In this new guide will be taking a look at modern up-to-date methods to detect a leak in 2024. We’ll explain each of these methods, how they work and the benefits / applications of each technique. Collectively, this will help to explain how water leak detection services work.
Table of Contents
How to Identify Water Leaks
Methods to detect a league typically fall into one of the following categories:
- looking for signs of moisture, including the use of moisture meters
- looking for hot and cold areas, including with thermal imaging cameras
- listening for the sounds a water leak, such as acoustic leak section
- supplementary methods such as tracer gas and pipe detectors
- other methods including visual and structural checks
- a combination of the above to compliment each other
These methods above, delivered by an experienced leak detection engineer, can help increase the chances of being able to detect a leak successfully.
Common Signs of a Water Leak
Very much following on from the previous section, and as covered in our guide to the signs of a water leak, there are some common ways to alert you that you may have a leak.
These include:
- Signs of damp or moisture
- Your boiler losing pressure
- Structural changes or damage
- Smells or sounds linked to leaks
- A high water bill from your water supplier
Significance of High Water Bills in Detecting Leaks
Although there can be seasonal variances in water usage in a property, it is common for people to use comparable amounts of water. Therefore, getting an unexpectedly high water bill which shows a dramatic increase in water usage may highlight that you need to detect a leak at your property.
Being able to detect a leak early can not only help save water, money on your water bill (if it is metered) and help to limit further water damage to your property. See more about this in our informative article on outdoor water leaks responsibility.
Importance of Timely Leak Detection
We’ve recently written a separate guide to the importance of early water leak detection, but in a nutshell, being able to detect a leak early can help with:
- Preventing water damage (both direct and indirect / secondary damage)
- Reduce water usage and water bills (see our water leak calculator for more)
- Help with health and safety at your property from a number of things
- Help to prevent disruption to your home or business
- Give you peace of mind knowing that the issue has been resolved
Impact of Undetected Leaks on Property
When a water leak goes undetected, clearly the opposite to the above could apply. Namely:
- More water damage to your property
- Continued use of water, possibly linked to higher bills
- Risks from the damage caused by the water leak
- Disruption and inconvenience to you and your customers (in businesses)
So you can see why being able to detect a league efficiently and effectively can be very beneficial, especially commercial leak detection for businesses.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional Leak Detection Specialist
When looking to detector a leak, it is definitely worth considering using the services of a professional leak detection service with Leak Detection Specialists. There are a number of particular benefits from this, including:
- Their specialist skills and experience in detecting leaks
- The leak detection equipment and tools they will have access to
- The fact they will be using professional devices which are more effective
- Some of the supplemental testing they will be able to do (like salts tests)
- Their knowledge of plumbing systems in properties (leak sources)
- These, and other things combined, can help increase success rates
- So to maximise the chances of being able to detect a leak contact us for help
Types of Leak Detection Techniques
As we have mentioned previously, there are a wide variety of water leak detection methods used buy leak detection experts such as ourselves, many of which were covered in our guide to advanced leak detection systems, these can include:
- Thermal imaging to detect a leak
- Acoustics to detect a leak
- Moisture meters to detect a leak
- Tracer gas to detect a leak
- Plumbing pipe detectors to help detect a leak
Preventing Water Damage from Leaks
As we mentioned earlier, being able to detect a leak early can really help reduce property damage (both buildings and contents) the need for water damage repair services and possibly the need to make an insurance claim, if the damage is isolated and caught early.
The bigger the water leak, the longer it has been going and the extent of the damage caused by the water leak can increase the level of an insurance claim required to get the property back to pre incident condition. As you might expect, a short term, small leak in one room will commonly cause less damage than a bigger, long-running, extensive leak affecting a number of rooms or floors in a property. We work with some of the UK’s leading insurance companies and loss adjusters and so our experience in this area can be very beneficial to you and them.
Insurance Claim Process for Water Damage
As you can see from this handy insurance claims statistics report from confused.com they mention that across the UK’s regions, an ‘Escape of Water’ (the industry term covering water leaks) were in the top 3 types of claims.
For more information on this see our guide to making a water leak insurance claim, and our related article about business interruption insurance from water leaks.
Please remember that if you have Trace and Access on your home insurance policy, the cost of finding and fixing the water leak could be paid for by your insurer. It’s worth looking into.
Here are some other similar articles you might find interesting too:
- Slab Leak Detection Methods
- Heating Leak Detection
- Shower Drain Leaks
- Water Leak Repair Benefits
- Top Water Leak Causes
We also have many other handy and informative guides in our water leak blog which has some fantastic free hints and tips to digest, explained by experts but in simple layman’s terms, with useful diagrams, photos and charts.
How to Detect a Leak – FAQs:
How can a leak be detected?
Because there are wide variety of different types of water leaks in homes and businesses, and various types of plumbing and property construction, there are a number of best methods that can be used to detect a leak. Some of the most common and effective include – thermal imaging, tracer gas, acoustic leak detection, moisture meters and other methods.
How do I find where my water is leaking from?
There are a number of methods and water leak detection devices to help find where your leak is coming from but these are more effective in the hands of an experienced water leak detection specialist who will have the knowledge and experience to accompany this and, together, this will help to maximise the chances of being able to detect a leak effectively.