Gas leaks and hidden water leaks, found and fixed
Gas and water fail in different ways, and we look for both. For gas, the piping is split into sections and pressure tested until the run that cannot hold is isolated, then a combustible gas detector or soap solution on the joints points to the fitting at fault. For water, we confirm the leak at the meter, then listen through the floor with acoustic equipment so the opening in a slab or wall can stay small and land in the right place.
Much of Costa Mesa was built between the 1950s and the 1970s on concrete slabs, so a pinhole in a copper line under the floor is a common call here. On the gas side, the usual suspects are the regulator at the meter, the flex connector behind a stove or dryer, the connections at a furnace, water heater or fireplace, and lines buried under the yard. In condos and apartments, a stain on a ceiling can come from the unit upstairs or from a pipe the building shares, so we trace it to its source before anyone cuts drywall.
Gas repairs are made under our C-36 license and finish with a pressure test that holds, the result in writing, and a City of Costa Mesa permit when the work calls for one. Where SoCalGas has shut the meter, we leave the line ready for SoCalGas to turn service back on. Water leak repairs are tested with the water back on, and the floor or wall is closed up as the written scope describes. Either way, you approve a written price first.
Why Costa Mesa calls us about leaks
- C-36 plumbing license (CSLB #1131308) for gas and water work
- 24-hour emergency response for gas smells and active leaks
- The repair priced in writing and agreed before it begins
- A written workmanship warranty on each leak repair
Signs of a gas leak or a hidden water leak
- A sulfur or rotten egg smell around the range, the water heater or the gas meter
- A hiss coming from a gas connector, valve or regulator
- A gas or water bill that climbs while your use stays the same
- The water meter dial turning when every fixture in the house is shut off
- A warm spot on a slab floor, or damp carpet with no spill to explain it
- A red tag from SoCalGas hanging on the meter or on an appliance
Get clear, then call
With a gas smell, step outside first and phone SoCalGas or 911 from the street, then call us. For a water leak, shut the main valve if you can reach it. A person answers 24 hours a day.
Narrow it down
Pipe is tested one section at a time, and acoustic listening, gas detectors or tracer gas bring the search down to a single run.
Repair to code
The bad section is rebuilt in black iron or CSST for gas, or in copper or PEX for water, and tested again.
Close it out
Gas lines are left ready for SoCalGas to restore service, water is turned back on, and any permit is closed after inspection.
Why choose us for leak detection in Costa Mesa
We are based in Costa Mesa and work under a C-36 plumbing license, so gas leaks and water leaks are handled under one license from the first test to the final inspection. Four things shape every job.
Gas work under a C-36 license
California's C-36 plumbing classification covers gas piping, and each gas repair we make is done and tested to the gas code.
Several ways to find a leak
Pressure tests by section, acoustic listening through the slab, gas detectors, soap on exposed joints, and tracer gas on buried lines.
Red tags cleared
We fix whatever SoCalGas tagged, put the pressure test on record, and leave the line ready for SoCalGas to restore service.
Permits and inspections
Gas line repairs go through the City of Costa Mesa, and we meet the inspector so the permit is closed on record.
What changes the cost of finding and fixing a leak
Access matters most. A leaking connector behind a range takes less work than a gas line inside a wall, and a slab leak under tile or hardwood takes more than one under carpet.
How much pipe has to be replaced, and where it runs, count as well: whether a buried gas line has to be trenched, whether a slab leak is better repaired at the spot or rerouted through the attic or walls, and whether a permit, an inspection and a SoCalGas restoration are part of the job. In the oldest Costa Mesa homes, original galvanized water pipe can mean more of the line has to be replaced.
Once the leak is found, the repair is priced in writing, and nothing starts until you agree to that price.
Leak detection across Orange County
We are based in Costa Mesa, and gas and water leak calls anywhere in the county go out from whichever of our 10 locations is nearest.
Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley
Slab leaks in the 1950s to 1970s homes of Costa Mesa, and gas lines traced on both sides of the Santa Ana River.
Santa Ana and Tustin
Red tags cleared and gas connectors replaced in homes and shops a short way up the 55.
Huntington Beach, Westminster and Garden Grove
Hidden water leaks and gas line repairs for houses and condos across the river to the west.
The rest of Orange County
Leak calls from Newport Beach, Irvine, Fullerton, Mission Viejo and the rest of the county go out from our other locations.
Short answers about gas and water leaks
Smelling gas means getting out of the house before anything else. Do not flip switches, do not light anything, and do not search for the leak yourself. Call SoCalGas or 911 once you are outside, then call us.
Natural gas has no smell of its own; the utility adds one so that a leak gets noticed. Treat any gas smell as a real leak until the line has been tested.
To check for a hidden water leak, turn off every faucet, appliance and sprinkler valve and watch the water meter. If the dial keeps moving, water is escaping somewhere, and in older Costa Mesa homes on slabs a leak under the floor is a common cause.
Gas line repairs in Costa Mesa usually need a permit from the city. We file it, meet the inspector, and see the permit closed once the work passes.
A red-tagged meter can go back into service. We repair what SoCalGas found, pressure test the line, and leave it ready for SoCalGas to come back and restore service.
24/7 Emergency Plumbing
Burst lines and flooding answered at any hour.
Drain Cleaning & Hydro Jetting
Clogged mains cleared and checked with a camera.
Water Heater Repair & Install
Gas heaters set with seismic straps and a piped relief valve.
Sewer Repair & Repipe
Laterals relined or replaced, and worn supply pipe repiped.
Smell gas? Get out first, then call
24-hour emergency response to gas and water leaks anywhere in Orange County, sent out from our base in Costa Mesa.