One visit, one invoice, leak gone.
Most leak detection companies on the Gold Coast do half the job. They turn up, find your leak, hand you a report and drive off. Then you ring around for a plumber to actually fix it, wait another day or two, and pay a second call out fee while water keeps soaking into your slab.
We do it differently. Hills Plumbing & Gas is a QBCC licensed plumbing business (licence 15243081), so when we pinpoint your leak with acoustic listening gear, thermal imaging and moisture mapping, we can repair it on the spot. One visit, one invoice, leak gone.
Call Jieye direct on 0472 657 042. Owner operated, 13+ years on the tools, 5.0 stars from 27 Google reviews, servicing Coomera to Coolangatta.
Signs you have a hidden water leak.
Hidden leaks do not announce themselves. They quietly run up your water bill and soak into your slab, walls or yard for weeks before you see anything. Here is what to look for:
- A water bill that jumped with no change in habits. The most common first clue. A slow leak can waste hundreds of litres a day.
- The water meter moves with everything off. More on the test below.
- Damp patches, bubbling paint or mould that keeps coming back after you clean it.
- The sound of running water when no tap, toilet or appliance is on.
- A warm patch on the floor. Classic sign of a hot water line leaking under the slab.
- Weak water pressure at taps that used to run strong.
- Green patches or soggy ground in the yard that stay wet in dry weather.
The DIY water meter test
Before you call anyone, do this. It takes half an hour and costs nothing.
- Turn off every tap and water using appliance in the house. Do not forget the washing machine, dishwasher, irrigation and ice maker.
- Find your water meter, usually at the front boundary, and write down the reading including the small red numbers.
- Wait 30 minutes to 2 hours without using any water.
- Read the meter again. If the numbers have moved, water is escaping somewhere between the meter and your taps.
If the meter moves, you have a leak. What the test cannot tell you is where it is. That is where we come in.
How we find your leak, the actual equipment.
Plenty of Gold Coast plumbers advertise "leak detection" and then turn up with a screwdriver and a torch, or worse, start cutting holes in walls on a hunch. We locate leaks non invasively before anything gets opened up, using purpose built detection equipment:
- Acoustic listening equipment. Pressurised water escaping a pipe makes a distinct hiss. Ground microphones and listening sticks pick that sound up through concrete slabs, walls and soil, letting us trace the leak to a tight spot instead of a whole room.
- Thermal imaging camera. Leaking hot water lines change the surface temperature of floors and walls. The thermal camera shows those temperature differences instantly, without touching a thing. It is the fastest way to track a hot water leak under a slab.
- Moisture mapping. Moisture meters read the water content inside plaster, timber and concrete. We map how far the damp has spread, which tells us where the water is coming from and gives your insurer a clear picture of the affected area.
- Pressure testing. We isolate sections of pipework and pressure test them one at a time to confirm which line is losing water, so there is no guesswork about which pipe to repair.
No single tool finds every leak. The skill is in combining them, reading the results together and confirming the location before a repair is quoted. That is what 13+ years on the tools buys you.
Found and fixed in the same visit.
This is the part that matters. Detection only companies locate your leak and leave. Their price does not include a single repair, because they are not licensed plumbers and cannot legally do the work.
We are. Once we have pinpointed the leak, we quote you a fixed price for the repair on the spot, in writing, before any work starts. If the leak is accessible, in a wall cavity, under the house, in the yard or at a fitting, we will usually repair it in the same visit with the parts on the van. You do not book a second trade, wait another few days or pay another call out.
One visit also matters for damage. Every day a slab leak keeps running, water is wicking further into concrete, flooring and wall bases. Finding it on Tuesday and fixing it the following Monday is a week of extra damage you did not need.
Slab leaks in Gold Coast homes.
The Gold Coast is hard country for buried pipework. Most homes here are slab on ground, so the hot and cold supply lines run under or through concrete. Older suburbs have decades old copper that corrodes from the inside, and our humid climate means any escaped moisture feeds mould fast.
The telltale signs of a slab leak are a warm spot underfoot, a hot water system that runs constantly, cracked or lifting floor coverings, and a meter that ticks over with everything off.
If we confirm a slab leak, you generally have three repair options and we will talk you through all of them honestly:
- Spot repair. Open the slab at the exact leak point and repair the pipe. Cheapest when the leak is precisely located, which is exactly why accurate detection matters.
- Reroute. Abandon the leaking section and run a new line through the roof or walls. Often the smarter fix for old copper that will only fail again somewhere else.
- Repipe. Replace the failing line entirely. The biggest job, but the permanent one.
The right answer depends on pipe age, access and what your insurer will cover. We will give you a straight recommendation, not the most expensive one.
Insurance support, done properly.
Most home insurance policies cover sudden and accidental escape of water, and many cover the cost of locating the leak even when the pipe repair itself is not covered. Insurers do not take your word for it though. They want evidence.
Every leak detection job with us includes what your claim needs:
- An itemised invoice separating detection, repair and materials.
- A cause of loss letter from a QBCC licensed plumber stating what failed, where and why.
- Photos of the leak location, the damage and the completed repair.
- Moisture readings showing the extent of the affected area where relevant.
Check your PDS or ring your insurer before major work, but in our experience a properly documented report is the difference between a smooth claim and a rejected one.
What leak detection costs on the Gold Coast.
Here are our typical guide ranges for the Gold Coast. No mystery pricing, no quote games.
| Service | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Non invasive leak detection (house) | $200 to $500 or more, depending on difficulty |
| Pool leak detection | $300 to $600 or more |
| Burst pipe repair, accessible | $250 to $650 plus parts |
| Under slab leak repair | $1,500 to $4,000 plus, depending on access and repair method |
Two honest notes on those numbers. First, detection cost depends on how hard the leak is hiding. A leak we pinpoint in an hour costs less than one that needs the whole toolkit across a large slab. Second, some companies advertise one flat detection fee that looks cheap until you realise it buys you a report and nothing else. Compare the total cost of found and fixed, not just the detection line.
You get a fixed price in writing before any repair starts. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Servicing the whole Gold Coast.
We cover Coomera to Coolangatta and everywhere between, including Tweed. If water is actively flowing right now, turn off the main at the meter and call us on 0472 657 042. For a suspected slow leak, run the meter test above, then give us a call or email sales@hillsplumbingandgas.com.au and we will book a detection visit.
Frequently asked questions.
How do you find a leak without digging or cutting holes?
We use acoustic listening equipment to hear pressurised water escaping, a thermal imaging camera to spot temperature changes from hot water leaks, moisture meters to map damp inside walls and floors, and pressure testing to confirm which line is losing water. Surfaces only get opened once we know exactly where the leak is, and only at the repair point.
How much does leak detection cost on the Gold Coast?
Non invasive leak detection typically runs $200 to $500 or more depending on how difficult the leak is to trace. Pool leak detection runs $300 to $600 or more. If a repair is needed, we quote it as a separate fixed price in writing before starting, typically $250 to $650 plus parts for an accessible burst pipe and $1,500 to $4,000 plus for under slab repairs.
Can you fix the leak on the same visit as finding it?
In most cases, yes. We are QBCC licensed plumbers, not a detection only company, so accessible leaks are usually repaired on the spot with parts carried on the van. Bigger jobs like slab reroutes are quoted on the day with a fixed price and scheduled promptly.
Will my insurance cover the leak?
Most policies cover sudden and accidental escape of water, and many contribute to the cost of locating the leak. Coverage depends on your policy and the cause, so check your PDS. We supply an itemised invoice, a cause of loss letter, photos and moisture readings so your claim has the evidence insurers ask for.
How do I know if the leak is inside the house or out in the yard?
Do the meter test, then close the isolation valve where the water supply enters the house and check the meter again. If it stops moving, the leak is inside the house pipework. If it keeps moving, the leak is in the service line between the meter and the house. Either way, we can pinpoint it from there.