About this example
Everything here is hypothetical: the house, the owners and the details were invented to illustrate a common North Orange County situation. No real property, customer or contractor is described.
The setting is a 1960s single-story Anaheim tract house on a concrete slab, with original copper water lines running under the floor and new tile laid throughout the main living area a few years earlier.
How it unfolded
- Week 1
- The owner notices the kitchen tile feels warm in one spot and the water heater seems to run often.
- Week 2
- The water bill arrives noticeably higher with no change in use.
- Same day
- A meter test with everything off shows the leak indicator moving. Closing the cold supply to the water heater stops it, pointing to the hot side.
- Next
- A licensed plumber performs leak detection with thermal imaging and acoustic listening and marks the leak under the kitchen tile.
- Decision
- The owners compare a spot repair through the tile with a reroute of the hot line through the attic.
The two options
Spot repair through the floor
- Fixes the leak at its source
- Requires breaking and replacing new tile
- Leaves other under-slab copper in place
Reroute through the attic
- Abandons the hot line under the slab
- Small drywall openings instead of floor work
- Removes that line from future slab-leak risk
What the reroute involved
- Permit check.The plumber confirmed with the city whether a permit was required for the reroute.
- New line.A new hot water line was run from the water heater through the attic and down into the walls at each fixture.
- Cap the old line.The leaking under-slab line was disconnected and capped.
- Test.The new line was pressure tested and the meter checked again with everything off.
- Patch.Drywall openings were patched; painting was handled separately.
Takeaways
- Clue
- A warm floor plus a moving meter strongly suggests a hot side slab leak.
- Cheap first test
- Isolating the water heater's cold supply narrows it to hot or cold.
- Choice driver
- New tile made the reroute the less disruptive option.
Common questions
Is this based on a real Anaheim home?
No. It is a made-up example built from typical conditions.
Is a reroute always better?
No. When floor access is easy and the pipe is otherwise in good shape, a spot repair can be reasonable.
Could the cold line leak later?
It is the same age, so it is possible. Some owners reroute both lines at once for that reason.
General information for North Orange County, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.