Start with the meter: the two hour test
If water is moving through your pipes when nothing in the house is using it, the meter will show it. This is the cleanest test for a hidden leak, and it needs nothing but a few minutes and a flashlight.
First, make sure everything is off. Stop the washing machine and dishwasher, make sure nobody is running a faucet or flushing, and turn off an automatic ice maker and any irrigation system. Then find the meter, which is usually in a box near the street or the property line, and lift the lid carefully.
Look for the leak indicator, a small triangle or dial that spins when even a trickle passes through. If it moves with every tap closed, water is going somewhere. If your meter has no indicator, write down the full reading, wait at least 30 minutes to two hours with no water use, and read it again. Any change means a leak.
What the meter result tells you
The test gives you a yes or no, and a few extra clues about where to look next.
Indicator still, reading unchanged
No water moved while everything was off. A leak is unlikely, though an intermittent one may need a second test at a different time of day.
Indicator slowly turning
A small steady loss, which is the pattern of a running toilet flapper or a dripping fixture. Move on to the toilet and tap checks below.
Indicator spinning fast
A larger leak, often in a supply line. Close the main shutoff and see if it stops. If it does, the leak is inside the house or past the valve.
Stops when the main is closed
The leak is downstream of your shutoff, in the house. If it keeps moving with the valve closed, the problem may be the valve itself or the line before it.
Test your tap and your toilets
Toilets are the most common silent leaker, because water slips from the tank into the bowl without a sound. Drop a few drops of food coloring into the tank, do not flush, and wait about 15 minutes. If color shows up in the bowl, the flapper is not sealing.
Next, walk the house and check every faucet, including outdoor spigots, for drips. A single drip per second wastes surprising volumes over a month, and the water lost adds up faster than most people expect.
Finally, look at the supply connections under sinks and behind the toilet and the washing machine. Dry a connection with a paper towel, wait an hour, and press the towel against it. A damp towel gives you the answer.
If the meter keeps moving after all fixtures check out, the leak is probably behind a wall, under a floor or in a buried line. Closing individual shutoff valves one at a time narrows the search, and a plumber or leak detection specialist can pinpoint the rest.
Found wet drywall or flooring?
Call (943) 469-0138 for 24/7 emergency dispatch. Crews handle the water damage once the source is stopped.
Read your water bill like a detective
Your bill is a record of usage month by month, and a leak often shows up as a rise that nothing else explains. Pull out the last 6 to 12 bills and compare them. Winter months with no irrigation should be your lowest, and a spike there is a flag.
A steady climb across months suggests a slow, worsening leak. A sudden jump suggests a break. A bill that is high one month and normal the next may mean a leak that comes and goes, such as a toilet that fails only occasionally.
Also compare your daily use to household size. If you use far more than people in the house would explain, ask your water utility to review your account. They can tell you whether the usage pattern looks like a continuous flow.
Your water bill in the Lithia Springs area
The Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority describes itself on its about page as Douglas County's sole water provider, delivering water, wastewater and stormwater services. Your bill names your actual utility, so confirm it there rather than assuming.
Not every address near Lithia Springs is on the county system. The City of Austell runs its own water system and buys water wholesale through Cobb County sources, so a home inside Austell has a different utility on the bill than one in unincorporated Douglas County.
The tie-back is to call whichever utility sends your bill. Ask your water utility whether it offers a leak alert or usage history, whether it can review a high bill, and how to read your meter. Policies on bill adjustments vary, so ask before you assume anything.
Where leaks hide and the clue each one leaves
After the meter test, match your symptoms to the likely location.
| Hidden location | What you may notice | First thing to check |
|---|---|---|
| Inside a wall | Warm or damp patch, peeling paint, stained baseboard | Meter test with the main closed, then thermal reading or moisture meter at the wall |
| Under a slab floor | Warm spot on the floor, sound of running water, rising bill | Meter test, then check for a warm floor area and listen near the floor |
| Under a sink or behind an appliance | Musty smell, swollen cabinet base, damp floor | Dry the fittings and check with a paper towel |
| In the attic or ceiling | Ceiling stain, sagging drywall, drips after use of a fixture above | Check the room above and the attic with a flashlight |
| Underground between meter and house | Soft, green or soggy patch in the yard, dropping pressure | Close the main valve and watch the meter, then walk the line |
| In the crawl space | Damp insulation, musty smell, sagging floor insulation | Look with a flashlight and check the supply lines overhead |
Clues are not proof. A moisture reading or a leak detection specialist confirms the location.
Signs of a leak without the meter
Some leaks announce themselves through the house. Look for musty smells, warm patches on a floor, paint bubbling on a wall, baseboards that swell, and the sound of water when everything is off.
Check low points as well. Water follows gravity and settles in cabinets, corners and under flooring edges. A thermal imaging camera can show a cold or warm band where water is moving, and a moisture meter confirms it.
Mold needs moisture to grow, so a recurring musty smell near a wall is worth a closer look. Health questions belong to a physician, and mold handling follows the S520 standard.
If you find water near electricity
Do not touch wet outlets, switches or appliances. Cut power at the panel only if you can reach it while standing on a dry surface, and call the utility or 911 for any electrical or gas risk before calling the restoration line.
For a major leak, close the main shutoff valve. Know where it is before you need it, and make sure everyone in the house knows too.
What to do once you find damage
Finding the leak is the start. If materials are wet, they need to dry fast to avoid more damage. For a leak in a concrete slab, the page on slab leak water damage explains the drying side of that situation.
Wet drywall, subfloor and insulation are handled through moisture mapping and equipment. Structural drying and dehumidification describes how crews dry a structure and document the readings.
Fixing the pipe itself is a plumber's job. A restoration crew handles the wet building materials, and the two trades work in sequence.
Insurance and documentation
Sudden and accidental damage is often covered, while gradual leaks and neglect often are not. A bill record that shows when usage rose can help you explain when a leak began.
Photograph the damage and the meter reading with the date. The Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance advises saving records and damaged items for the insurer. Check your policy and ask your insurer what applies.
Elsewhere in the county
The same tests work wherever you live. Homeowners near Mableton and Douglasville read the same kind of meter and face the same kinds of hidden leaks.
If a leak has already wet your home, call (943) 469-0138. Scope and price are explained before work starts, and the line is open around the clock.
Common Questions
How long should I wait during the meter test?
Wait at least 30 minutes with no water use, and a longer wait of up to two hours picks up slow leaks. If the reading changes or the indicator turns, water is moving somewhere.
Could my irrigation or ice maker be the cause?
Yes. Turn off sprinklers, softeners and the ice maker before the test so they do not give a false result. If the meter stops after they are off, the leak is in one of them.
Does a high water bill always mean a leak?
No. Guests, a filled pool, watering a new lawn and seasonal use all raise a bill. A high bill with no change in habits is the pattern worth checking.
Can I find a slab leak myself?
You can spot clues, such as a warm floor spot, the sound of running water and a moving meter. Pinpointing the exact line usually needs a leak detection specialist.
Who is my water utility if I live in Lithia Springs?
Check your bill. The Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority describes itself as Douglas County's sole water provider, while the City of Austell runs its own system. Ask your water utility for usage history and whether it can review a high reading.
What if the meter keeps spinning after I close the main valve?
That points to the valve not sealing or a leak on the street side of it. Contact your water utility, since that part of the line may be theirs.