Water leak detection in Sussex, Surrey & London
A hidden leak almost never announces itself. It shows up as a water bill that has quietly doubled, a patch of carpet that never quite dries, a boiler that keeps losing pressure, or a hairline crack in a ceiling that was fine last winter. By the time the damage is visible, the water has usually been moving for months.
Our job is to find exactly where it is coming from before anybody starts taking the building apart. We arrive with the full range of detection equipment rather than one tool, work through the property system by system, and do not stop at a probable answer. You get a specific location, an explanation of what failed, and a written record of how we proved it.
Our approach
How we find water leaks
These are the methods we would normally work through on this kind of job, in this order, stopping as soon as the evidence agrees on one point.
- 1
Thermal imaging camera survey
Water moving where it should not changes the temperature of everything it touches. A thermal camera renders those differences as an image, so a leak under a solid floor shows up as a shape long before it shows up as a stain. It is completely passive: nothing is drilled, lifted or cut to take the reading.
- 2
Acoustic leak correlation
A pressurised leak makes a continuous noise that travels along the pipe wall. Sensors placed either side of a suspected run measure the tiny difference in arrival time between them, and the correlator converts that into a distance. On a mains supply pipe this routinely gets us to within a foot of the fault.
- 3
Tracer gas testing
Hydrogen is the smallest molecule there is, so it finds its way out of a crack far too small to see and rises straight up through concrete, screed and soil. We sweep the surface with a sensitive detector and the reading spikes directly over the breach. The gas mix is non-toxic, non-flammable at the concentration used, and leaves nothing behind.
- 4
Moisture mapping and salts analysis
Damp on its own does not tell you where water came from. Rising ground moisture leaves nitrate and chloride salts behind; a burst pipe does not. Testing the salt content of a plaster sample separates a plumbing leak from rising damp or condensation, which is often the difference between a valid insurance claim and a rejected one.
- 5
Pressure and flow testing
We cap a section of pipework, raise it to a controlled test pressure and watch the gauge. A circuit that holds is eliminated; a circuit that drops is quantified. Repeating this system by system narrows a whole-house problem down to a single run, and gives a hard number for the report rather than an opinion.
- 6
Borescope inspection
When every non-invasive method points at the same spot, a borescope gives visual confirmation before anything is properly opened up. The access hole is small enough to fill and touch in with a dab of filler, which is why we always try it before lifting a floor or cutting a ceiling.
What happens
Trace, access, repair, prove
The same four stages on every job, whether it is a weeping joint or a mains supply pipe under a driveway.
- 1
Trace
Non-invasive survey of the whole affected area. We rule systems out as well as in, because knowing what is not leaking is half the evidence.
- 2
Access
One opening, in the right place, as small as the job allows. Usually a borescope hole first, and a larger opening only if the repair needs it.
- 3
Repair
The fault fixed on the same visit wherever it can be, guaranteed for 12 months. Anything larger is quoted at a fixed price before we start.
- 4
Prove
The circuit re-pressurised and held, moisture readings taken again, and the whole job written up with dated photographs and calibrated readings.
Pricing
Published rates, no call-out fee
Charged by the half hour with a half an hour minimum, and no premium for an emergency. All prices exclude VAT at 20%.
- Weekdays7am – 6pm, Monday to Friday£54.00+ VAT
- Evenings & weekends6pm – 9pm weekdays, plus all day Saturday and Sunday£69.75+ VAT
- Late night9pm – 7am, every day£90.00+ VAT
Questions
Water leak detection: your questions
How do you find a leak without damaging my property?
Every method we lead with is non-invasive. Thermal imaging reads temperature through the surface, acoustic equipment listens through the structure, and tracer gas passes through material without marking it. We only make an opening once the evidence points at one specific place, and then it is usually the size of a pencil.
How long does a leak detection survey take?
Most domestic surveys are resolved inside one to three hours. Large properties, commercial sites and leaks with more than one possible source take longer, and we will tell you on site as soon as we know rather than letting the clock run.
What if you cannot find the leak?
It is rare, but if a survey does not produce an answer we will tell you plainly what we have eliminated and what we would do next, rather than guessing. Everything we ruled out is written up, which is useful evidence in its own right.
Can you repair the leak as well as find it?
Yes. Most leaks are repaired on the same visit once we have located them. Larger repairs are quoted before any work starts.
Related services
- Emergency leak detectionWater coming through a ceiling does not wait for office hours. We answer the phone around the clock and target a one-hour response.
- Central heating leak detectionIf your boiler keeps losing pressure and you are topping it up every few days, there is a leak in the system. We find it.
- Underground water leak detectionMains supply pipe leaks under drives, gardens and roads, located to within a foot before anyone lifts a spade.
- Trace and access reports for insurance claimsThe evidence pack your insurer needs: what leaked, where, how it was proved, and what it will cost to put right.
Water leak detection near you
We cover 74 towns, cities and boroughs across Sussex, Surrey and London.
Sussex
Need water leak detection?
Call 01273 123 5050 for free advice, or book a survey online. No call-out fee, and we will tell you honestly if you do not need us.