Leak Detection and Repair in Mesa

Mesa publishes a five-step check, and it is worth doing before you call anyone. Compare this month's use to earlier months. Turn off every faucet, toilet, irrigation zone, washer and dishwasher. Then look at the meter. If it keeps registering flow, water is moving through your plumbing and a leak may be present. Check the usual suspects next: toilets, irrigation, water softeners, hose bibs and pool autofill systems.

Mesa is replacing meters with smart meters, and the city's page explains how to read each brand. On most of them the display cycles through a current flow rate screen in gallons per minute, which makes the test easy: with everything off, the flow rate should read zero. The radio on the meter lid is wired to the meter, so lift the lid gently and do not pull it far. One more Mesa rule: the city does not allow flow monitoring gadgets on the meter or inside the meter box. If you want a leak monitor, it goes on your own piping. Our walkthrough of the water meter leak test covers the same steps.

Mesa draws the line at the meter. City Code 8-10-3 says repairs on mains, meters and service laterals to the meter are made by the Department, and the point of delivery is generally the outlet side of the meter. The city's leak page turns that into a rule of thumb: call Mesa at 480-644-2221 if water is leaking from the meter box or surfacing in the street, and call a plumber if the leak is on your property beyond the meter, at a fixture, or in irrigation equipment.

Mesa also has an agreement with a private company for an optional service line warranty program for residents, with sewer-only, water-only or combined options. The city's page says that if the faulty part of the line is on the homeowner's property, the homeowner pays. If you signed up, call the warranty company before you book a repair.

Once the meter test says water is escaping, we isolate. Close the house or building valve: if the meter stops, the leak is inside; if it keeps moving, it is in the yard line. Inside, we split hot from cold and section by section, then use acoustic listening, thermal imaging and pressure testing to put a mark on the floor or wall before anything is opened. Outside, we trace the line and listen along it. See leak detection and hidden signs of a water leak.

Fewer than in most Valley cities. Mesa City Code 4-1-4 exempts repairing leaks in pipes, valves and fixtures, as long as nothing is replaced or rearranged. It also exempts an equal replacement of the exterior water supply line to a building, which is unusual. Two limits apply. The exemption does not cover work in a public utility easement or Mesa right-of-way. And it does not cover premises regulated under Title 8, Chapters 1 and 4, Mesa's backflow and sewer chapters, which takes in many commercial sites. A replacement that changes size, material or route is not "equal," so it needs a permit.

Mesa's 2024 residential code amendment adds one detail we build in: underground plastic water pipe larger than 2 inches gets an insulated copper tracer wire, so the next person can find it. Slab leaks can be repaired in place or rerouted through the walls and attic; see commercial slab leak repair for how we weigh the two.

Mostly age. Census figures put the median Mesa home at 1989, and about 61,000 homes were built before 1980, so original supply lines, angle stops, water heaters and yard lines are reaching the end of their run. A failed pressure regulator speeds that up, so pressure belongs on every leak check. See Mesa and Chandler yards and tree roots for the drain side of the same story.

Homes: the common calls are a slab leak with a warm floor, a supply line under a sink, a water heater leaking from the bottom, and the yard line between the meter and the house.

Businesses, HOAs and apartments: check whether your site falls under Mesa's backflow or sewer regulations before assuming the permit exemptions apply, because City Code 4-1-4 leaves out work governed by Title 8, Chapters 1 and 4, and anything in a public utility easement or Mesa right-of-way. If a line lets go after closing, our night dispatcher takes the call and a supervisor calls you back. See commercial leak detection and property management plumbing.

If the leak is at the meter box or in the street, it is Mesa's; call the city. If the meter stops when you turn off irrigation, it is a sprinkler repair. A running toilet or a softener stuck in regeneration is a simple repair, not a search.

Call with the address, the meter reading test result and what you have noticed. We offer 24/7 emergency service, free estimates and upfront pricing before work starts. For the rest of what we do in the city, see the Mesa service area page.