g'day katherine,

they can test along yout pipes for teh leak and once they find it yes
they may have to dig up concrete major work, in some constructions the
pipes are in the cement slab of teh home that is very major work and
none of it will be cheap, apart from the disruption of it all.

if it came to some or any of teh above i'd be looking to see if that
section could be bipassed even if you had visible pipes running along
the bottom of an outside wall.

have you noticed any wet patches that seem forever to dry out that
could indicate where the problem is. those hidden in the wall shower
units can leak inside the wall and cause timber damage as well, they
are a big job to replace usually means pulling out that section of
inside wall, if it is the shower then do yourself a favour and have it
replaced with one of those chrome or brass external units they are far
easier to maintane and lots cheaper to do as well, and they can't leak
inside the wall.

out of sight - out of mind - out of pocket, plumbers gold mine, the
joys of modern building practises.

the bifg downside of modern home builkding with all plumbing conceled
is when there is a problem it can be biggun. and be sure any new
copper pipe doesn't mmake contact with the cement reaction between the
2 can cause pipe failure.

for now at least each evening fill some bucket or dishes to get you
through the night and turn off the maind tap. get a number of quotes
and diagnosis there are plumbers then there are plumbers.

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:42:44 +1100, "jones" wrote:
snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/