Leak Detection and Plumbing Repair | Oakland & Macomb County

The short answer

Start with the complete system and the evidence

Leak investigation follows the water back toward its source before choosing where to open a wall, floor, or buried pipe. Sandison compares water use, pressure, visible moisture, and accessible connections to narrow the repair location.

What Sandison evaluates

A practical path from symptoms to the right scope

Clear diagnostic process
Licensed multi-trade coordination
Repair and replacement options
Residential and commercial support

Concealed leak investigation

A wet floor does not automatically identify the failed pipe

Water can travel along framing, flooring, insulation, conduit, pipe penetrations, and slab transitions before it becomes visible. Sandison narrows the source by documenting meter behavior, fixture use, pressure loss, equipment drainage, temperature patterns, accessible piping, and the timing of the symptom. For a suspected under-slab failure, the goal is to separate a supply leak from drainage, groundwater, condensate, appliance discharge, or an exterior source before recommending destructive access.

Repair scope

The lowest-disruption repair begins with defensible location evidence

Once the likely source is narrowed, the repair plan considers pipe material, isolation options, routing, finished surfaces, structural access, code requirements, and whether a localized repair or reroute provides the more durable outcome. Thermal imaging and acoustic information can support an investigation, but neither is treated as proof by itself. Sandison explains what is confirmed, what remains uncertain, and what opening or testing is necessary to see the concealed condition directly.

Primary references

Verify the local and credential information.

Michigan LARA — permits and plumbing-code administration

Common questions

What property owners ask

Can a wet floor be caused by something other than a supply-pipe leak?

Drainage, groundwater, condensate, appliance discharge, and exterior water can produce similar visible symptoms. The investigation checks when the moisture appears and how it relates to plumbing and equipment use.

Can thermal imaging pinpoint every concealed leak?

Thermal patterns can support an investigation alongside pressure, meter behavior, moisture observations, and other evidence. A temperature difference alone does not confirm the source or eliminate the need for direct inspection.

When is rerouting a pipe considered instead of a spot repair?

The choice depends on pipe condition, isolation options, access, finished surfaces, and the practicality of a new route. The proposed scope should explain what is confirmed and which concealed conditions remain uncertain.

Evidence and review

Why this page can be trusted

Service information based on Sandison’s documented trade scope and the technical references below. Contact the office to discuss the conditions at your property.

Technical lead: James Sandison, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Oakland University. Michigan Mechanical License 7115733 · Michigan Master Plumber 8112263 · Michigan Plumbing Contractor 800-3618. Service information record: 2026-08-28.