Slab leaks in Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips
In the southwest and south, most of the housing dates from the late 1980s onward, much of it in planned and gated communities, with many pools and a notable share of second homes and short-term rentals. PEX supply lines are common in the newer homes.
People describe the same problem in different ways: a slab leak, an under-slab leak, a foundation leak or a water leak under the house. In Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips homes built on concrete, they usually mean a supply or drain line leaking below the floor.
Leak detection comes first. A technician serving Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips isolates each line, pressure tests it and then pinpoints the leak so any repair is as small as possible.
This part of Orlando covers ZIP codes 32819, 32821, 32824, 32827, 32832, 32833, 32836, 32837.
Housing and pipes here
Homes that are empty for part of the year are where the away-for-the-season pattern shows up: a leak that runs unheard. A meter reading on departure and return is a simple form of protection.
Pools and heavy irrigation can both mimic a slab leak, so the technician separates them before concluding anything about the floor.
The southwest of the city is dominated by planned communities built from the late 1980s onward, many of them gated, with a high proportion of pools and a good share of homes used as second homes or short-term rentals. Most are on slabs, and PEX supply lines are common in the later builds.
Homes that are unoccupied for part of the year are where leaks can run for weeks. Owners who come and go benefit from a simple routine: read the meter on the way out, close the main or ask a manager to check the dial, and look at the floors and the meter on return. A manager of a rental property can add the meter check to a between-guests routine.
Pools and large irrigated lawns are universal, and so a moving meter does not by itself point at the slab. A technician rules those out first. If the house lines hold pressure with the outdoor lines isolated, the search then moves to the floor.
The five-minute meter check
Around Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, before you call, this check gives the technician a head start.
Turn everything off. Close every tap and stop the washer, dishwasher and irrigation.
Find the meter. It is usually near the street or the front of the property. Lift the lid carefully.
Watch the dial. The small triangle or wheel spins at the slightest flow. The main dial should be still.
Wait an hour. Read the meter, wait with everything still off and read it again.
Call with what you saw. Share both readings, the time and any warm or damp areas. See water meter leak check.
A person answers, day or night.
Get a Leak Crew Out TodayThe warm spot on the tile
In Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, a patch of floor that feels warmer than the tiles around it can point to a leak in a hot-water line running beneath it. The patch is often irregular and may be most noticeable in the morning or after the water heater has been running. Bare feet find it before anything else does.
In Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, sun through a window, a heated floor or a duct under the slab can also warm a floor, so a warm spot on its own proves nothing. Before drawing a conclusion the technician reads the meter, isolates the hot line and listens across the floor.
Pressure testing for under-slab leaks
A pressure test holds the supply lines under pressure and watches for a drop. If the gauge falls while every fixture is off, water is escaping somewhere between the valve and the fixtures.
For Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips homes, the test says that a leak exists and which section is involved. It does not say where the leak is, which is why it is paired with listening and thermal readings.
Coming back: what to check in the first hour
With the water still off at the main, walk the house and note anything that feels different underfoot: a warm patch on tile, a soft edge on laminate, a musty smell in one room. Then open the main, close every tap and watch the meter. A moving dial in the first few minutes is worth a call before you unpack.
Read the meter again after an hour. If you were away all season, compare the reading with the one you wrote down on departure and with the last bill. Photos of the dial and any damp areas help the technician before they arrive.
We will talk through what to check.
Warm Spot on the Tile? Call NowManagers, neighbors and the call while you're away
In Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, a neighbor, a property manager or a caretaker usually looks in on a seasonal home. The best thing to ask of them is simple: read the meter dial, write down the number and date and call if it turns with everything off. That one check catches most hidden leaks early.
Around Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, leave the person a way to reach you and a way to reach us. If they find water on the floor or hear it running, the first step is the main shutoff if it is safe to reach, then a call, and they do not need to diagnose anything.
Away for the season: the leak that runs for weeks
A slab leak does not need anyone at home to keep going. In a house that is closed up for months, a small split in a supply line can run the whole time, with the water draining into the ground below the slab. The first anyone hears of it is often a very large bill, a damp patch on a floor that was dry at departure or a call from a neighbor or manager.
The pattern is consistent: a quiet house, a meter that never stops, and a floor that feels slightly different on return. Because nothing is surfacing, there is nothing to see. The meter is the only witness, which is why a reading taken on the way out and another on the way back tells so much.
Polybutylene-era homes
In Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, between roughly the late 1970s and the mid 1990s, some homes were plumbed with gray plastic pipe instead of copper. Whether a particular home has it is something only a look at the pipes can show, and many have since been repiped.
Around Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, if it is present, the technician explains what that means for the leak in front of you and what the options are. We do not assume a home has any particular pipe until it has been checked.
Other parts of Orlando
These pages cover the other parts of the city. For how the work goes, read the Orlando overview.
Slab leak services
Around Southwest Orlando and Dr. Phillips, each page explains the process, the options and what to ask before agreeing to work.
- Emergency service
- Water meter leak check
- How slab leaks are found
- Slab leak repair and replacement
- Seasonal home slab leaks
- Pool leak or slab leak
- Condo ground floor
- Why Florida leaks hide
Tell us what was fixed before.
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