Our warranty at a glance
Warranty call goes to Michael Bass personally. (385) 247-9359.
2020
Hidden Leak Detection and Cleanup in South Jordan
Not every water loss is an emergency. Some leaks have been running inside walls, under floors, or behind cabinets for weeks or months. True Day uses FLIR thermal imaging and calibrated moisture meters to find them, document the extent, and write a repair scope you can act on.
When to Call Us (Not 911)
Hidden leak detection is for the slow problems — the ones where water is not pouring, there is no immediate crisis, but something is wrong and you want to know what. These are project-mode jobs, not emergency-mode jobs. Common triggers:Signs You Have a Hidden Leak
- Musty smell in a specific room that persists even after cleaning
- Water bill that jumped without a corresponding change in use
- Warm or damp spot on a wall that is not near a known plumbing fixture
- Water stain on a ceiling below a bathroom or kitchen on the floor above
- Buckled or cupped hardwood flooring in one area
- Peeling paint, bubbling drywall, or soft baseboard near an exterior wall
- Pre-purchase inspection flagged possible moisture — buyer or seller wants verification
- Insurance carrier asked for an assessment after a prior claim
- Mold found elsewhere and you want to know the source
How We Find It — Our Inspection Methodology
Finding a hidden leak is not guesswork. It is a documented process using calibrated equipment, and it ends with a written report you can hand to your insurance carrier, a plumber, a general contractor, or a real estate agent.What a True Day Written Report Contains
Your inspection report is the deliverable, not just a verbal “yeah, you have moisture.” Every True Day hidden leak report includes:- Date of inspection and inspector name
- Property address and areas inspected
- FLIR thermal imaging screen captures with moisture signatures annotated
- Moisture meter readings at every point tested, with the material type and the dry baseline comparison
- Photographs of visible damage (water stains, buckling, peeling)
- Photographs of the suspected source (plumbing fitting, flashing, grading)
- Narrative description of the water path from source to damage
- Recommended scope of work with Xactimate line items
- Estimated materials cost and labor hours
- Timeline estimate for remediation
- True Day signature, Utah Contractor License #960332-3505, IICRC Firm #927354-5258
Transparent Pricing
What Hidden Leak Detection Costs in South Jordan
True Day’s inspection fee structure is flat and published up front. No per-hour charge, no mystery line items. Written estimates for cleanup work are prepared in Xactimate before any work begins.| Service | Range | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency water-damage inspection | Free | On-site assessment during an active loss. No trip charge, no after-hours fee. |
| Hidden leak inspection (project-mode) | $150 – $350 | FLIR scan, moisture mapping, written report with photos. Fee waived if the loss is insurance-covered and True Day performs the remediation. |
| Multi-area whole-home inspection | $350 – $650 | Full-property scan (pre-purchase, pre-sale, insurance-required). Written report, no remediation obligation. |
| Dehumidifier rental (if DIY path chosen) | $75 – $125 / day | Commercial LGR unit, delivered and set up. Minimum 3-day rental. Pickup included. |
| Structural drying (full service) | $1.50 – $4.50 / sq ft | Air movers, dehumidification, daily moisture logs, 3-5 day typical duration. Billed via Xactimate. |
Pricing ranges reflect the Salt Lake Valley market. Final price depends on access, scope, and material. Insurance-covered losses are billed to the carrier at Xactimate regional unit prices — not these ranges. See /facts/ for complete pricing policy.
If You Want DIY — What We Rent
Some hidden leaks are small enough to handle yourself if you catch them early. If an inspection confirms a Category 1 clean-water loss under 100 square feet and the structure is dry below the surface, DIY drying with commercial equipment is viable. True Day rents:- Commercial LGR dehumidifier (Phoenix 200 Max class) — $75-125/day, 3-day minimum
- Commercial axial air movers — $25-45/day each
- Pinless moisture meter — $45/day (so you can tell when it is actually dry, not just when it looks dry)
Financing Available
For work not covered by insurance (slow seepage, maintenance issues, pre-purchase remediation), True Day offers Wisetack financing. Soft credit check, no impact on your score, decisions in seconds, 0% APR options for qualified borrowers. Apply through our office when the inspection is complete.Call for a free emergency inspection or schedule a project-mode hidden leak inspection.
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What True Day guarantees on every job
How to tell if you have a hidden water leak
The leaks that quietly ruin a wall or subfloor rarely announce themselves. Here is how to catch one before it becomes a demo job.
Signs worth taking seriously
- Water bill spike — 20%+ above the same month last year, with no changed habits (new occupant, filled hot tub)
- Musty smell concentrated in one room, or strongest near one wall
- Cold spot on an interior wall you can feel with the back of your hand
- Discoloration, bubbling paint, or sagging drywall — especially low on a wall or around baseboards
- Warped flooring that was flat six months ago (hardwood cupping, laminate edge-lift, tile grout darkening)
- Water meter spinning with every fixture in the house off and no appliance cycling
- Sound of running water in walls when nothing is on
The 15-minute meter test (free, works in any house with a city water meter)
- Shut off every running fixture. Toilets, ice maker, humidifier, dishwasher, washing machine — anything that might cycle.
- Walk to your water meter and write down the reading. On a digital meter the small “flow indicator” dial will also show if anything is moving.
- Wait 15 minutes. Do not use any water in the house.
- Read the meter again. If the number moved at all — even a tenth — you have a leak somewhere between the meter and your fixtures.
What we do when you call
- FLIR thermal imaging finds the saturation behind walls without opening them
- Pin and pinless moisture meters confirm the moisture content and map the extent
- Non-destructive first — if we have to open a wall, we know exactly where before we do
- Free written findings — you can take them to your plumber if the leak needs a repair we do not do
Honest caveat: not every mystery is a leak. HVAC refrigerant lines, water hammer, settling, and even some chasing noise travels through plumbing stacks. If you are unsure, that is what a free inspection is for — and “your house is fine” is a legitimate outcome of our visit.
How to find and read your water meter — a 5-minute leak test
The 15-minute meter test from the hidden-leak diagnostic above, with step-by-step on where to find the meter and what the dials actually show.
Find your meter
In most South Jordan homes the meter is in a street-side meter box near your front curb (metal or plastic lid flush with the ground; a utility key or a pair of pliers lifts it). In older or custom homes it may be inside, usually in the basement or garage, on the incoming service line.
Identify the dials
Modern meters have a digital odometer reading (your billed gallons/cubic feet) and a flow indicator: either a small triangular “leak detector” that spins with any flow, or a sweep hand on an analog face. The flow indicator moves even on very small leaks the odometer wouldn’t show in 15 minutes.
Shut everything off inside
Every faucet, toilet (listen for a running fill valve), ice maker, humidifier, dishwasher, washing machine, water softener regen cycle. The flow indicator should be perfectly still within a minute if nothing is leaking.
Watch the flow indicator for 60 seconds
If the little triangle or sweep hand is moving at all — even a slow creep — water is going somewhere in your house with nothing turned on. That’s a leak.
Localize: inside vs. outside
Close the main shutoff valve to the house (usually near the water heater or where the service line enters). Check the meter flow indicator again. If it stopped: the leak is inside the house. If it kept moving: the leak is between the meter and the shutoff — your supply line, which is a utility-coordination job (call South Jordan City utilities and a plumber).
How to interpret the result
- Flow indicator still, main valve open
- No active leak detected at the meter. Your house is probably fine. If you still have symptoms (musty smell, stain), it may be a one-time past leak or a non-water cause — call us for a FLIR inspection.
- Flow indicator moving, main valve open
- Leak somewhere inside the house. Call us at (385) 247-9359 — our FLIR + moisture meters will locate it without opening a wall exploratively.
- Flow indicator moving, main valve closed
- Leak between the city meter and your house. Call South Jordan City Public Works first, then a plumber. This is a supply-line issue — not our scope.
When it is a city utility issue (not us)
Some water issues belong with the city or the water utility, not with a restoration firm. Here is the honest routing.
Water quality: taste, color, odor, discoloration from the tap
If the issue is the water coming out of the faucet — brown, odd-tasting, cloudy, chlorinated — that is a water utility question, not a restoration one. We cannot test or treat drinking water quality.
Call: Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD)Supply-line leak between the city meter and the house
If a self-test shows the meter spinning with your main shutoff closed, the leak is on the service line between the city meter and your house. This is a utility-coordination job — not our scope.
Call: South Jordan City Public Works + a licensed plumberSewer main backup outside the house
If sewage is coming up from a floor drain or the lowest fixture and multiple fixtures are affected, the issue may be a city-side sewer main blockage, not your lateral line. The city investigates and clears main-line issues at no charge; the lateral into your house is a plumber’s trade.
Call: South Jordan City Public Works first; then a plumber for the lateral; then us for interior cleanupHydrant hit, water main break, vehicle damage to utility infrastructure
If a hydrant or main was struck and water is pouring into or near your property, call 911 for emergency response + the city for utility shutoff. We can respond for interior cleanup once the water is off and the police report is on file.
Call: 911 + South Jordan City Public WorksIf you are not sure which bucket your issue is in, call us at (385) 247-9359. We will listen for 30 seconds and route you — even if the honest answer is “you need the water utility, not us”.
Hidden leak detection FAQ
How we find leaks without opening walls, what it costs, and what we do when the leak isn’t our scope.
How do you find a hidden leak without opening walls?
Can you find a leak if the wall looks and feels dry?
What’s the cost for a hidden-leak inspection?
What if the leak is in a wall I don’t want opened?
I’m not sure I actually have a leak — should I still call?
Pre-sale moisture inspection — what we look at (and what we don’t)
A moisture-focused inspection for buyers who want to know a home’s water history, or sellers who want to document it is clean before listing. Not a full home inspection — a focused one.
What our inspection covers
- FLIR thermal imaging of every exterior wall, bathroom, laundry room, basement, and crawl space entry
- Moisture meter readings on any area the FLIR shows temperature differential
- Attic and crawl-space entry for visible evidence of past leaks, repair, or active intrusion
- Visible mold check on surfaces we can see (not inside wall cavities we don’t open)
- Rough age/stage estimate for any found saturation — “recent” vs. “old— dried up”
- Written findings with photos, FLIR images, and moisture readings documented
What our inspection does NOT include
- Full home inspection — we do not check electrical, structural, HVAC function, roof condition, or code compliance
- Lab testing for mold species — requires an independent industrial hygienist
- Appraisal or valuation — not within our scope or license
- Wall opening for destructive sampling — we are non-destructive
Fee: This is a paid inspection (not free like post-event), because there’s no mitigation job attached. Call (385) 247-9359 for the current rate. Written findings ready within 2 business days of the visit.
Water bill jumped? Here’s how to find the leak
A sudden spike in your water bill without a change in usage is the most reliable early warning for a hidden leak — often weeks before structural damage becomes visible. Here is the sequence to find it.
Step 1: Confirm the spike isn’t billing-side
- Check your bill against the same month last year — seasonal variation (lawn irrigation summer vs. winter)
- Verify the meter read on the bill against your current meter read — sometimes it’s a billing estimate, not actual usage
- Call JVWCD if the numbers don’t add up — occasional meter malfunctions do happen
Step 2: Use the meter as a leak detector
- Shut off every water-using fixture in the home — toilets, washing machine idle, dishwasher idle, nothing dripping, ice maker producing between batches
- Note the meter reading
- Wait 2 hours without using any water
- Check the meter again. If it moved, water is leaving the house without your knowledge — you have an active leak
Step 3: Narrow by location
- Shut off the water to the house at the main valve. If the meter stops moving, the leak is inside the house.
- Open the valve, close individual fixture-shut-offs. One at a time — toilet supply, under-sink valves. When the meter stops with a specific valve closed, that line is the source.
- If the leak persists with all interior fixtures shut off, the leak is between the meter and the house — typically a supply-line break in the yard. Different scope — plumber + possibly utility.
What we add to the DIY diagnosis
Once a general area is identified, we come in with FLIR thermal + GE Protimeter moisture meter + acoustic leak detection to pinpoint the exact location without opening walls at random. Then minimal cutting, source repair (plumbing specialty — we refer), dry-out, and reconstruction under our Utah GC license.