Stop the water before you look for the cause
Turn off the small valve under the leaking sink or behind the toilet first. If water keeps coming, close the main shutoff, which in most houses sits near the water meter in the basement. Turn the handle until it stops. Then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the pressure out of the pipes.
Put a bucket or towels under the drip and move anything valuable off the floor. Take a photo of the damage for your records. Once the water is off, you have time to work out where it came from, and that matters more than any quick patch.
Where the leak shows up and what it usually means
Where you see water tells you a lot, but it can travel along a joist or a pipe before it drips. Use this as a starting point, not a verdict.
| What you see | Likely source | DIY or plumber |
|---|---|---|
| Drip under a sink cabinet. | Supply line, compression nut or trap. | Often DIY with a new supply line or a hand-tightened nut. |
| Wet floor around a toilet base. | Failed wax ring or loose bolts. | DIY if you are comfortable lifting a toilet, otherwise call. |
| Stain spreading on a ceiling. | Supply or drain pipe above, or a shower pan. | Call, the pipe is hidden. |
| Water pooled at the water heater. | Fitting, relief valve or the tank itself. | Call, a failed tank cannot be patched. |
| Damp spot in the yard or wet basement wall. | Service line between curb stop and house. | Call, and read the local note below. |
| Meter turns with every fixture off. | Hidden leak somewhere in the house. | Call for leak detection. |
How to trace a leak in about twenty minutes
You do not need special tools. A flashlight, a dry paper towel and your water meter will narrow most leaks to one area.
Read the meter
Close every fixture, note the meter reading or watch the small dial. If it moves, water is escaping somewhere.
Shut the main and check again
If the dial stops, the leak is inside the house. If it keeps moving with the main closed, the leak is on the line before the shutoff.
Wipe and watch
Dry each suspect pipe and fitting with a paper towel. The one that gets wet again first is your culprit.
Check the drains separately
Fill the sink or tub, then release it. A drain leak only shows while water is moving through it, a supply leak drips all the time.
Fix it yourself or call a plumber
Reasonable to try yourself
- Replacing a braided supply line under a sink or behind a toilet
- Tightening a slip nut on a sink trap by hand
- Swapping a worn washer or cartridge in a dripping faucet
- Resealing a tub spout or shower caulk line
Call a licensed plumber
- Any leak behind a wall, under a slab or above a finished ceiling
- Corroded or pinhole leaks in galvanized or copper pipe
- A leaking water heater tank or its gas connections
- Water entering from the yard side of the meter
- Anything where the water will not stay shut off
Cannot find the leak or cannot stop it?
Call the 24/7 line. We will walk you through the shutoff and tell you the price before work starts.
Why older houses leak in particular places
About 68 percent of Maple Heights homes were built before 1960, and the median year built is 1956, based on older survey data. Houses from that period often have galvanized steel supply pipe or early copper, and both can pinhole at joints after decades of use.
When one fitting fails in an old run, the neighbouring fittings are usually the same age. If you have had two leaks in the same line within a year, ask about replacing that section or the whole run. Our repiping page explains when a partial replacement makes sense and when it does not.
Who owns the pipe, Cleveland Water or you
Maple Heights is served by Cleveland Water. According to the utility's freeze guidance, Cleveland Water is responsible for the main and the service line up to and including the curb stop. You are responsible from the curb stop inward, including the line to the meter, the indoor plumbing and a frozen meter.
So a leak at the street valve or in the main is a call to the utility, and a leak between the curb stop and your basement is yours to repair. If you are not sure where the leak sits, shut your own main and call us. We can tell you which side it is on before any digging starts.
Source type: Utility guidance pageWarning signs of a hidden leak
Many leaks never drip into view. These signs show up weeks before the damage does.
A water bill that creeps up
If usage climbs and nobody changed their habits, a toilet flapper or buried line is a common reason.
Musty smell in a closed room
Damp drywall or subfloor holds an odor long before a stain appears.
Warm spot on the floor
A hot water line leaking under a slab or a finished floor can warm the surface above it.
Sound of running water at night
Turn everything off and listen. A hiss near a wall or the meter points to a pressurized leak.
What a repair visit looks like
We start by asking where you first saw water and when it began. Then the plumber shuts the water, opens the access point and finds the failed part. You get a clear price before any pipe is cut, and we explain what is wrong in plain terms.
For a leak inside a wall we may use moisture readings or a pressure test before opening the drywall, so the hole stays as small as possible. If the pipe is burst or the leak is large, our burst pipe repair team handles the emergency shutoff and repair together.
Neighbouring towns and leaks that reach the street
We handle leak calls in Maple Heights and in nearby Garfield Heights and Bedford. If water is coming through a basement wall or the yard is soft near the meter, the cause may be on the service side, and our water line repair page covers what that work involves.
Frequently asked questions
If you cannot stop the water with a shutoff, or water is reaching electrical outlets, ceilings or a finished basement, call the 24/7 line right away.
A slow drip under a sink can wait if you close its shutoff and put a bowl under it. A leak in a wall, ceiling or water heater should not wait.
Coverage varies by policy and by cause, so ask your insurer. Take photos before cleanup and keep the plumber's written description of what failed.
Cleveland Water is responsible up to and including the curb stop. From there inward, the pipe belongs to the homeowner, so a leak past the curb stop is a plumber's job.
Sometimes. If the rest of the pipe is sound, a repair is fine. If the pipe is thin or the leak is the second in a year, replacing that run is usually better value.
Yes. You get a clear price on site before work begins, and we explain what could change it.