Water Leak Detection & Leak Source Investigation

Non-destructive water leak detection and leak source investigations.

Water Treatment Services is a leading environmental engineering specialist offering non-destructive water leak detection and leak source investigation services to businesses and private individuals throughout the UK and Ireland.

Our specialist services are delivered by experienced engineers who combine the latest high performance non-destructive leak detection and investigation techniques.

Our engineers use the latest in-field test equipment and laboratory analysis facilities to identify the source and location of water leaks quickly and cost effectively.

Water leak detection and leak source investigations

Our specialist non-destructive leak and source identification solutions offer several benefits including:

Expert leak identification
Expert non-destructive water leak identification and source investigation solutions.
Water Quality Analysis
Identify the potential source of a water leak from its chemical and microbial composition with our specialist laboratory based water quality analysis. Offering a range of analysis procedures for typical microbial and chemical parameters.
Latest Detection Equipment
Specialist in-field testing equipment including thermal imaging, gas tracing and leak noise correlation to accurately identify the location of a water leak.
Minimal disruption
Minimal disruption to business activities.
Opening-up & excavation
Opening-up or excavation only required once the source of the leak is identified.
Accuracy
Accurate leak identification, usually to within 1m²
Limit Further Damage
Prevent long term damage to property.
Water Bills
Stop excess utility charges for wasted water.

Full national UK coverage

With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers we can offer professional water leak detection, leak source investigation, in-field water sampling and laboratory analysis services across the UK and Ireland.

Contact Water Treatment Services today to learn how our leak detection and investigation solutions can help you. To speak with one of our experts call us on 0330 223 31 31 or simply use this button.

What is water leak detection?

The problem with water leaks in both domestic and commercial situations is that they often start out as very minor, and it’s only when you’re knee deep in water that you realise you’ve got a serious problem.

Or, sometimes more concerning, the water is leaking far underground, and you just don’t know it’s happening or where it’s coming from.

Leave a water leak unattended for long enough and it can easily turn into something which is much more serious… and costly.

There can be significant cost implications for your home or business – not just in increased water bills due to wasted water, but also the damage leaks can cause to floors, foundations, flat roofs, building fabrics, finishes… not to mention the costs of identifying the leak and fixing it.

What are the main causes of water leaks in buildings?

There are many different reasons for water leaks in buildings, but all usually start with damage to joints, pipes, tanks and other components in the water and drainage systems.

Pipes may have corroded or cracked over time and become porous and leaky, or a sudden bout of bad weather might cause storm damage or freezing and cracking.

Constant vibration from traffic or local building works can work joints loose, allowing water to seep out.

Failure of pipes, joints and other components or poor workmanship during the original installation of the water system can result in immediate leaking, as can accidental damage by workmen at a later stage.

The settlement of a building, or movement of the structure itself can also result in fractures to pipes and fittings.

You should also consider sources beyond your own buildings and boundaries.

Leaks may originate from adjoining properties or land for example, where damage has occurred to water pipes, drainage systems and sewers that are the responsibility of others.

Potential water damage caused by leaks

One of the reasons water leaks have the potential to cause so much costly damage is because in most buildings, water pipes are usually hidden away out of view below ground, under floorboards, in walls, or above ceilings.

A leak, a slowly seeping or dripping pipe might not be immediately obvious, but can cause damage to the building fabric, dampness, mould growth, and in the most serious cases structural damage.

Often, water leaks can go undetected until they have caused extensive damage to a property.

Once the location of the leak has been identified gaining access to the pipes or defective components to repair them can involve the further expense of excavations, ripping up floors or pulling plaster off the walls.

However, a water leak which is identified quickly, before it has had the chance to cause lots of damage to your property, is more likely to result in a manageable bill for repairs.

If however you don’t realise you’ve got a leak until it’s been dripping or leaking for months or years, the damage could be extensive and your repair bills significantly higher.

Dealing with leaks which have gone undetected for a long time could require using fungicides and other treatments to remove mould and fungi which has been growing in floor voids or inside walls.

It could also involve replacing timber joists and beams which have become affected by either wet or dry rot, drying out saturated stonework or brickwork, or replacing if it can’t be dried out, and then the additional costs for re-plastering, redecorating and replacing any carpets and soft furnishings which have been ruined.

Increased utility bills

Another impact of water leaks is an increased water bill.

Businesses, commercial operations and some households are charged for every litre of water which flows through the meter and into their home or business.

Given that a dripping tap could use 20 litres of water a day, it’s easy to see how water bills can easily start to rise.

Often, a sudden increase in your quarterly water bill is the first clue that you might have a leak somewhere, but how many of us take time to scrutinise all the different charges and elements on the bill to spot what the problem might be?

How to tell if you have a water leak

There are however some tell-tale signs which could indicate that you’ve got a water leak somewhere on your property which needs to be tackled. A good starting point is to use your nose; bad smells near your drains are often an indication that water is pooling, unable to flow away because of a leak somewhere.

Dampness, wet spots or cracks in your internal paintwork or wall paper, or paint or paper starting to peel away can also be a sign of a leak.

Persistent loss of boiler pressure on a closed heating system could also indicate leaks to your heating pipework.

External subsidence or cracks to the building fabric (walls and floors) can also indicate that underground pipes are leaking causing erosion of the soil or substrate.

If you can hear water dripping or running, where is it coming from? Start by turning off your stopcock to prevent all water coming into the property.

If you can still see your water meter ticking over, that can indicate that the leak is at some point between the meter and the stop cock.

If there is no movement on the meter and you still suspect a leak, start investigating pipework leading away from the stopcock into your property.

If you are on a metered supply you may also see a sudden increase in your typical water bills, indicating greater water consumption with no apparent reason.

How to detect water leaks

If your home or business has sprung a major leak, you won’t need to get the experts out as it will be blindingly obvious.

In other cases, with pipes seeping slowly underground, under your floor or inside walls, you will need to get an expert out with specialist equipment and water testing facilities.

Water leak detection specialists Water Treatment Services are expert in detecting leaks with the skills and experience to identify the problems with the minimum of disruption and damage to your property.

They are also best placed to recommend the most cost-effective and least disruptive way of dealing with the leak and ensuring it doesn’t happen again.

Where is the water coming from?

One important question to ask when investigating the source of a leak is where is it coming from?

Sometimes identifying the source of the water can be far from straightforward.

Water could be leaking in to your basement, pooling in your garden or seeping through walls to cause damage and disruption to your property.

It’s therefore essential that the source of the leak is identified as quickly and accurately as possible.

Using specialist laboratory water quality analysis techniques we can test for a range of microbial and chemical parameters which can help to dentify the potential source of the water leak.

We can then make recommendations for further action.

Specialist water leak detection techniques

Our experts use a number of different tools, specialist non-destructive techniques and laboratory based water quality analysis procedures to accurately detect the source, presence and location of water leaks.

Laboratory Water Quality Analysis
In-field and laboratory based water quality analysis procedures to identify potential sources of water leaks. Our chemical and microbiological analysis procedures can help to identify the source of a water leak by analysing various microbial and chemical constituents of the water.

This is often useful if you believe leaks are originating underground, from outside your boundaries or on an adjoining site.
Thermal imaging
Thermal imaging cameras can quickly locate concealed leaks with minimum disruption. They use infra-red technologies to identify areas of heat and cold which can then be interpreted and used to indicate the source of a leak.
Microphones
One of the most widely used techniques for detecting water leaks is by using sensitive microphones. Dripping or leaking water can usually heard when you’ve got a leak, but the sound can often be too faint to identify the precise source accurately.

sing microphones helps to make the sound much louder… this technique is often effective through thick walls and floors. Using microphones at several different locations around a property can quickly narrow down problem areas.
Gas tracing
An alternative way of identifying where a leak is located is to inject a mix of hydrogen and nitrogen into the mains water supply. If there is a leak, the gas will escape which can then be identified using a specialist gas detector.

This technique is entirely safe, and can help quickly narrow the location of the problem. Sometimes the process will be repeated several times to accurately identify the source of the leak, especially if it is suspected that leaks are coming from more than one location.
Leak noise correlation
Leak noise correlation uses a similar principle to the microphone detection technique, but employs specialist sensors sited in the area though to be the location of the leak. The sensors feed back into a analyser, which then compares the different sounds each sensor is detecting. This can be a more accurate way of finding leaks than just using microphones, and works particularly well when there are lots of leaks along one length of pipe, or where a large area needs to be surveyed.

If you suspect you have a leak don’t delay

Finding the source of a water leak is not as easy as it might appear.

Our specialists will use a range of different tools and techniques to identify what the problem is, where the leak is coming from, and how to resolve it in the most cost-effective, least disruptive way.

If you think you might have a leak then don’t delay in getting our experts in to take a look; every day of delay could mean more damage to the fabric of your property.

Our leak investigation services are carried out by experienced water analysis and leak detection specialists and include:

Specialist equipment
Specialist in-field equipment to accurately identify the location of a water leak.
Laboratory analysis
Laboratory based water analysis to identify the source of a water leak.
Comprehensive report
Comprehensive leak detection report including detailed recommendations for remedial actions where appropriate.

Specialist water leak identification solutions

Contact Water Treatment Services today to find out more about our specialist leak and source identification solutions.

With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of trained technicians and consultants we can offer cost effective water leak detection solutions across the whole of the UK and Ireland.

Contact us today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.