A water bill that jumped for no reason. A warm spot on the floor. The sound of running water when every faucet in the house is off. Those are the signs of a hidden leak, and in Bloomington's older slab-on-grade homes they're common enough that we hear about one most weeks. Lincoln Plumbing & Rooter finds the leak before anyone starts cutting, then repairs the pipe properly. We're a Bloomington-area shop, licensed under CSLB 1111400, answering the phone around the clock, and the in-person estimate is free.
What leak detection and pipe repair involves
Leak detection is detective work first and plumbing second. We start by isolating the system — shutting the main, watching the meter, and pressure-testing the water lines to confirm you actually have a leak and whether it's on the supply side, the drain side, or a fixture that's simply running. From there we narrow the location using acoustic listening equipment, which picks up the sound of pressurized water escaping a pipe through concrete, and thermal imaging that reads temperature differences across a slab or wall. On drain and sewer lines we run a camera through a cleanout to see the break with our own eyes.
Once we've pinpointed it, the repair depends on what we found. A pinhole in accessible copper under a sink or in a wall cavity is a cut-and-solder or a press fitting, done in an hour or two. A slab leak may mean an access cut in the concrete, or rerouting that section of line overhead through the attic so nobody touches the foundation. Corroded galvanized lines under a Bloomington home built mid-century usually get repiped in sections with copper or PEX. Cracked or root-invaded sewer pipe gets excavated and replaced. We put the patch, drywall, or concrete back and leave the work area clean.
Why Lincoln Plumbing & Rooter for leak detection and pipe repair
- Free in-person estimates. We come out, look at the actual pipe, and price the job in front of you — no phone guesses, no charge to find out.
- We locate before we open anything. Acoustic listening, thermal imaging, and camera inspection come first so the repair is a targeted opening instead of an exploratory one.
- Someone answers 24/7. A burst supply line at 2 a.m. doesn't wait for business hours, and neither do we.
- Licensed in California, CSLB 1111400. Verify us before you let anyone near your foundation.
- Family-run since 2021, started by two brothers with two decades of hands-on plumbing experience between them — the same crew shows up for property managers who need consistency.
- Supply, drain, and gas. We handle water line leaks, slab leaks, sewer breaks, and gas line repair, so one call covers whatever we find.
Our leak detection and pipe repair process
- Call and describe what you're seeing. Wet spot, high bill, low pressure, mildew smell — every detail narrows where we start looking.
- On-site inspection and free estimate. We check fixtures, run a meter test, and confirm whether the leak is on the supply or drain side.
- Pinpoint the location. Acoustic equipment and thermal imaging on pressurized lines; a sewer camera through the cleanout on drain lines.
- Walk you through the options. Spot repair, reroute, or partial repipe — we explain the tradeoffs in plain English and give you the price for each before anything begins.
- Make the repair. Isolate the section, cut out the failed pipe, install new copper, PEX, or ABS as the situation calls for, and pressure-test the finished work.
- Restore and verify. Patch the access point, run every fixture, recheck the meter to confirm it's holding still, and clean up.
What leak detection and pipe repair typically costs
Detection and repair are priced separately, because sometimes the answer is a five-minute fix and sometimes it's a reroute. Estimates range based on how the leak is accessed — a pipe in an open wall or under a cabinet is far cheaper to reach than one under four inches of slab. Other factors: pipe material (copper, galvanized, PEX, cast iron, ABS), how many feet of line have failed, whether the line is under the house, the yard, or a driveway, and whether the surrounding drywall or concrete needs restoration.
What's included in every quote: the diagnostic work, the labor, the materials, and putting the opened area back. What's typically not included: cosmetic finishing like paint and texture matching, landscaping replacement over an excavated sewer line, and any drywall or flooring already ruined by water before we arrived. You'll have the full number in writing before we start. The in-person estimate itself is free, and we offer financing on larger repairs. Ask about current specials when you call.
Service areas we cover
- Bloomington
- San Bernardino
- Colton
- Fontana
- Rialto
- Grand Terrace
- Loma Linda
- Redlands
- Highland
- Riverside
- Muscoy and Arrowhead Farms
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I have a hidden leak?
Turn off every faucet, appliance, and irrigation valve in the house, then look at the water meter. If the dial is still creeping, water is going somewhere. Other tells: an unexplained bill increase, a warm patch on a tile or concrete floor, a musty smell in one room, or hearing water when nothing is running.
Do you have to break the concrete to fix a slab leak?
Not always. If the leak is isolated and shallow, a targeted access cut is often the cleanest fix. If the line is old and likely to fail again elsewhere, rerouting that run overhead avoids the slab entirely. We show you both options and what each costs before choosing.
Is the leak detection visit really free?
The in-person estimate is free. We come out, assess the situation, and give you a written price. If the work requires extended electronic pinpointing on a slab, we'll tell you upfront exactly what that costs before we run any equipment.
Can you come out at night or on a weekend?
Yes — we run 24 hour emergency service throughout Bloomington and the surrounding Inland Empire. If a line has burst, shut off the main at the street and call us.
How long does a pipe repair take?
An accessible supply line repair is usually a same-visit job. A slab leak reroute typically runs a day. A sewer line excavation and replacement depends on depth and length, and we'll give you a realistic timeline with the estimate.
Do you work on commercial buildings?
We do. Property managers across San Bernardino and Bloomington use us for leak repair, drain cleaning, and sewer work, and you get the same crew each time.
If you suspect a leak, don't wait for it to show itself through the floor. Call Lincoln Plumbing & Rooter at (909) 780-0887 for a free in-person estimate on leak detection and pipe repair anywhere in Bloomington. We answer 24/7, we'll tell you what we find, and you'll know the price before we pick up a tool.