Grab your water meter. Go on, I’ll wait. Find the main shut-off valve inside your house? Turn it off. Now go look at the meter. If the little dial is still spinning like a hamster on espresso, the leak is outside. If it stops, the leak is inside your walls or under your slab. Fun, right?
This trick is pure gold. It saves you from digging up your entire yard for no reason. And trust me, you do not want to be that person who digs a crater only to realize the leak was in the bathroom. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.
Listening for Hisses (and Gurgles)
Now you need to channel your inner bat. Get really quiet, especially early in the morning or late at night. Walk around your yard and listen. You might hear a faint hiss, a gurgle, or a gentle bubbling sound. Water under pressure makes noise. It's like a tiny underground stream that’s very annoyed.
If you’re fancy, you can buy a listening stick or a ground microphone. But if you’re like me, you’ll just press your ear to the ground and look like a total weirdo. That’s fine. The neighbors are already suspicious of your lush green patch anyway.
