Custom Flow Plumbers - Plumbing & Heating Services in the DC Metro Area
Leaking copper pipes in the hidden places leaks live — water pooling under a pipe on a basement floor, a rusted pipe dripping, and a pipe leaking in a home crawl space.

Leak Detection & Repair in the DC Metro Area

Some leaks announce themselves — a dripping faucet, a toilet that won’t stop running. The ones that do the real damage don’t. A pipe leaking inside a wall or under a floor can run for weeks before it shows itself, and by then it’s not just a water bill — it’s soaked drywall, ruined flooring, and mold.

Custom Flow Plumbers finds and repairs hidden leaks for homeowners across the DC metro area. The job starts with locating where the water is actually coming from — not guessing, and not opening walls hoping to get lucky.

Signs you may have a hidden leak

  • A water bill that jumped with no change in how much water you use
  • The sound of running water when every faucet and appliance is off
  • Damp, warm, or soft spots on floors, walls, or ceilings
  • Stains, bubbling paint, or warping that keep coming back
  • A musty smell that doesn’t go away, or mold where it shouldn’t be
  • Water pressure that isn’t what it was
  • Your water meter keeps moving even when nobody’s using water

Any one of these can have another explanation — but together, or persisting, they’re worth a real look before a small leak becomes a big repair.

Pinhole leaks in copper pipe

Copper pipes can develop pinhole leaks — tiny holes that spray a fine mist inside a wall or ceiling, often for a long time before anyone knows. One pinhole is a repair. But pinholes can also be a pattern: when copper starts going in one spot, other spots may not be far behind.

We’ll tell you honestly which one you’re looking at. If it’s one hole, we repair it. If the pipe itself is failing, we’ll show you what we found and lay out your options — including replacing the run — so you can decide with the full picture, not a sales pitch.

How we handle it

  • Locate first. We track down the source of the leak before anything gets opened up, so any opening is as small and targeted as the job allows.
  • Explain what we found. Where it’s leaking, why, and what it will take to fix it — in plain language, before work starts.
  • Repair what’s repairable. The leaking joint, fitting, or section of pipe gets repaired or replaced with the right materials for the system it’s part of.
  • Check the surrounding pipe. A leak is often a symptom. While we’re there, we look at the condition of the pipe around it and tell you what we see.

FAQ

Q: My water bill spiked but I can’t see any leak. Can it still be a leak?
A: Yes — that’s one of the most common ways a hidden leak shows itself. Pipes run inside walls, under floors, and underground between the street and your house. A leak in any of those places can run for a long time without a visible drop of water inside the home.

Q: Will you have to tear open my walls?
A: Locating the leak first means that if a wall or floor does need to be opened, it’s opened where the leak actually is — not in a string of guesses. Some leaks can be reached and repaired with no opening at all. We’ll explain what your specific leak needs before we start.

Q: Do you just find leaks, or do you repair them too?
A: Both. Finding a leak and fixing it are one service here — we don’t hand you a location and leave you to find someone else for the repair.

When leaks keep coming back

Q: One pinhole was repaired last year and now there’s another. What does that mean?
A: It can mean the copper is reaching the end of its life in that run. One repair after another gets expensive and stressful; at some point replacing the failing section — or the whole house’s pipe, if it’s widespread — is the better money. We’ll show you the condition of the pipe and give you our honest read.

Q: The leak isn’t in a pipe — it’s around a toilet / tub / fixture. Is that this service?
A: If water is getting where it shouldn’t, call us. Some of those are fixture repairs, and we’ll tell you straight which it is and what it needs.
Licensed & Insured · WSSC License #P 74018
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2-Year Parts & Labor Warranty on work we supply and install
A local company serving the whole DC metro area — when you call, you reach the company that does the work
Think you have a leak — or know you do? Call (301) 971-4884 — Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.