No matter which plumber you like or how you expect to handle your leak, call Leak Whisperers first…read moreand pay the relatively low price for a diagnostic. There are a lot of different types of people out there with different types of knowledge and experience and different tools they use, but this should absolutely be your first call.
I say that because it was not my first call and I wish it had been. I have a friend who is very plugged into the plumbing industry who recommended another plumber to me. So that plumber, who advertisers leak detection as part of his services as well, came and spent some time trying to localize it. He was here for almost 7 hours, much of which was diagnosing the issue and then doing a couple reroutes. When he left, we knew it was still leaking (probably a 2nd leak, we assumed), but it was late and the issue was seeming fairly complex.
Before he came out again a couple days later, I asked Jason to come have a look. He walked in and it took him about 15 minutes to map out the pipes and identify the most likely source of the leak. We spent a little more time reviewing what the other plumber had done and talking about what the next steps should probably be. He was very professional about that process, not just crapping on the other plumber's work or anything like that. He also helped me get the lines labeled so it would be easier for me to know what was what.
He clearly cared to see that my issue was resolved. When the other plumbers came back, Jason sent me several text messages with information I could share with them that he knew would be helpful. When it sounded like they were maybe not in alignment, he sent me a lot more information and strongly advised letting him call me so I could get us all on the phone together. I tried my best to be diplomatic about this process because I didn't want anybody feeling like their toes were getting stepped on, but ultimately we got on speaker phone with those guys and Jason explained what was going on. They were a little bit resistant at first and wanted to keep on with their own methods of exploring the situation, but it didn't take long for them to realize that everything Jason had said was true and that his recommended solution was the best course of action.
So, ultimately, everybody ended up in agreement, the main difference being that it took Jason -- with his tools and experience -- about 25 minutes to know everything you could want to know.
And the most important thing to know about this is that the plumbers I had been using were still good plumbers with decades of experience who I would still not hesitate to recommend. Jason just happens to have a particular expertise doing leaks day in and day out. The other guys were qualified and competent. Jason was just next level.
Before they left, they commented that Jason had been really helpful and asked me for his contact information so they could see about using him on some of their jobs. I think that's a pretty damn good endorsement.
Anyway, I know there are a lot of options on Yelp if you have a leak, but I don't see any reason to look any further from here.