Spot repair
- Open the floor at the marked spot, fix the pipe, patch the concrete.
- Fits a first leak in otherwise sound pipe.
- Flooring over the spot has to come up and go back.
- The rest of the old pipe stays in the slab.
Covina plumbing service
Leak detection and slab leak repair in Covina
A water bill that jumped, a warm spot on the floor or a soggy patch of lawn usually means a hidden leak. We find it with meter, pressure and acoustic tests before anyone breaks concrete, and City of Covina Water customers should know that a leak notice now comes with a 48-hour repair deadline.
Call (626) 746-1970Request service
Written and fact-checked by John, editor, MBA in marketing
Updated against City, utility and state sources
Quick answer
To check for a hidden leak, turn off every fixture, read your water meter, wait two hours without using water, and read it again. EPA WaterSense says any change means you probably have a leak. City of Covina Water customers are under a Level 2 shortage, so a leak must be fixed within 48 hours of a City notice. Call (626) 746-1970 for detection.
- City leak deadline
- 48 hours after notice (Level 2)
- Meter test
- Two hours, no water use (EPA)
- Homes built before 1970
- About two-thirds of Covina
- Household leaks
- 9,300+ gallons a year (EPA)
Signs of a hidden leak in a Covina home
The clearest signs of a hidden leak are a water bill that rises with no change in use, a meter that moves while nothing is running, and warm, damp or soft spots on floors, walls or lawn.
Leak detection in Covina usually starts with one of three calls. Someone opens a water bill that makes no sense. Someone feels a warm spot on the kitchen tile with bare feet. Or someone notices that one corner of the front yard stays green and soft in a month when the sprinklers only run on Wednesday. Each of those points to a different kind of leak, and each one is found a different way.
Water inside a wall or under a slab can run for weeks before anything shows on the surface. By the time a baseboard swells, the leak may have soaked framing or insulation. The earlier it is caught, the smaller the opening and the repair. These are the signs we hear about most:
- A higher water bill with no new plants, pool fill, guests or change in watering days
- The leak icon or low-flow dial on the meter moving with every fixture off
- A warm patch on a tile, wood or concrete floor, often in a hallway, kitchen or bathroom
- The sound of water running in a wall or under the floor late at night
- Damp carpet, swelling baseboards, cupped wood floors or peeling paint low on a wall
- A wet or sunken strip of lawn, or a muddy spot along the path from the meter to the house
- A water heater that seems to run more often than it used to, a hint of a hot water line leak
- Low pressure at several fixtures at once
- A musty smell in a closet or cabinet with no water in sight
How to do the meter leak test at a Covina home
EPA WaterSense says to check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used; if the reading changes, you probably have a leak.
Find out who supplies your water
Covina is served by six water suppliers: City of Covina Water, Suburban Water Systems, Golden State Water, Valencia Heights Water Company, Azusa Light & Water and Glendora Water. The name on your bill tells you which one. The meter test works the same way for all of them, but leaks on the street side of the meter are that supplier's job.
Find the meter
The City of Covina Water Division says its meters are on the outside of your property, usually in a box near the curb or sidewalk. Lift the box lid carefully; spiders and standing water are common. Do not force the meter, its lock or the supplier's valve.
Open the register lid
On City of Covina meters, the Water Division says to lift the small lid on the register so sunlight, or a flashlight, reaches the solar cell. Then look for the leak icon on the display. If it shows, water is flowing somewhere on your side.
Stop all water use
Turn off faucets, the dishwasher, the washer, the ice maker and irrigation. Make sure no toilet is refilling and nobody will shower during the test.
Read, wait two hours, read again
Write down or photograph the full reading. Wait two hours with no water use, then read it again. Any change means water is leaving the system.
Close the house shutoff and watch
Close the main shutoff where the line enters the house. If the meter still moves, the leak is probably on the buried line between the meter and the house. If it stops, the leak is inside the home's plumbing.
Toilets are the most common indoor leak and the easiest to rule out. EPA WaterSense suggests a few drops of food coloring in the tank; if color shows in the bowl after 10 minutes without flushing, the toilet is leaking. Flush afterward so the dye does not stain. A leaking flapper is a small fix, and our toilet and faucet repair page covers it. If the meter test points past the toilets, that is when you call us for detection.
The meter test only isolates your home when one meter serves one home. In a duplex, a fourplex or an apartment building on one shared meter, a neighbor's shower keeps the dial turning. Tenants in that situation can do the dye test, listen for running water at night and report findings to the owner in writing.
Covina's 48-hour leak repair deadline for City water customers
City of Covina Water customers have been under a Level 2 water supply shortage since August 4, 2022, and at Level 2 a plumbing leak must be repaired within 48 hours of notification by the City.
The City's Water Division page states that all plumbing leaks must be fixed within 48 hours of City notice unless other arrangements are made with the City. It also advises isolating and shutting off the affected area until a permanent repair is made. Covina Municipal Code Chapter 13.06 scales that deadline with the shortage level. Most competitor pages never mention it, and it is the one rule that can turn a slow leak into a same-week job.
| Shortage level | Time to repair after City notice | Status |
|---|---|---|
| No shortage declared | 5 days | Not current |
| Level 1 | 72 hours | Not current |
| Level 2 | 48 hours | In effect for City water customers since August 4, 2022 |
| Level 3 | 48 hours | Not current |
| Level 4 | 24 hours | Not current |
What to do if you get a leak notice
- Shut off the leaking area. Close the fixture stop, the irrigation valve or, if needed, the main shutoff at the house, as the City suggests.
- Call for detection the same day. Tell us you have a City notice so the visit is scheduled with the deadline in mind.
- Keep paperwork. Save the notice, our written findings and the repair invoice in case the City asks.
- Talk to the City if the job is big. A slab reroute or a repipe can take longer than 48 hours. The City's own wording allows for other arrangements, so call the Water Division at 626-384-5220 and explain the plan.
The same Level 2 rules limit sprinklers to Wednesday and Saturday from April to October and Wednesday only from November to March, never between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and no more than 10 minutes per station. A broken sprinkler line that floods the gutter is the kind of water waste the City asks residents to report to Environmental Services at 626-384-5480. Our Covina water rules and leak deadlines guide covers the full list.
Why slab leaks show up in older Covina homes
Slab leaks show up in Covina because about two-thirds of the city's homes were built before 1970, and many of their water lines now run 55 years or more under or through concrete.
The City's 6th cycle Housing Element, certified in March 2024, puts about two-thirds of Covina's housing before 1970 and about 58% as single-family detached homes. City code enforcement staff estimate about 30% of homes need some repair and about 10% need major rehabilitation. Plumbing is not the only reason, but it is a common one in houses this age.
In a slab home, the supply lines often run under the concrete or inside it to reach the kitchen and bathrooms. Over decades, those lines fail for a few reasons:
- Age and water flow, which thin the pipe wall, faster at bends and fittings.
- Rubbing against concrete, gravel or another pipe as the line expands and contracts with each hot water draw.
- Hot water lines in particular, since heating and cooling cycles add stress. A hot line leak is often the one you feel as a warm floor.
- Soil and slab movement, which can put strain on a buried line.
Covina's water is also very hard. The City's 2025 water quality report averages 230 mg/L, about 13.5 grains per gallon. Hard water leaves scale in fixtures and water heaters, and in older galvanized pipe it adds to the buildup that narrows the line. Our Covina water suppliers and hardness guide has each supplier's numbers.
One slab leak is often a repair. A second or third in a few years, or pinholes elsewhere in the house, tells you the system is wearing out. That is when a reroute or a repipe belongs in the conversation, and our whole-house repiping page walks through galvanized pipe in pre-1970 Covina homes and the PEX versus copper choice.
Yard leaks between the meter and the house
A leak on the buried line between the meter and the house is the owner's responsibility, while a leak at the meter or in the street belongs to your water supplier.
When the meter keeps moving after you close the house shutoff, the leak is usually on the service line in the yard. In Covina that line runs from the meter box near the curb, under the lawn, driveway or planter, to the shutoff at the house. Signs include a strip of grass that stays green, a soft spot that never dries, water seeping at the edge of a driveway or a hiss you can hear at the meter box.
Irrigation leaks look a lot like service line leaks. A cracked sprinkler lateral or a stuck valve can soak the same patch of yard. We test both. Closing the irrigation supply while watching the meter separates a sprinkler problem from a house line problem in a few minutes.
| Where the water shows up | Usually whose job | First step |
|---|---|---|
| In the street, the gutter with no source, or bubbling at the meter box | Your water supplier | Call the number on your bill. City of Covina Water is 626-384-5220. |
| In the yard between the meter and the house | Property owner | Close the house shutoff and confirm the meter still moves, then call a plumber. |
| Along a sprinkler run or at a valve box | Property owner | Close the irrigation supply and watch the meter. |
| Inside walls, ceilings or under the slab | Property owner | Meter test, then leak detection. |
| Sewage or wastewater in the yard | Owner for the lateral; City for local mains | See our sewer lateral guide; this is a drain problem, not a supply leak. |
The City's 2025 water quality report states there are no lead or galvanized service lines requiring replacement in the City's own system. That covers the supplier's side. The pipe on your side of the meter, and every pipe in the house, is separate and can be much older.
Digging for a yard repair
A buried line repair means a trench, and any trench starts with a call to 811 at least two working days before digging, not counting the day you call. Southern California Edison says marking is free and the dig area should be pre-marked in white. Covina yards also hold sprinkler lines and the sewer lateral, which 811 does not mark, so the plumber digs by hand near anything uncertain. If the wet spot turns out to be wastewater, our sewer lateral camera and repair page and the Covina sewer lateral guide explain why the City says the lateral is the owner's to maintain.
How we find hidden leaks without tearing up the house
We find hidden leaks by pressure testing to learn which line is losing water, then tracing and listening to pinpoint the spot, so any opening is as small as it can be.
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Meter and pressure test | Watch the meter or a gauge with fixtures off, then isolate hot and cold lines to see which one loses pressure | Confirming a leak and which system it is on |
| Acoustic listening | Ground microphones and headphones pick up the hiss of water escaping a pressurized pipe through concrete, soil or drywall | Slab leaks and yard service line leaks |
| Thermal imaging | An infrared camera shows warm and cool patterns on floors and walls | Hot water slab leaks and tracing hot line routes |
| Line tracing | An electronic locator follows a metal pipe's path under the floor or yard | Mapping a buried line before listening |
| Moisture meter | Measures moisture in drywall, framing and flooring | Finding the edges of a wet area inside a wall |
| Drain camera | A camera on a cable runs through the drain or sewer line | Leaking drains under the slab, which pressure tools miss |
No single tool works every time. Acoustic listening needs a quiet house, so we may ask you to turn off fans, the ice maker and irrigation. Thermal imaging is strongest on hot water leaks, where warm water stands out against a cooler slab. A cold water leak under concrete leans more on pressure testing and listening. In the yard, a dry day helps, since fresh sprinkler water hides the pattern.
The goal is to mark the leak closely enough that a repair opens one small area, not a whole floor. You get a written summary of what was tested, what was found and where the spot is marked. That summary also helps if you need to show the City you acted on a leak notice, or if your insurer asks.
Slab leak repair options: spot repair, reroute or repipe
Once a slab leak is found, the three repairs are a spot repair through the concrete, a reroute that abandons the buried line and runs a new one above the floor, or a repipe of the whole house.
Reroute
- Cap the leaking line and run new pipe through the attic and walls.
- Fits leaks under tile, cabinets or hard-to-replace floors.
- Leaves drywall openings to patch, but the slab stays closed.
- Often the better bet when that line is likely to leak again.
Repipe
- Replace the home's supply lines, usually above the slab, in PEX or copper.
- Fits repeat leaks, pinholes elsewhere or old galvanized pipe.
- Larger project that fixes the system, not one leak.
- Covered on our repiping page.
The right choice depends on the pipe's condition, where the leak sits and what is on top of it. A leak under a garage slab is a different decision from one under a tiled kitchen. We price each option that fits in writing so you can compare them side by side.
Permits for leak repairs
City of Covina Handout #14 says a permit is required to install, alter, repair, replace or remodel plumbing systems, and that no work may be concealed before inspection approval. Building & Safety at 125 E College St issues most plumbing permits over the counter while you wait, Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed 1 to 2 p.m. There is no online permit portal, and inspections are requested by email. For a reroute or repipe, that means walls stay open until the inspector signs off. We pull the permit when the job needs one. If your home is in unincorporated Charter Oak, County rules apply instead of City permits. The Covina plumbing permits guide explains the counter and the inspection process.
About insurance
Many homeowners policies treat finding a leak, fixing the pipe and repairing water damage as separate items. Coverage varies. Call your insurer before major work starts, and keep our written findings and photos.
Leak detection and slab leak repair cost in Covina
HomeAdvisor data published by Angi puts slab leak detection at $150 to $600 and slab leak repair at $630 to $4,400 (2024, national), and This Old House lists a typical Covina plumbing job at $102 to $339.
| Job | Published range | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Slab leak detection | $150 to $600 | HomeAdvisor via Angi, 2024, national |
| Slab leak repair | $630 to $4,400 | HomeAdvisor via Angi, 2024, national |
| Whole-house repipe | $1,500 to $15,000 | Angi, national |
| Typical plumbing job in Covina | $102 to $339 | This Old House, Covina page |
These are published estimates, not our prices. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote. What moves a Covina leak job within or past those ranges:
- How many tests it takes to pinpoint the leak
- Whether the leak is under tile, wood, carpet, a bare garage slab or a driveway
- Spot repair versus reroute versus repipe
- Drywall, flooring and concrete patching after the plumbing work
- City permit fees, which are posted at the Building & Safety counter
- Rushing to meet a 48-hour City leak notice
You get the price in writing before work starts. The Covina plumbing costs guide collects other published ranges for common jobs.
What happens on a leak detection visit
A leak detection visit confirms the leak, identifies the line, pinpoints the spot and ends with written repair options, all before any floor, wall or lawn is opened.
Before we arrive
Note when the bill jumped or the warm spot appeared, run the meter test if you can, and clear a path to the meter, the main shutoff and the water heater. Have any City leak notice handy.
Confirm and isolate
The plumber reads the meter, then isolates the house, the irrigation and the hot and cold sides to find which system is losing water.
Trace and listen
The line's route is traced, then acoustic and thermal tools narrow the spot. The leak is marked on the floor, wall or ground.
Written options
You get a summary and a written price for each repair that fits. Work is done by independent CSLB-licensed C-36 contractors; our license check guide shows how to verify one.
We find leaks across the city, from the older blocks around Citrus Avenue in downtown Covina to homes in 91722 and on the east side in 91724. If the leak turns out to be a failing tank, our water heater repair page takes it from there. If water is leaking from a fixture you can see, the fix is usually simpler than detection, and a quick call sorts out which you need.
Water where it shouldn't be? Call now.
A real person answers 24 hours a day. You get an honest arrival window and a written price before any work starts.
Questions Covina homeowners ask
How do I know if I have a slab leak?
The usual signs are a warm spot on the floor, the sound of running water with everything off, a meter that moves when nothing is on and a bill that rises for no reason. About two-thirds of Covina homes were built before 1970, so buried lines are a common source. Call (626) 746-1970 for detection.
How do I check my water meter for a leak in Covina?
Turn off all water use, read the meter, wait two hours and read it again. EPA WaterSense says any change means you probably have a leak. On City of Covina meters, lift the register lid so light reaches the solar cell and look for the leak icon. Then close the house shutoff to see if the leak is inside or in the yard.
How long do I have to fix a leak after the City of Covina notifies me?
48 hours. The City has been at a Level 2 water shortage since August 4, 2022, and at that level plumbing leaks must be repaired within 48 hours of City notice unless other arrangements are made. Shut off the leaking area and call for detection the same day. See our water rules guide.
How much does leak detection cost in Covina?
HomeAdvisor data published by Angi gives national ranges of $150 to $600 for slab leak detection and $630 to $4,400 for slab leak repair (2024). Those are estimates, not quotes. Flooring, access and the repair method change the price. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote.
Who fixes a leak near the water meter?
If water bubbles up at the meter box or in the street, call your water supplier first; the name on your bill tells you which of Covina's six suppliers it is. City of Covina Water is 626-384-5220. A leak on the line between the meter and your house is the owner's to fix, and that is a plumber's job.
Should I repair a slab leak or repipe the house?
A first leak in sound pipe is usually a spot repair or a reroute. Repeat leaks, pinholes elsewhere or old galvanized pipe point to a repipe, which fixes the system instead of one leak. We price each option in writing. See our repiping page.
Do I need a permit to fix a slab leak in Covina?
Often, yes. City Handout #14 says a permit is required to repair, replace or alter plumbing systems, and work cannot be covered before inspection. Most permits are issued over the counter at 125 E College St. We pull the permit when the job needs one. Charter Oak follows County rules instead.
Can you find a leak without breaking the floor?
Yes. Pressure testing, line tracing, acoustic listening and thermal imaging pinpoint most leaks before anything is opened. The floor is only opened at the marked spot for a spot repair, and a reroute can avoid opening the slab at all.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these public sources, checked November 1, 2026.
- EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week
- City of Covina Water Division (Level 2 shortage, 48-hour leak rule, meter leak icon)
- City of Covina water purveyors list
- City of Covina 2025 Consumer Confidence Report
- City of Covina 6th cycle Housing Element (certified March 2024)
- City of Covina Handout #14, mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits
- City of Covina Public Works (sewer lateral responsibility)
- Southern California Edison, call 811 before digging
- Angi (HomeAdvisor data), slab leak repair cost
- Angi, cost to repipe a house
- This Old House, Covina plumbing costs
- CSLB: Check a License