and long runs under parking lots may need specialist equipment or another trade. We say on the call whether it fits our scope, and commercial plumbing covers the after-hours work we take on.
Pool and spa leak detection only applies if your property has a pool. If it does, ask when you call and we will say plainly whether we handle it.
Before we arrive
Small steps protect the house and speed up the search.
Photograph the meter
Take a clear picture of the dial and the low-flow indicator, and write down the time.
Protect what is wet
Move electronics and rugs, lay towels, and keep people off wet floors near outlets.
Clear access
Make a path to the meter, the main shutoff, the water heater and any crawlspace hatch.
What affects the cost of finding a leak
Leak detection is priced by the work involved, not by a flat rate that ignores your house.
Where the leak is
An exposed pipe in a utility room takes far less effort than a line beneath a slab or driveway.
How many methods it takes
Some leaks give up their location to one test. Others need acoustic, thermal and pressure checks together.
Access
Hatches, finished ceilings and tight crawlspaces change the time and protection the job needs.
Size of the property
Longer runs and more branches mean more sections to isolate and test.
What comes after
A repair that needs digging or wall access adds its own scope.
Homeowners policies typically respond to sudden and accidental water damage and typically exclude wear, gradual leaks and the failed part itself, so ask your carrier before you start. Some policies cover the cost of locating the source when damage is covered, and the report from a leak detection visit can help your claim.
We confirm the clear price before work starts. Call (317) 740-1302 and describe what the meter and the damp spot are doing, and we will tell you what the visit involves.
Codes, licensing and 811
Plumbing work in Indiana follows the state plumbing code (675 IAC 16), and the Indiana Plumbing Commission licenses plumbing contractors and journeyman plumbers. You can check any plumber through the license lookup at mylicense.in.gov before work starts, and you should call 811 before any digging.
Codes and standards decide what is allowed on a given job, so ask which ones apply to yours.
Leak detection questions from Avon homeowners
Yes. The phone line is answered 24/7, and a leak that is actively damaging the house is treated as urgent. Same-day appointments are offered when available, and after-hours calls are handled by a licensed plumber.
While you wait, close the main shutoff, stay clear of wet electrical areas and take a photo of the meter.
Run the meter test: turn off all water use, note the meter, then close the main shutoff at the house. If the meter keeps moving, the leak is outside on the service line. If it stops, the leak is inside.
This is a first step, not a full diagnosis. We confirm with pressure testing and listening gear before anything is opened.
Citizens Energy Group states that property owners own the service line from the main to their building. A leak on that run is the owner's repair.
If water shows at the meter itself, tell Citizens Water. We can tell you which side the leak is on so you call the right party.
Permit rules vary by job, so ask the Avon Planning and Building Department. For any digging, call 811 first. We can tell you what the work involves so your question to the town is specific.