Slab Leak Repair Services in Gardena, CA
A warm spot on the floor, a water bill that jumped for no reason, or the sound of running water when every fixture is off — those are the classic signs of a slab leak in a Gardena home. Water is escaping from a pressurized line underneath your concrete foundation, and it will not stop on its own. ML Plumbing (Major League Plumbing Inc) provides slab leak detection and repair throughout Gardena and the surrounding South Bay. We’re a licensed, family owned plumbing company, California License #1067944, and estimates are free.
What slab leak repair involves
A slab leak is a break or pinhole in a copper or galvanized water line running beneath your concrete foundation. Most Gardena homes built from the 1950s through the 1970s have those lines cast directly into the slab, and after decades of the high mineral content in South Bay water, pinholes and corrosion are common. Hot water lines fail first because heat accelerates the process.
The job starts with locating the leak, not with breaking concrete. We use electronic listening equipment, pressure isolation testing on the hot and cold sides, and thermal scanning to narrow the leak down to a small area of floor. Once it’s pinpointed, there are usually three repair paths: open a small section of slab and replace the damaged length of pipe, reroute that single line overhead or through a wall to bypass the slab entirely, or — if the pipe is failing in multiple places — repipe the affected sections of the house.
A typical single-leak job means moving furniture, protecting flooring, saw-cutting a contained opening, replacing the pipe, pressure testing the repair, and patching the concrete back. We also camera-inspect and pressure-check the rest of the line so you aren’t back in the same spot next season.
Why ML Plumbing for slab leak repair in Gardena
- We detect before we dig. Electronic leak location and pressure isolation testing keep the concrete opening as small as the repair allows, instead of exploratory demolition.
- Licensed Plumbing Contractor – California, License #1067944, insured and bonded.
- Family owned and operating across the South Bay, with technicians who go through a thorough background check before they set foot in your home.
- We give you the honest repair-versus-reroute-versus-repipe comparison in writing, including when a whole-home repipe is the smarter long-term spend than chasing individual pinholes.
- Free estimates, upfront pricing, and no extra charge for plumbing or drain service calls.
- Rated 4.9 stars across 339 Google reviews, with emergency service available for active leaks.
Our slab leak repair process
- Consultation. You describe what you’re seeing — warm floor, high bill, damp carpet, sound of running water — and we schedule a visit.
- Isolation test. We shut the house down at the meter and isolate the hot and cold sides to confirm the leak is under the slab and not in a wall, yard line, or fixture.
- Pinpoint detection. Electronic listening gear and thermal scanning narrow the leak to a specific area of floor, which we mark for you.
- Recommendations and estimate. You get the repair options — spot repair, reroute, or partial repipe — with the cost and disruption of each spelled out before anything starts.
- Approval. Nothing is cut until you sign off on the scope and the price.
- Execution. We protect the flooring, saw-cut a contained opening, replace the damaged pipe, and pressure test the new section.
- Final inspection and patch. Concrete is patched back, the system is re-pressurized and checked, and we walk the repair with you before we leave.
What slab leak repair typically costs
Slab leak pricing in Gardena depends on four things: how hard the leak is to find, where it sits under the house, which repair method you choose, and how much finished flooring sits over it. A leak under a bare garage slab near an exterior wall is a much shorter job than one under tile in the middle of a kitchen. Detection is quoted separately from repair on many jobs, because until we know where the leak is we can’t honestly price the fix.
Spot repairs are generally the lowest-cost option. Rerouting a single line above the slab often lands in the middle. A partial or whole-home repipe costs the most upfront but ends the cycle of repeat pinhole leaks in older copper. Estimates also shift based on access, pipe material, and whether the flooring needs specialty cutting. We give free estimates with upfront pricing before work begins, and we offer free second opinions if you have a written invoice from another licensed plumber. Ask about senior and military discounts and financing.
Service areas we cover
- Gardena
- Torrance and West Torrance
- Carson and West Carson
- Lomita
- Hawthorne and Lawndale
- Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach
- Manhattan Beach and El Segundo
- Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro
FAQ
How do I know if I have a slab leak and not something else?
The usual tells are a hot or damp spot on the floor, an unexplained spike in your water bill, low water pressure, the sound of running water with all fixtures off, or a musty smell near baseboards. We confirm it with a pressure isolation test before recommending any repair.
Do you have to break up my whole floor?
No. We pinpoint the leak electronically first so the opening is limited to the repair area. If the floor is finished with something you’d rather not cut, rerouting the line above the slab is often the better call.
Is it better to repair the leak or repipe?
One isolated leak in otherwise sound pipe is usually a spot repair. If you’ve had two or more pinholes in the same system, the copper is telling you it’s near the end of its life and repiping the affected lines saves money over time.
Can a slab leak damage my foundation?
Left running, yes — saturated soil under a slab can cause movement, cracking, and flooring damage, along with mold behind baseboards. That’s why we treat an active slab leak as an urgent call.
Do you handle other plumbing while you’re here?
Yes. If the same visit turns up a slow drain or a failing heater, we can address it — including hydro jetting for stubborn Gardena drain lines and tankless water heater installation.
What should I do before you arrive?
Shut off the main water valve if water is actively pooling, move furniture and rugs off the affected floor, and note when the symptoms started. That alone shortens the diagnosis.
If your floor is warm, your bill jumped, or you can hear water running with everything shut off, don’t wait for the damage to spread. Call ML Plumbing at (323) 792-2922 for slab leak detection and repair in Gardena, CA and across the South Bay. Free estimates, upfront pricing, licensed and family owned — reach out today and we’ll find the leak before we touch the concrete.