Leak Repair and Leak Detection in North Bay
Leak repair in North Bay is a find-and-replace service from Poly-B Plumbing, covering North Bay, Callander, Sturgeon Falls, Powassan and the surrounding communities. Leak detection is the process of locating a hidden leak by meter test, pressure test, thermal imaging and moisture readings before any wall is opened; leak repair is cutting out the failed section and replacing it in copper or PEX. Poly-B does both on the same visit, uses soldered, crimped or ProPress joints and never push-fit fittings, and quotes flat-rate in writing before the cut. Owner Paul Bosse is a Red Seal journeyman plumber in the trade since 2003. Call 705-345-6616.
Service hours
- Monday to Thursday7:00 am to 7:00 pm
- Friday7:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Saturday and SundayClosed
Emergency service is available during business hours only. Members of the $49-per-month plan get priority scheduling.
How do you know you have a hidden leak?
The two-hour meter test is the check Poly-B Plumbing gives every North Bay caller before the truck rolls. Close every tap, make sure no toilet is filling and no appliance is running, and write down the reading on the water meter, usually on the basement wall where the service comes in. Wait two hours with nothing used. If the reading has moved, water is leaving the system somewhere. Other signs: a water bill that jumped without a change in habits, a warm spot on a floor over a hot water line, a musty smell or bubbling paint, a ceiling stain under a bathroom, the sound of running water when nothing is on, or the sump pump running in dry weather.
Where leaks hide in North Bay homes
| Where | What usually leaks | How Poly-B confirms it |
|---|---|---|
| Copper supply lines in walls and ceilings | Pinhole corrosion, a solder joint that let go | Thermal imaging for the wet cold spot, pressure test on the isolated run |
| Toilet base | Wax seal failed, flange cracked, bolts loose | Dye in the bowl, moisture reading at the floor |
| Faucets and shower valves | Cartridge or valve body leaking behind the wall | Trim removed, valve inspected with the water on |
| Tub drain and overflow | Gasket or shoe leaking only when the tub is used | Fill and drain test with a moisture meter below |
| Water heater connections and tank | Dielectric unions, relief valve, tank seam | Visual, then isolate the tank and test |
| Traps and drains in tight cabinets | Slip joints, cracked trap, corroded tailpiece | Fill test with a dry paper towel under every joint |
| Well pump lines and pressure tanks | Fittings at the tank tee, a split line from frost | Pressure hold test on the well side |
| Buried water service line | Split or corroded line between the curb stop and the house | Meter moving with the house valve closed |
Why copper pipes get pinholes around North Bay
North Bay’s municipal water comes from Trout Lake through a membrane filtration plant, and the City adds caustic for pH adjustment and corrosion control before the water enters the distribution system. That step exists because raw Canadian Shield lake water is soft and slightly acidic, and soft acidic water dissolves copper from the inside of a pipe a little at a time. Inside the city, the treatment keeps that in check. Outside it, on wells around Corbeil, Astorville, Bonfield, Nipissing and Redbridge, there is no such adjustment unless the homeowner installed a neutralizer, and copper lines that are thirty years old pinhole along the bottom of horizontal runs and at the elbows.
Electrolysis does the same job faster where copper touches galvanized steel without a dielectric fitting, which is common at the water heater and at old shut-off valves. Poly-B tests water chemistry on repeat pinhole calls and tells you whether the fix is one section of pipe or a neutralizer and a repipe plan.
What a leak repair costs in North Bay
Poly-B Plumbing quotes leak work flat-rate, in writing, before opening anything. The price depends on:
- Finding it. A visible leak under a sink needs no detection. A leak inside a finished ceiling needs thermal imaging and pressure testing, and that time is quoted up front.
- Access. One clean opening in drywall versus a leak under a tiled floor or behind a tub surround.
- Length replaced. A pinholed copper run is replaced back to sound pipe, not just at the hole.
- What else is worn. A seized shut-off or a corroded union next to the leak is replaced while the water is off.
A dripping faucet can waste over 3,000 litres a year. A pinhole inside a wall wastes more and takes the drywall with it. Members of the $49-per-month plan get repair discounts and priority scheduling.
Repair the section, or repipe the run?
Poly-B Plumbing repairs the section when the leak has a single cause: a bad joint, a nail from a renovation, one frozen spot, or a failed fitting. Poly-B recommends replacing the run when copper shows pitting along its length, when the pipe is polybutylene, or when this is the second pinhole on the same line. You get both prices side by side. The name on the truck is a coincidence worth stating: Poly-B Plumbing is the company; polybutylene, the grey plastic supply pipe sold as Poly-B from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s, is a material Poly-B replaces rather than repairs.
What Poly-B uses, and what it refuses to use
Every repair is copper (soldered or ProPress) or PEX (crimp or expansion). Poly-B does not install push-fit fittings on supply lines, does not use repair clamps or epoxy, and does not leave a corroded section in the wall beside a new one. Plumber (306A) is a compulsory trade in Ontario regulated by Skilled Trades Ontario; Poly-B’s owner holds Red Seal journeyman certification, is licensed for plumbing, wells, septic and backflow prevention, and carries up to $5 million in liability insurance. Every repair is pressure-tested before the wall is closed and documented with photos, which your insurer will want if the leak caused damage.
Sources: City of North Bay water quality reports; Skilled Trades Ontario, Plumber (306A).
Poly-B’s leak repair process
Pinpoint the leak
Meter test, pressure test, thermal imaging and moisture readings, so the opening is made once, in the right place.
Written quote
Repair and, where it applies, repipe priced side by side before any cutting.
Cut out and replace
New copper or PEX, soldered, crimped or ProPress.
Test again
Pressure and flow confirmed with the wall still open.
Clean up and document
Photos for your file, maintenance advice, and the option of the $49-per-month plan.
Leak checks for cottages and seasonal homes
A cottage on Lake Nipissing or Trout Lake that sat closed since Thanksgiving is the leak Poly-B Plumbing finds most in May. The routine that prevents it: shut off and drain the system before leaving in the fall, and on the first spring visit turn the water on with every tap closed and watch the meter or the pressure gauge for ten minutes before opening anything. If it moves, call before the floor does the telling.
What North Bay customers say
“Reliable.”Curtis Avery, Google review, May 2025
“Paul is such a professional and you’re always updated on when he is coming.”Wayne Macchiusi, Google review, May 2025
Where Poly-B repairs leaks
Leak repair questions from North Bay homeowners
How do I check for a hidden leak myself?
Read the water meter, use no water for two hours, and read it again. If it moved, you have a leak. Toilets are the usual culprit: put food colouring in the tank and see if it reaches the bowl without flushing.
Can Poly-B repair a leak without cutting drywall?
Poly-B Plumbing confirms the location with thermal imaging and pressure testing first, so if a cut is needed it is one small opening in the right place. A leak at a fixture or under a sink usually needs no cutting at all.
Is a small leak worth fixing?
Yes. A dripping faucet wastes over 3,000 litres a year, and a small leak inside a wall is the start of a mould and drywall problem. Small leaks also signal water chemistry or pressure issues that will produce the next one.
Does Poly-B use SharkBite or push-fit fittings?
No. Poly-B Plumbing uses soldered or ProPress copper and crimp or expansion PEX. Push-fit fittings are not installed on supply lines.
Why did my water bill jump with no change in habits?
The usual causes in North Bay are a toilet flapper leaking past the seat, a running fill valve, or a leak on the buried service line between the curb stop and the house, which the meter test will show. Poly-B Plumbing finds which one and quotes the repair in writing.
Book leak detection and repair in North Bay
Monday to Thursday 7 am to 7 pm, Friday 7 am to 5 pm. Do the two-hour meter test before you call and Poly-B can quote faster.
Call 705-345-6616 Request a free online quote
Poly-B Plumbing, 1107 Yellek Trail, North Bay, ON P1B 8G5.