Plumber for water leaks in Burbank: find it, stop it, fix it

A plumber for water leaks does three things: locates the leak, stops the water, and repairs or replaces the damaged pipe. Through Lankershim Plumbing, a local plumber is sent to your door anywhere in Burbank and the San Fernando Valley, and you receive the written quote once the visit is done, before any work starts. If water is running now, close the main shutoff first, then read on.

What is the most common water leak in a house?

The most common leaks are the ones that sit in plain sight and get ignored: a toilet that keeps trickling into the bowl, a dripping faucet, a weeping supply line under a sink, and a water heater connection. Hidden leaks in walls, under slabs and in buried lines are less frequent but cost far more.

The EPA says the average family wastes about 9,400 gallons of water a year to household leaks. Most of that is not dramatic. It is a flapper that no longer seals, a valve that weeps, or a hose bib with a loose washer. Our pages on repairing a toilet flapper and leaking toilet repair cover the toilet side.

In older Valley houses from the 1940s through the 1960s, the failures that turn into real damage are different. Galvanized steel supply lines clog and corrode from inside. Copper lines develop pinholes. Slab foundations hide lines that you cannot see. The Wikipedia article on copper tubing describes how pinhole corrosion can come from electrical faults as well as water chemistry, which is why two houses on the same street can age differently.

How do you find a hidden water leak in your house?

Start with the meter. Shut off every water user, note the reading, come back in two hours and read the meter a second time. Movement means a leak. Next, close the house's main valve and watch once more: a meter that stops puts the leak inside the house, and one that keeps turning puts it in the line outdoors.

The next checks, in order:

1. Toilet dye test. Drop food coloring into the tank, give it ten minutes, then check the bowl.
2. Irrigation off. Turn the controller off and repeat the meter test. See sprinkler system leak detection.
3. Look and feel. Check under sinks, behind toilets, around the water heater, along baseboards and ceilings for stains, swelling or warm spots.
4. Listen. A hiss or trickle in a quiet house at night means a pressurized leak.
5. Check the bill. Compare it with last year. The EPA says a family of four using over 12,000 gallons in a cold month may have serious leaks.

If the meter test shows a leak and the toilets are clean, a plumber can locate it without tearing things open, using listening gear, pressure tests and thermal cameras. Our guides to acoustic leak detection, infrared leak detection equipment, smart water leak detection and water leak detection explain the methods. Specific cases: slab leak detection, underground water leak detection, and high water bill with no visible leak.

Does homeowners insurance cover a water line leak?

The answer turns on your policy and what caused the damage. Plenty of policies pay for sudden damage a burst pipe does to your house but not for fixing the pipe, and they often exclude slow leaks, wear and corrosion. Some policies treat a buried water line separately. Check your policy, and phone your insurer early.

Document before you clean: photos and video of the damage and the meter, the plumber's written finding of what failed, and receipts for drying and emergency work. Policies usually expect you to stop the water and limit the loss. More detail is in our pages on burst pipe insurance coverage and the damage a burst pipe causes.

Fixr's guide says homeowners policies usually do not cover slab leaks themselves, though it varies by policy and region, so do not assume. We cannot tell you what your policy covers. Your insurer can, in writing.

How expensive is it to fix a burst pipe?

Fixr puts a typical national burst pipe repair at roughly $200 to $1,000, averaging near $500. Hard-to-reach jobs can reach about $2,000, and an after-hours visit may add a fee. The water damage afterward is often the larger cost, averaging $1,200 to $5,000 in the same guide.

Slab leaks cost more. Fixr's guide lists $1,000 to $4,000 as typical, with detection at about $100 to $400 and rerouting at up to $15,000. These are guides, not Burbank quotes. Your written quote gives the real number. For the full breakdown see slab leak repair cost, plumber leak repair cost, plus the hourly rate for a plumber.

What changes the price: where the pipe is, what it is made of, how long the damaged section is, whether walls or floors must be opened, whether the job needs a permit, and whether it is an emergency visit. A plumber who quotes without seeing the pipe is guessing.

At what temperature will pipes burst?

Pipes can burst when water inside them freezes and expands, which takes sustained temperatures below freezing, especially in unheated garages, attics and exterior walls. That is uncommon on the Valley floor, but it can happen in the foothills and in poorly insulated spaces. Most Burbank bursts come from age, corrosion and pressure instead.

No official single temperature turned up in our research, so none is listed here. What matters is how long the cold lasts and how exposed the pipe is. A pipe in an outside wall with no insulation is at more risk than one inside a heated house.

The more useful question for this area is what makes pipes fail when it is not cold. Read why pipes burst, will PEX pipe freeze and burst and burst pipe prevention.

Is it expensive to fix a burst pipe?

Speed of discovery decides most of it. A pipe stopped within the hour costs a plumber's visit and a repair. A pipe left running for a day costs flooring, drywall, cabinets and drying equipment too. The repair is usually the smaller cost, and speed is what keeps the whole bill low.

If you are in that situation now, go to our page on an emergency plumber for burst pipes, and read what to do with a burst water pipe. To spot one, read signs that a pipe burst.

How do we arrange a plumber for a water leak?

Fill in our quote form with what you see, where, how old the house is, and the state of the water. A local plumber then visits, inspects the leak and hands over a written quote ahead of any work. For leaks in a particular neighborhood we cover Glendale, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Van Nuys, North Hollywood and the wider areas we serve.

Permits depend on the work and the city. In Burbank, questions go to the city's building division. In the Los Angeles city neighborhoods of the Valley, LADBS handles permits, and you can reach it by calling 3-1-1. Before hiring anyone, verify the license through the state licensing board's online lookup. If you are on a water utility's system, ask them which side of the meter owns the leak. Burbank Water and Power can be reached at (818) 238-3700 on weekdays and (818) 238-3778 after hours.

Gas odor at any moment means exit the building, phone SoCalGas (1-800-427-2200) from outside, and dial 911 if danger is present.

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Questions people ask

Whose bill is a burst pipe?

The owner pays for the pipe past the meter, though your insurance may cover resulting damage. A utility pays for its own main. A landlord pays for repairs in a rental, and a tenant's renter's policy may cover belongings. In a condo, the association's rules decide which pipes are shared. Read your policy and your lease.

Can you fix a burst pipe on your own?

You can stop the water and, for a short accessible section, replace it with a push-fit coupling. You should not take on pipes in walls or slabs, the main line, anything near gas, or jobs requiring a permit. A temporary clamp is fine until a plumber arrives. Our page on fixing a leaking pipe joint shows what is realistic.

Do plumbers deal with leaks?

Yes. Finding and repairing leaks in supply lines, drains, fixtures and water heaters is core plumbing work. Locating a hidden leak, whether under a slab, in a wall or in a buried line, is a specialty some plumbers do with extra equipment. Ask whether the detection is done by the plumber or a separate service.

How long can pipes burst if water is shut off?

Once the main is shut, the flow stops except for the water already in the pipes above the break, which drains out in minutes. Draining what remains takes one open faucet at the lowest point of the house. A leak that continues after the main is closed means the source is on the street side of the shutoff, or the valve has failed.

What do you call someone who fixes water pipes?

A plumber. A California plumbing contractor holds a state contractor license, which anyone can verify on the licensing board's website. A pipefitter works on industrial and commercial piping, and a leak detection specialist focuses on finding hidden leaks.

Is it a leak or a high bill from something else?

Run the meter test. If the meter holds still for two hours with everything off, you do not have a leak, and the cause is use, a billing period or an estimated read. The usual causes are listed in our high water bill page.