Drain Leak Detection & Repair in Georgetown, TX

Drain leaks hide because they come and go

Unlike a pressurized supply leak that drips around the clock, a drain leak only releases water while something is draining. Fill a sink and let it out, and a loose joint underneath weeps for a few seconds, then stops. That on-and-off pattern is why drain leaks can run for months before anyone connects the puddle to the cause.

The classic sign is a cabinet that is dry most of the time but shows a fresh puddle right after you use the sink, or a ceiling stain below a bathroom that darkens after a shower and fades between uses.

From the P-trap to the line in the wall

Most accessible drain leaks live at the P-trap and the slip joints under a sink, where a washer has slipped or a nut has loosened. Others sit further back, where the fixture drain ties into the line in the wall or floor. Older homes around Old Town can still have cast-iron drains that corrode and weep at the joints, while newer builds run PVC that leaks where a fitting was never fully cemented.

Knowing whether you are dealing with a simple trap joint or a line failure inside the structure changes the whole repair, so that is the first thing we sort out.

Finding the leaking joint

Under a sink, we run water and watch each joint in turn until the leak reveals itself, which is fast when the trap is the culprit. For leaks behind a wall or above a ceiling, a moisture meter maps the wet area and a camera run down the drain shows a cracked fitting or separated joint directly on screen, with a locator marking the spot from outside.

That camera view matters most on Heritage Oaks and other older homes, where a length of aging cast iron may be the real problem rather than the visible trap.

Repairing the right way

A loose trap or slip joint gets reseated with fresh washers and proper alignment, not just tightened until it stops for now. A cracked PVC fitting is cut out and replaced with a fully cemented joint. A corroded cast-iron section is replaced with modern pipe and the right transition couplings, so old and new tie together cleanly.

We run water through the repaired drain afterward and watch the joints to confirm the leak is gone rather than just hidden again behind a dry cabinet wall.

Catching it before the cabinet gives out

A slow drain leak does its worst work on what sits below it: the floor of a vanity, the base of a kitchen cabinet, the ceiling under an upstairs bath. Caught early, it is a quick joint repair. Left alone, it swells particleboard, lifts finishes, and invites mold.

If a cabinet smells musty or shows a puddle that only appears after you use the sink, that is a drain leak asking to be found. The longer it goes, the more of the cabinet or ceiling it takes with it, and the more a quick joint repair turns into a finish repair on top of it.