Leak Detection & Repair in Portland, Maine

Whole-System Leak Diagnosis for Portland, ME Homes & Businesses

A slow leak rarely announces itself. By the time a stain appears or a bill spikes, water has often been escaping for weeks. At FONTUS, we locate leaks in pipes, fixtures, and supply lines across Portland and southern Maine, then make repairs and help prevent the conditions that let new ones start.

Suspect a leak in your Portland, ME home or business? Call us at (207) 865-8165 for a free consultation and we’ll help you get to the bottom of it.

Engineering-Backed Leak Diagnosis

Our founder, Thomas Marcisso, is a licensed Merchant Marine engineer who spent years managing water systems on oil platforms and commercial vessels, including service as Chief Engineer on the F/V Wizard from Deadliest Catch. Keeping crews safe with reliable potable water hundreds of miles from shore demands a methodical approach to every system. He brings that same discipline to residential leak work in Portland.

We follow a clear process on every job: locate the source, explain what we found in plain language, and recommend the repair that addresses the problem rather than just the symptom.

Signs You May Have a Hidden Water Leak

Some leaks are obvious. Others hide inside walls, under slabs, or along supply lines where you’d never think to look. Watch for these warning signs:

Common indicators of a hidden leak:

• Your water meter keeps moving after everything in the house is turned off
• Water bills are rising without any change in your household routine
• Damp spots, soft flooring, or discoloration on walls and ceilings
• Musty odors in rooms that should be dry
• Reduced water pressure at fixtures throughout the home

The meter test is one of the simplest ways to confirm a leak. Turn off every water source, note the reading, and check it again after 30 minutes without using any water. Movement in that window points to an active leak somewhere in the system. According to the EPA’s WaterSense program, the average family can waste around 9,400 gallons of water annually from household leaks.

Why Portland-Area Pipes Are Prone to Hidden Leaks

Older Portland homes often combine multiple generations of pipe materials: copper in one section, galvanized in another, with fittings and connections installed decades apart. Those transitions are vulnerable. Add Maine’s winter freeze-thaw cycles, which stress joints every season, and the conditions for slow, hidden leaks are built right into the home’s structure.

Portland’s coastal climate and seasonal temperature swings compound the problem. Aging infrastructure, hard water corrosion, and mineral buildup all contribute to failures at fittings, valves, and supply connections that a quick visual inspection won’t catch.