Quick answer: To add leak detection services to your plumbing business, you need three things: acoustic leak detection equipment, hands-on training on live leaks, and a way to charge for the finding as its own service. The LeakPro® Complete Kit is $2,995, and the 2-day LeakPro leak detection training in Wylie, Texas teaches your techs on real leaks.
In this short video, Roger Wakefield explains why leak detection is a profit center for a plumbing company, not an add-on. Every leak call you take right now, you are either guessing or passing.
Why should a plumbing company add leak detection?
Because almost every home has a leak somebody has to find. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says household leaks waste nearly 1 trillion gallons of water a year nationwide, and most homeowners have no idea where the water is going.
Here is what the EPA’s WaterSense Fix a Leak Week page reports:
- The average household’s leaks can waste more than 9,300 gallons of water every year.
- Nine percent of homes have leaks that waste 50 gallons or more every day.
- If a family of four uses more than 12,000 gallons a month, there could be serious leaks.
- Fixing easily corrected leaks can save homeowners about 10 percent on their water bills.
Somebody has to find those leaks. The company with the equipment and the training finds them, marks them and gets paid for it. The company without them guesses, or sends the customer down the road.
What equipment do you need to offer leak detection?
Most residential leak locating comes down to sound. Water escaping a pressurized pipe makes a hiss, and acoustic tools let a plumber hear that hiss through concrete and soil and trace it to one spot.
A complete setup for slab and underground water line leaks includes:
- A ground microphone or probe to listen at the floor, at fixtures and in the yard, like the LeakPro Probe
- An acoustic amplifier that makes a faint leak loud enough to pinpoint, like the LeakPro Sidekick
- Headphones, ideally one set per technician so two people can work at once
- A way to introduce air into the line, which makes a quiet leak louder and easier to trace
- A pressure gauge to confirm the leak exists before you start locating it
For a full side-by-side look at the tools, read the best leak detection equipment for plumbers guide.
How much does it cost to start offering leak detection?
The equipment is a one-time purchase. LeakPro’s American-made tools start at $1,295 for the Sidekick and $1,395 for the Probe, and the Complete Kit with both tools is $2,995.
With 0% financing through Affirm, the Complete Kit runs about $125 a month, so the tool can go to work on jobs while you pay it off. The Probe carries a five-year warranty and the Sidekick carries one year.
Why does training matter as much as the equipment?
Acoustic tools reward skill. They work on sound, not X-ray, and no tool finds a leak on its own. The plumber who knows the method finds it faster and opens the slab in the right spot the first time.
LeakPro’s training is a 2-day, hands-on certification in Wylie, Texas, taught on live leaks by lead trainer Henry Wakefield. It covers slab leak location, line locating and sewer isolation, which means testing one section of a sewer line at a time to find the section that leaks. You can see the full method in the leak detection process pros use.
How should you price leak detection?
Charge for the finding as its own line on the invoice, separate from the repair. If you can find what nobody else can find, stop charging like it is a regular service call. The finding is the skill, and the skill is what the customer is paying for.
Roger’s rule for every leak job: take a picture of the water meter before you touch anything, and take another one when you are done. That one habit is your proof, your invoice and your defense if a customer ever questions the work.
How do you protect leak detection equipment?
Bring it inside at night. The day you buy leak detection gear, your truck becomes worth stealing, and equipment left in a truck in the driveway overnight is a thief’s paycheck parked out front.
Store the kit in its hard case, keep track of who has it, and log each tool with its serial number so you can report it fast if it ever goes missing.
How do you get your first leak detection calls?
Tell the customers you already have. Every water heater, drain and service call is a chance to mention that your company now finds hidden leaks.
- Add a leak detection page to your website that says what you find and where you work.
- Teach homeowners the EPA’s free water leak test: read the meter, use no water for two hours, then read it again.
- Ask every customer to check their winter water bill, since a family of four over 12,000 gallons a month may have a serious leak.
- Post short videos of real finds, with the homeowner’s permission.
Frequently asked questions about adding leak detection
These are the questions plumbing company owners ask most before they add leak detection.
How long does leak detection training take?
LeakPro’s leak detection certification takes 2 days. It is hands-on, held in Wylie, Texas, and taught on live leaks.
What equipment do you need to find a slab leak?
An acoustic ground microphone paired with an amplifier, like the LeakPro Probe and Sidekick, plus headphones and a way to introduce air into the line. See how it works in slab leak detection: how does it work.
Can one technician run a leak detection call?
Yes. One trained technician can locate a leak with a probe and an amplifier. The Complete Kit includes two headphones, so two techs can work the same job when that is faster.
How do you know a house has a hidden leak?
Start with the water meter. Turn off every faucet, read the meter, wait two hours without using any water and read it again. If the number moved, water is going somewhere.
Ready to add leak detection to your company?
Get the equipment and the training in one place. Shop LeakPro equipment, see the leak detection training, or call LeakPro at 1-888-853-2577 to talk it through.
Leave a Reply