San Clemente Slab Leak Detection & Repair
San Clemente slab leak detection starts with the age of your house. The town began as Ole Hanson’s 1925 community by the sea, then spread up into the hills, so the copper under local slabs varies in age from one part of town to another. We track down the failed line before anything is opened. Free leak detection when you proceed with us for the repair, and a technician can reach you inside 60 minutes.
- Technician in 60 minutes
- Floors stay intact
- PEX reroute over buried copper
- CSLB License #920054
Before you call: we handle the water supply lines in and beneath your home. Pool and spa leaks, irrigation lines and natural-gas lines are outside what we do. A leak under the slab, below the foundation or inside a wall that feeds a fixture is ours.
A 1920s village by the sea, a 2000s town in the hills
San Clemente’s homes get younger as you head inland. The oldest sit in Southwest San Clemente and North Beach, near the town Ole Hanson laid out in 1925. Across 92672, the coastal ZIP, the typical home was built around 1976, and about 7,600 of its 17,500 homes date from the 1960s and 1970s. Houses from those decades often have copper supply lines buried in the slab, and after forty or fifty years that copper can wear through to a pinhole.
In 92673, the inland ZIP, the typical home dates to about 2000. Talega, in the hills, broke ground in 1999, and nearly half of the ZIP’s homes went up between 2000 and 2009. Those lines are younger, so when one leaks, the cause is more often a single fitting or a damaged run than decades of wear. The water differs by area too. In 2025 the city ran on imported water while its groundwater plant was offline for rehabilitation, averaging 236 to 293 parts per million hardness by source. Talega gets its water from the Santa Margarita Water District instead. Hard water leaves scale in water heaters and valves, so we test those before we blame the slab.
No Callout Charge
The service call costs nothing. No trip charge, and nothing added before we've looked at the problem.
Always On Call
Nights, weekends and holidays included. We shut the line down, cap the water and stop the damage first.
Written Estimates
The repair scope in writing, with the test results behind it. You see the price before any drywall is cut.
Where San Clemente leak calls usually start
Most requests fit one of these. Testing always comes first, so concrete stays untouched.
Slab Leak Detection & Repair
A supply pipe cast into the foundation has sprung a leak. For San Clemente slab leak repair, testing tells us which run it is. We abandon that run and install PEX (flexible plastic tubing) up through the attic instead of jackhammering.
- Hot or cold run identified
- Sound picked up on the plumbing
- New route overhead
Hidden Water Leak Detection
Stained ceilings, swollen baseboards, a musty sink cabinet. San Clemente hidden leak detection traces the symptom back to its source pipe, and the fix usually needs one modest opening.
- Wall cavities, ceilings, cabinets
- Pressure gauge confirms it
- Minimal, targeted access
Emergency Leak Response
Water gushing through a ceiling or flooding a floor. First we stop the flow. After that, we trace the cause.
- On site within 60 minutes
- Supply off, spread limited
- Cause found once it's calm
What happens when you call us about a slab leak in San Clemente?
Four steps, in the same order every time. Nothing gets cut or drilled until the testing tells us which line has failed.
Watch the meter
We turn off every faucet and appliance, then read the water meter. A dial that still moves means water is escaping. Closing the house shutoff narrows it down. If the dial stops, the leak is indoors. If it keeps going, look to the service line from the street.
Isolate hot and cold
Shutting the cold feed at the water heater separates the two sides. A leak that goes quiet is on the hot side, and one that carries on is cold. A warm patch of floor points to hot water, but we prove it rather than assume.
Listen on the pipe, confirm with pressure
Our acoustic gear goes on the piping: at valves, the water heater and any exposed line. We don't listen through the floor, because concrete deadens the sound. A gauge on an outdoor spigot gives a separate pressure reading. Thermal imaging only backs up what we already found.
Repair to suit the failure
A failed line inside the slab stays where it is, and new PEX takes over through the attic. A leak at a valve, the water heater or inside a wall gets a spot repair instead. You see the written price before we start.
Thank you to the people who look after San Clemente.
A 5% discount (up to $200 off) for first responders, military, healthcare workers, teachers, seniors and nonprofit staff serving San Clemente and the surrounding area. Mention "Community Heroes" when you call our dispatch, and we'll handle the rest.
- First Responders
- Military
- Healthcare Workers
- Seniors
- Teachers
- Nonprofit Employees
Applies to repairs over $500. Cannot be combined with other promotions. Proof of eligibility may be requested at the time of service.
San Clemente neighborhoods we cover for slab leaks.
Avenida Pico, Camino De Los Mares, Camino Vera Cruz, Calle Frontera and Avenida La Pata are among the main streets through the city's planned communities. Rancho San Clemente alone climbs from under 80 feet to over 900. From the Pier Bowl to the top of Talega, every street is inside our 60-minute window.
Our Office
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
San Clemente neighborhoods we cover for slab leaks
Some of the parts of San Clemente we serve. Not on the list? We still cover it, so give us a call.
Leak work is what we do, and we've done it since 2008.
Cali's Choice
Slab leak and hidden leak specialists.
Slab leaks located and repaired
Attic reroutes and spot repairs, combined.
California License
C-36 Plumbing classification. Bonded & insured statewide.
Leak detection
Free when we do the repair.
What our leak customers say.
Verified Google reviews from Cali's Choice leak jobs, across our offices.
I am so happy I called Cali's Choice Plumbing. I could hear water running in my bathroom wall and it turned out that I had a slab leak. I called and talked to Ginny. John B came out to give an estimate and then to do the work. They were both so amazing. Ginny was kind and very helpful. John explained everything throughout the process. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. They made a stressful situation much better and seemed liked they really cared. He even came out on his day off to finish the work. In addition, their price was reasonable. Everything is working great now. They will be my go to for any future plumbing needs. I highly recommend them.
We had a slab leak and Sergio was so helpful! He came out and found the location of the leak and explained his proposed plan to fix the leak in the cheapest way possible. From start to finish I got the feeling he genuinely cared and wanted to help us. When he came back to fix, he stayed till after 8pm to see to it that we could have running water. The man and his team are dedicated and I highly recommend. What started out as a harrowing experience (slab leak) was fixed in no time, and easily, by Sergio, Jonathan, and the rest of their team.
A new leak was detected at my bathroom 2 about 2 weeks ago, then I have called Ginny at Cali choice plumbing and restoration for help and she has responded back immediately with an appointment set in the next day. The technician was very helpful and provide the reasonable quote promptly with well explanation about the leak area and solution. We were very glad about their services and craftsmanship. The leak was isolated and well fixed…… we are very happy about their professional services.
Insurance claim for a slab leak? Let us gather the proof.
Your carrier will want a record of what broke and why. Our team builds that file for you and stays in touch with the adjuster.
- Which pipe gave out, what it’s made of, and the reason it failed, all in writing.
- Labeled, time-stamped pictures from each test and any opening we make.
- An itemized list of repair work, plus our reasoning if rerouting beat a patch.
- Calls and emails with your adjuster until their questions are answered.
- Soaked flooring or walls need a dry-out, which is separate restoration scope and never on our bill. We still note that damage for your file.
How much does slab leak repair cost in San Clemente?
Each slab job is priced after testing, because two houses on one block can need very different work. Below are the variables behind that number.
Why prices differ
Single failure or many
The simplest job is one line and one reroute. Several weak lines can tip the balance toward a larger reroute or repiping the whole house.
Era of the plumbing
When one section of 1960s or 1970s copper fails, more of the same run is often worn, which may shift our advice.
Attic room to work
Open, single-story attics go quickly. Two floors or tight room overhead means more hours.
Damage from the leak
Drying soaked floors or walls is separate restoration scope. We photograph it so your claim includes it.
Our North Beach house is one of the older ones in town. How long has the pipe under our slab been there?
Likely a long time, unless it has been repiped. North Beach and Southwest San Clemente hold the city’s oldest homes, and across 92672 about 7,600 of 17,500 homes date from the 1960s and 1970s. Copper from those decades has been in the slab for about fifty years or more. We test first and show you what we find.
We live in Talega. Does the city's water report apply to our house?
Probably not. The city’s 2025 water report says Talega gets its water from the Santa Margarita Water District, and parts of north San Clemente from the South Coast Water District. Your bill names your supplier. Hard water scales up water heaters and valves, so we check those along with the slab.
Our Shorecliffs house sits on a terraced lot. Does the slope change how you find a leak?
Not the method, but it can change the clues. The first Shorecliffs homes were built on terraced lots in the early 1960s. On a slope, water from a buried line may surface downhill of the break, so a damp spot shows a leak exists, not where it is. Listening on the pipe finds it, and a pressure test confirms it.
Rancho San Clemente climbs to over 900 feet. Can a technician still reach us within 60 minutes?
Yes. The city’s plan for Rancho San Clemente puts its elevations between under 80 feet and over 900, and all of it sits inside our 60-minute window. Call the dispatch line at any hour. A technician comes out to confirm the leak, find the line and give you a written price before any work.
San Clemente's groundwater plant was offline in 2025. Did that change the water in our pipes?
The source changed, and the imported water was hard. While the plant was offline for rehabilitation, the city ran on imported water that averaged 236 to 293 parts per million hardness, depending on the source. Hard water builds scale in water heaters and shutoff valves, and those can leak too, so we test them before we point at the slab.
Warm floor or a meter that won't stop in San Clemente? A technician can be there within 60 minutes.
A local technician finds the leak first and gives you a written quote before anything is opened. If it isn't our kind of job, we'll say so.
65 Enterprise, Ste 400C · Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 · CSLB #920054