Leak detection is a purchase you make once every decade — which makes you a first-time buyer in a market full of confident claims. These eight questions separate genuine diagnosticians from expensive …
Leak detection is a purchase you make once every decade — which makes you a first-time buyer in a market full of confident claims. These eight questions separate genuine diagnosticians from expensive guesswork.
What methods do you use? Listen for specifics: acoustic listening, thermal imaging, tracer gas, camera inspection, pressure testing. A company with one method recommends that method for every leak. What happens when your primary method fails? The honest answer involves a second method, not a shrug. Do you confirm with pressure testing first? Any investigation that skips confirmation is hunting before verifying there's prey.
What exactly do I get? Demand specifics: a marked location, photos, a written report — not a verbal estimate of 'around here.' How precise is the location, and what if you're wrong? Serious providers stand behind their marks and explain their confidence level. Do you document for insurance? 'Access and egress' claims need written findings; make sure you'll get them.
Do you also do the repair? There's nothing wrong with full-service companies, but understand the incentive: a company that profits from the repair it recommends deserves extra scrutiny on the diagnosis. What won't you do? The best answer includes boundaries — 'we don't do gas repairs,' 'we refer waterproofing to specialists' — because a company that claims every capability has none deeply.
Quotes without questions about your symptoms. Promises to find any leak in under an hour. No mention of a second method. Reluctance to put the location in writing. Pressure to authorize repair before detection is complete. And any mention of reviews, ratings, or project counts that can't be verified — credibility should come from the work, not the marketing.
If you know where the leak is, hire a plumber. If you know something's wrong but not where, hire detection first — it's cheaper than exploratory repair.
It varies by situation; our cost guide breaks down the drivers. Focus less on the number and more on methods, deliverables, and accountability.
Ask for specifics about methods and deliverables, check how they handle failure cases, and be skeptical of unverifiable marketing claims — reviews, awards, and counts that can't be checked.
Don't wait for the damage to announce itself. Call now — we're open 24/7 — or request an inspection online and we'll respond promptly.