Water leak detection outside or on the ground floor can exist for a long time without detection.
Water mains and supply pipes can leak freely with no surface evidence or signs of damage. They slowly erode foundations and ultimately cause enormous damage to your home and can even spread to your neighbour’s property.
You might only be aware of a leak after receiving a high water bill or letter from your local water authority informing you of a suspected water leak.
The water authority regularly monitors at night to check for water loss with simple acoustic ‘listening sticks’ or use a monitoring device on your water meter’.
Here are some ways to detect water leaks:
- Check water usage: Monitor your water bill to see if there is a sudden increase in water usage. This could indicate a water leak.
- Look for visible signs: Check for signs of water damage, such as water stains, warped floors or walls, and mold growth. These may indicate a leaky pipe or fixture.
- Listen for sounds: Listen for the sound of running water when no fixtures or appliances are in use. This could indicate a hidden leak.
- Use a water leak detection system: There are various types of water leak detection systems available, including wireless sensors, moisture detectors, and flow meters. These systems can detect water leaks and alert you before significant damage occurs.
- Perform a dye test: To detect leaks in a toilet tank, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait for 30 minutes. If the color appears in the toilet bowl, this indicates a leak.
- Conduct a meter test: Turn off all water fixtures and appliances in your home and check the water meter. If the meter is still running, this indicates a hidden leak.
- Hire a professional plumber: If you suspect a water leak but cannot locate it yourself, it may be time to call a professional plumber. They can use specialised equipment, such as cameras and listening devices, to locate hidden leaks.
By taking proactive steps to detect water leaks, you can prevent costly water damage, reduce water bills, and protect your home or building.
Regenerate response
Water Leak Detection Processes
Thermal Imaging
Initially, a Thermal Imaging Camera is utilised to possibly identify pipe locations buried within the building structure, i.e. walls, concrete, cavities etc.
These cameras are non-invasive and show differences in the surface temperature, allowing the user to identify where the leak is coming from with minimal disruption to you and your property.
Acoustic Leak Detection
The ground microphone is a high sensitivity sensor which is equipped with the characteristic ball to eliminate wind noise transmitting through the sensor cable to help find water leak detection
Trace gas leak detection equipment
Trace Gas is non-toxic and does not harm any pipework or the environment and is used to detect leaks on all pipework, including underfloor heating systems.
This specialist gas is pressurised through the pipes and makes its way to the surface, where it escapes allowing us to detect your leak with our gas detector. This allows us to locate your leak to a specific area, even under concrete; we use this method on heating systems for its accuracy.
These are non-invasive techniques and do not cause any damage to your property.
Leak Noise Correlation
A Water Leak Correlator , also known as a water leak listening device is a powerful electronic device to locate leaks on pressured pipes, where the rough location of the leak is unknown and the distances relatively high. Two (or more) sensors are placed in contact with the pipe on both sides of the suspected leak. Those sensors record and transmit the sound by radio to the processing unit. Mathematical algorithms are used to determine the exact location of certain noise profiles (such as hissing leak sound) on the pipe, by correlating the noises that reach both sensors and measuring the difference it takes to travel on the pipe from the leak location to each sensor.
