Hear Water Running When Nothing Is On? 5 Checks for Murrieta Homes

What 5 checks should you do?

1. Watch the meter. Turn off every fixture and appliance. Find the small leak dial on the meter near the curb. If it moves over 15 minutes, water is leaving the system. Our water meter leak test guide shows how to read it.
2. Listen at each toilet. A hiss or a refill every few minutes means a flapper or fill valve leak. Squeeze the supply line or lift the lid to check.
3. Check equipment. Look at the water heater relief line, the softener drain and the RO drain under the kitchen sink. Many softeners recharge at night, which is normal for 1 to 2 hours.
4. Check the sprinklers. Turn the controller off and look for a wet valve box or water running down the curb.
5. Feel the floors and walls. A warm spot on tile or a damp baseboard near where the sound is loudest points to a pipe in the slab or wall.

What if the sound is in the floor?

Running water under a slab floor, especially with a warm spot, is a classic sign of a slab leak. Hot water lines are the most common to leak because heat and pressure wear copper faster. Many Murrieta homes built in the 1980s and 1990s have copper lines under the slab. Close the valve on top of the water heater. If the sound stops, the leak is on the hot side.

Read our guide to a hot water slab leak for the next steps. A slab leak visit in Murrieta costs about $250 to $650, and our slab leak detection Murrieta CA service finds it with as little opening as possible.

Could it be something other than water?

A hiss near the gas meter, water heater or furnace may be gas, not water. If you smell rotten eggs, leave the home, then call SoCalGas or 911 from outside. For a follow-up check, see our gas leak Murrieta CA page.