Water Leak Detection

A drain leak only leaks while water is running through it. A supply leak runs constantly, because the line is under pressure around the clock. That difference is useful diagnostically: if the meter moves with everything off, the loss is almost certainly on the pressurized side.

Pressure also creates sound. Water forcing through a small opening produces a turbulent hiss that travels along the pipe and through surrounding material, which is what makes acoustic location possible in the first place.

• Shut off all fixtures and appliances that draw water, including ice makers and irrigation controllers
• Record the meter reading and the position of the low-flow indicator
• Wait an interval with no use and re-read the meter
• Close the main shutoff at the house and repeat, which separates the yard and service line from interior plumbing
• Isolate the water heater to distinguish a hot line from a cold line

Once the losing system is proven, location work begins. Acoustic listening finds the loudest point of turbulence, thermal scanning finds temperature anomalies where hot water is escaping, and moisture meters map where water has already migrated into building materials.

No single reading is treated as proof. Tile, pavers, saturated sand and hollow cavities all distort what a technician hears and sees, so a mark is only placed where two or more indications agree.

Detection identifies where and, usually, why water is escaping. It does not by itself tell you the condition of the rest of the piping, and it cannot always distinguish a single failure from the first of several in aging pipe. When a system shows widespread deterioration, that is worth saying plainly rather than presenting a pinhole as a complete answer.