Cogan Plumbing offers advanced electronic and acoustic leak detection services in Central Arkansas. We locate hidden water leaks in walls, floors, and underground pipes without destructive testing. Serving Benton, Bryant, Little Rock, and all of Saline County. Early leak detection prevents water damage and mold growth in Arkansas humidity. Call (501) 317-0637.
Last Updated: October 30, 2026 | By Cogan Plumbing, Licensed Master Plumber
Leak Detection in Central Arkansas
Leak detection is the process of finding hidden water leaks in supply lines, drain lines, and slabs without tearing a house apart to look for them. In Central Arkansas, Cogan Plumbing locates leaks with meter testing, acoustic listening equipment, and electronic pinpointing. Cost depends on access, line material, and how long the leak has been running.
What Leak Detection Covers
A leak detection visit is not a guess and a sledgehammer. It is a systematic check of the whole plumbing system to answer three questions: is water escaping, where exactly is it escaping, and how bad is the damage around it.
That covers:
- Slab leaks. Hot and cold supply lines run under the concrete slab in a large share of Central Arkansas homes, especially the ranch-style houses built around Benton and Bryant from the 1970s onward. When a copper line corrodes or a joint fails under the slab, water has nowhere to go but up through the floor or out under the foundation.
- Hidden wall and ceiling leaks. Supply lines and drain lines inside walls can drip for months before a stain shows. By the time drywall bubbles, the framing and insulation around it have usually been wet for a while.
- Underground service line leaks. The line from the meter to the house crosses the yard. A leak there wastes a lot of water and can undermine driveways and walkways, and the homeowner is responsible for that stretch of pipe.
- Fixture and valve leaks. Toilets that run silently, shower valves that drip inside the wall, and water heater connections that seep all count.
Leak detection also rules things out. Sometimes a high bill is an irrigation leak, a running toilet, or a meter issue rather than a pipe failure, and a proper test tells you which one before anyone starts cutting.
Signs You May Have a Hidden Leak
Most hidden leaks announce themselves sideways. The pipe never says anything. The water bill does.
- A water bill that jumped with no change in use. If your household did not add people, fill a pool, or water a new yard, a sudden spike usually means water is going somewhere it should not.
- The sound of running water when nothing is on. Stand in a quiet house at night. If you hear water moving in the walls or under the floor with every fixture off, something is open that should be closed.
- A warm spot on the floor. A hot water slab leak often shows up as a section of tile or laminate that feels warm underfoot with no explanation.
- Low water pressure that keeps getting worse. A supply leak bleeds pressure. So does heavy scale buildup, which is common in this part of Arkansas, and a good test separates the two.
- Musty smell, soft drywall, or cupped flooring. Water inside a wall or under a floor eventually damages what surrounds it. Mold follows moisture that stays.
- Water meter that never stops. This is the clearest sign of all, and you can check it yourself with the test below.
The Meter Test You Can Run Yourself
Before you call anyone, you can confirm whether water is escaping somewhere in the system. It takes about twenty minutes of patience.
- Turn off every fixture in the house. Do not run the dishwasher, washing machine, or ice maker during the test.
- Find your water meter, usually near the street, and open the lid. Most meters have a small triangle or dial called a leak indicator that spins when water is moving.
- If the leak indicator is moving with everything off, water is going somewhere. That is a leak until proven otherwise.
- Write down the meter reading, wait two hours without using any water, and read it again. If the numbers changed, you have confirmed a leak and roughly how fast it is losing water.
What the meter test cannot do is tell you where the leak is. That takes equipment and experience, which is the actual service described on this page. If the test shows movement, the next step is pinpointing, not digging.
How Cogan Finds Leaks
Josh Roberts, owner and Arkansas Master Plumber (license MP6055), runs leak calls the same way every time: confirm, isolate, pinpoint, then talk about repair with real information on the table.
Acoustic detection. Water escaping a pressurized line under a slab or behind a wall makes a sound, even when it is too faint to hear in a quiet room. Acoustic listening equipment amplifies that sound through the concrete or drywall. An experienced ear can follow the sound to its loudest point, which is usually within a small area of the break.
Electronic pinpointing. Electronic leak detection equipment works alongside the acoustic gear to narrow the location further. Combining both methods is how a repair opening stays the size of a tile instead of the size of a room.
Pressure and isolation testing. By shutting off sections of the system one at a time, we can determine whether the leak is on the hot side or cold side, in the house or in the yard line, in a supply line or a drain. Isolation turns a whole-house mystery into one line, one room, one section of slab.
Camera inspection for drain lines. Drain leaks behave differently from supply leaks because they only run when water is draining. A sewer camera shows breaks, bellies, and root intrusion inside the line, which matters for older homes in Little Rock and North Little Rock with original cast iron or clay pipe.
Once the leak is pinpointed, you get options with flat-rate prices quoted before work begins: a direct repair at the break, a reroute that abandons the failed line under the slab and runs a new line overhead, or a partial repipe if the pipe has failed in more than one place. For slab work especially, see how this connects to our slab leak and repipe services.
What Leak Detection and Repair Cost
Leak detection itself is priced by the job and quoted upfront. The repair cost depends on what we find, and honest guidance looks like this: most residential plumbing repairs run roughly $150 to $500 depending on the job. Leak repairs land in that range when access is easy, like a valve inside a wall with a panel or a toilet that needs rebuilding.
Slab leak repair costs more. Cutting concrete, excavating to the line, repairing it, and patching the floor is a bigger job than a fixture fix, and rerouting a line through the attic has its own material and labor cost. Underground yard line replacement costs more still, based on length and depth. What you will not get from us is a repair price guessed over the phone. We find the leak, show you where it is, quote the repair flat before work begins, and charge no overtime fees if the work runs long. If a leak has flooded a room or saturated a slab, that is an emergency plumbing situation first and a detection job second.
Why a Licensed Master Plumber Matters for Leak Work
Anyone can rent a listening device. Knowing what the sounds mean, which line is which in a house that has been remodeled twice, and whether a pipe should be repaired or abandoned takes licensed experience. A wrong pinpoint costs you a hole in the wrong place and a second hole to fix the first mistake.
There is also a paperwork side. Insurance claims for slab leaks often require documentation of where the leak was and what caused it. Work performed by a licensed, insured Arkansas Master Plumber gives you records that hold up when an adjuster asks questions. Cogan Plumbing was voted Best Plumber in the Arkansas Times Best of Arkansas 2026 and named an AY Magazine Best of 2026 honoree, and leak work is a large part of why homeowners in Conway and Cabot call us after someone else could not find the problem.
Leak Detection Service Area
We detect and repair leaks across Central Arkansas, including Benton, Bryant, Little Rock, West Little Rock, North Little Rock, Maumelle, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Cabot, Conway, Haskell, and Traskwood, throughout Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner, and Lonoke counties. Our full coverage map is on the Central Arkansas service area page.
Covered for a Full Year
Cogan Plumbing backs the workmanship on every job for one full year. If a repair or installation fails within 12 months because of how we did the work, we come back and make it right. The warranty is included on every job — never sold as an add-on. Full terms are on our workmanship warranty page.
Related Services
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I have a slab leak or a regular leak?
Warm spots on the floor, the sound of water running under the house, and a hot water bill spike point toward a slab leak on the hot line. A standard test isolates the hot and cold sides to confirm which line is leaking before anyone opens the floor.
Will leak detection damage my floors or walls?
No. Detection is non-invasive. The acoustic and electronic equipment works through concrete, tile, and drywall. Openings are only made after the leak is pinpointed, and only where the repair requires it.
Does homeowners insurance cover slab leak repair?
Policies often cover the damage caused by a sudden leak and the access work needed to reach it, while excluding the pipe repair itself. It varies by policy. We document the location and cause so you have what your insurer asks for, but the coverage decision is theirs.
How long does leak detection take?
Most residential detection visits take one to two hours depending on the size of the house and how many lines need isolation testing. Complicated slab leaks in larger homes can take longer.
Can a small leak really raise my bill that much?
Yes. A leak losing one gallon per minute wastes over 1,400 gallons a day. Even a slow toilet leak can add hundreds of gallons a week. The meter test described above shows the rate so you can see it yourself.
What happens after the leak is found?
You get flat-rate options quoted before work begins: direct repair, reroute, or repipe, depending on the pipe’s condition. Nothing is opened or repaired until you approve a price.
Does Cogan Plumbing warranty its work?
Yes. Cogan Plumbing warrants its workmanship for one year — 12 months from the day the job is completed. If work we performed fails because of a workmanship defect during that year, we return and correct it. Fixtures and equipment also carry their own manufacturer warranties, separate from our workmanship coverage.
Stop the Leak Before It Does More Damage
Every day a hidden leak runs, it adds to the water bill and soaks material that will cost more to fix later. If your meter moves when nothing is on, get it pinpointed.
Call the Traskwood and Saline County office at (501) 317-0637 or the West Little Rock location at (501) 710-3838. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, with 24/7 emergency service for leaks that cannot wait.
