OKLAHOMA CITY GUIDE

When the leak might be under the slab

If the floors look dry and the meter does not stop, the supply line under the slab is on the list. Locating it is a job. Jackhammering a guess is not a first step.

By Mike M · Sources checked October 5, 2026 · How we write these guides

The quiet-house test

Turn every fixture off, including the ice maker and irrigation if you can. Watch the meter. If it still moves, water is leaving somewhere on your side. That somewhere might be a hose bib, a toilet flapper, or a slab. Mention toilets that ghost-fill. A plumber should rule out the cheap leaks before talking about concrete. Weak pressure at several fixtures can travel with a leak like this; the low pressure guide is the companion note.

Sounds and warm spots

A hiss in a quiet room, a warm streak in the floor when the hot line is the one leaking, or a bill that jumped with no change in habits are clues. They are not a map. Foundation type matters: say slab. If you have a crawlspace, you are probably not in this guide. Houses with a mix of old supply pipe and newer repairs are described in the older-house pipes page.

Clay movement is context, not a diagnosis

Expansive soils in central Oklahoma move with moisture. That movement is one reason under-slab lines get discussed locally. It does not prove your line failed, and it does not mean you should water the foundation differently based on a blog. Tell the plumber about recent drought, a new irrigation schedule, or a leak you already repaired.

Questions before concrete

Ask how they will locate the leak, whether the quote includes the patch of concrete and floor finish, and what happens if the leak is actually outside the slab at the meter. Get that in writing. Do not start the hole yourself to save a diagnostic fee. What belongs on that written page is spelled out in questions to ask before hiring and in what moves a plumbing quote.