Short answer: To check for a hidden leak in Smyrna, turn off every faucet and water-using appliance, then look at your water meter. The City of Smyrna says a turning silver wheel, or a digital reading above 0.0 gallons per minute, means there is a leak on the customer's side, which is the homeowner's responsibility. A plumber then locates it with listening equipment, thermal imaging, pressure tests and cameras. Slab leaks can often be repaired, rerouted or bypassed without tearing up the whole floor.
The two-minute meter test
- Turn off every faucet, shower and appliance that uses water, including the ice maker and irrigation.
- Find your meter box, usually near the street or sidewalk. Lift the lid carefully; there may be insects inside.
- Look at the meter. On a dial meter, a small silver wheel or triangle spinning means water is moving. On a digital meter, a gallons-per-minute reading above 0.0 means the same.
- For a slower leak, write down the reading, wait an hour without using water, and check again.
If the meter moves, there is a leak somewhere between the meter and your fixtures. Next, shut the main valve at the house and check again. If the meter still moves with the house valve closed, the leak is likely in the underground water line between the meter and the house. If it stops, the leak is inside the house.
The City of Smyrna also offers a leak adjustment form for customers whose bill was raised by a leak, which is worth asking about once the leak is fixed. Its Water and Sewer Division says residents can request free toilet leak test tablets and faucet aerators from the Public Works front desk at (770) 431-2850, and that smart leak detector rebates may be available.
Signs of a hidden leak
- A water bill that rose without a change in how you use water
- The sound of running water when nothing is on
- Warm spots on a tile or wood floor, which can mean a hot water line leaking under the slab
- The water heater running more than usual
- Damp or musty spots on walls, ceilings or baseboards
- Cracks in flooring or drywall that appeared with moisture
- A soggy patch, unusually green strip or sinkhole in the yard along the water line
- Low water pressure throughout the house
- Mildew or a musty smell in a closet that shares a wall with a bathroom
Where leaks hide in Smyrna homes
Toilets
A worn flapper can let water trickle into the bowl around the clock. It is the most common hidden leak and the easiest to fix. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank; the EPA's WaterSense program says that if color shows up in the bowl within 10 minutes without flushing, you have a leak. Flush afterward so the dye does not stain. See toilet repair.
Under the slab
Some Smyrna homes, especially newer houses and townhomes, sit on concrete slabs with water lines running under or through them. A hot water line rubbing against concrete or a failed fitting can leak for months. Warm floors, a constantly running water heater and an unexplained bill are the clues.
Inside walls and ceilings
Supply lines to showers, sinks and upstairs bathrooms run through walls and floors. Pinhole leaks in older copper, failed fittings and old polybutylene pipe are common culprits. If your home was built roughly between the late 1970s and mid 1990s, ask whether it has polybutylene; see repiping.
In the yard
The service line from the meter to the house runs underground. Georgia's clay soil moves as it wets and dries, tree roots press on pipes, and older galvanized lines corrode from the inside. A leak here often shows up as a wet spot, a green strip of grass, or low pressure.
In crawl spaces and basements
Many older Smyrna homes have crawl spaces or basements where pipes run exposed. Leaks there can go unseen for a long time and soak framing and insulation.
Irrigation systems
A cracked sprinkler line or a stuck valve can waste a surprising amount of water. Turn the irrigation system off at its own valve before you do the meter test.
How we find leaks without tearing up the house
- Meter and isolation tests narrow the leak to a zone: yard, hot side, cold side, or a specific branch.
- Pressure testing shows whether a line holds pressure when isolated.
- Acoustic listening equipment picks up the sound of water escaping under a slab or behind a wall.
- Thermal imaging spots temperature differences from hot water leaks and wet materials.
- Moisture meters confirm wet drywall, wood and flooring.
- Camera inspection for drain and sewer leaks; see sewer line repair.
The goal is to open the smallest possible area, in the right spot, once.
A real person answers 24 hours a day and tells you what to do first, before anyone comes out.
Slab leak repair options
Once a slab leak is found, there are three main ways to fix it, and the right one depends on the age of the pipe and where it runs.
| Option | What it involves | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Spot repair | Open the floor and slab at the leak, repair the pipe, patch the concrete | A single failure in otherwise good pipe |
| Reroute | Abandon the leaking line under the slab and run a new line through walls or the attic | The line is old, hard to reach, or has leaked before |
| Repipe | Replace the home's supply piping | Multiple leaks, polybutylene or badly corroded pipe |
Flooring removal and replacement are usually handled separately from the plumbing repair. See pipe repair and repiping.
Your side or the city's?
The City of Smyrna repairs leaks in its distribution system up to your meter, and inside the meter box from the meter back to the street. Leaks inside the house or between the house and the meter are the customer's responsibility. Some homes with a Smyrna address are on the Cobb County Water System; check your bill. Read who fixes water and sewer leaks in Smyrna.
Why hidden leaks are worth fixing fast
- Water bills: you pay for every gallon that goes through the meter, leak or not.
- Structure: water under slabs and in walls can damage flooring, framing and drywall.
- Mold: wet materials that stay wet for more than a day or two can start growing mold.
- Insurance: many homeowners policies exclude damage from slow, long-term leaks, so catching them early matters.
Narrowing it down yourself before you call
You can save time on the visit by doing a little detective work. None of this requires tools.
Hot side or cold side?
Close the cold water inlet valve on top of your water heater, then repeat the meter test. If the meter stops, the leak is on the hot water side, which is a strong hint toward a slab leak or a leak in a hot line inside a wall. If the meter keeps moving, the leak is on the cold side or in the yard.
Toilets first
Close the small supply valve behind each toilet and watch the meter. If it stops after a certain toilet is shut off, that toilet is your leak. Running toilets are the most common reason a bill rises, and they are often silent.
Check the obvious fixtures
- Under kitchen and bathroom sinks: look for wet cabinet floors, swollen particle board or drips on the supply lines and valves.
- Behind the washing machine: rubber fill hoses crack with age. Braided stainless hoses last longer.
- At the water heater: look for water in the pan, around the base, or dripping from the relief valve discharge pipe. See water heater repair.
- The refrigerator ice maker line: a thin plastic line can crack behind the fridge and soak the floor slowly.
- Outdoor spigots: a frost-free spigot that was left with a hose attached in winter can split inside the wall and only leak when it is turned on.
Write down what you find
Note the meter readings, which valves you closed, and what changed. That tells a plumber in minutes what might otherwise take an hour to figure out, which keeps your bill down.
Reading a high water bill
Before assuming the worst, compare the gallons used on your current bill to the same month last year. Summer bills in Smyrna often rise because of lawn watering, pools and guests, and that is not a leak. A leak usually shows up as a jump that does not match any change in your routine, or a steady rise over several bills. A toilet flapper leak can be small or large; a fully running toilet can use a great deal of water in a single day. A slab leak or yard line leak tends to keep going around the clock, so the meter test catches it reliably.
If the meter test shows no movement but the bill is still high, ask the utility whether the reading was estimated and whether the meter can be re-read or tested. City of Smyrna customers can contact Utility Services; homes on the Cobb County Water System contact Cobb County.
Leaks in townhomes, condos and apartments
In attached housing, water from one unit can show up in another. A ceiling stain in a lower unit may come from a toilet seal, a shower pan, a supply line or a drain above. In Smyrna's newer townhome and condo communities, finding the source fast matters because damage spreads across property lines and insurance carriers will want to know where it started. We document what we find with photos and moisture readings, which helps owners, associations and insurers sort out responsibility. Check your association documents to see which pipes are common elements.
After the leak is fixed
- Dry it out. Wet drywall, insulation and subfloor need to dry quickly. Fans and dehumidifiers help with small areas; larger wet areas may need a water damage restoration company.
- Watch for mold. A musty smell or spots weeks later means something stayed wet.
- Keep paperwork. Save the plumber's invoice, photos and meter readings for a leak adjustment request and any insurance claim.
- Think about prevention. Automatic shutoff valves and leak sensors near the water heater, washer and under sinks can stop a small leak from becoming a big one.
- Ask about the rest of the piping. If one pinhole leak appeared in old copper or galvanized pipe, others may follow. A plumber can tell you whether a repipe is worth considering.
How to choose a leak detection company
- Ask how they locate leaks. A company that relies only on cutting open walls or floors will leave you with more damage to repair than one using isolation tests, acoustic equipment and thermal imaging.
- Ask what happens after the leak is found. Detection and repair are separate steps. Knowing the plan for both avoids surprises.
- Ask about repair options before agreeing to open a slab. Rerouting can avoid jackhammering in some homes.
- Ask for documentation. Photos, readings and a short written finding are useful for insurance and a city leak adjustment.
- Confirm licensing. In Georgia, plumbing work is done by licensed plumbers. See our Georgia plumber license guide.
Leak detection across Smyrna
Slab homes and townhomes near Cumberland and The Battery and in Vinings tend to have leaks under floors or between units, while older homes in Bennett Woods and Cheney Woods are more likely to have corroded supply lines, crawl space leaks and aging yard lines. We cover every Smyrna service area.
More plumbing services in Smyrna
- Emergency plumber in Smyrna: 24/7 burst pipes, no water, backups and leaks.
- Drain cleaning in Smyrna: Clogged sinks, tubs, toilets and main line backups.
- Pipe repair & repiping in Smyrna: Burst pipes, polybutylene and galvanized replacement.
- Water heater repair & installation in Smyrna: Tank and tankless repair and replacement.
- Sewer line repair in Smyrna: Camera inspection, roots, breaks and replacement.
- Water line repair in Smyrna: Main service line from the meter to the house.
- Toilet & faucet repair in Smyrna: Running toilets, drips, fixtures and disposals.
Helpful Smyrna plumbing guides
Neighborhoods we serve
Licensed plumbers for homes in Market Village & Williams Park, Forest Hills, Bennett Woods & Cooper Lake, Cheney Woods & Smyrna Heights, Belmont Hills & King Springs, Vinings, Cumberland & The Battery, Mableton & Riverview. See every Smyrna service area or contact us.
Sources
- City of Smyrna, Utility Services FAQ (meter test, responsibility, leak adjustment)
- City of Smyrna, Water and Sewer Division (leak test tablets, leak detector rebates)
- EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week
- Atlanta News First, a Smyrna neighborhood on Cobb County water
Written and reviewed by Alex, a Smyrna local with an MBA who researches and edits every page on this site, citing official and published sources. Updated October 25, 2026.
Plumbing work is performed by independent, licensed Georgia plumbers. General information, not legal or insurance advice.