Supply pipe leak detection case studies
Published by ADI Leak Detection, with the engineer, the town, the methods and the outcome as recorded on the job. The photographs were taken on these jobs.
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A meter turning slowly, and old lead under the drive
Grantham, Lincolnshire
Found by Robert Gires
- Property
- Large semi detached house
- Methods
- Pressure testing, Tracer gas, Acoustic correlation, Visual inspection
- Outcome
- Underground mains leak located on the driveway, lead pipe repaired.
What the customer saw
The water meter had been turning continuously and slowly with no tap or appliance running anywhere in the house. Closing the internal stopcock made no difference. The meter kept going, which put the loss outside the house entirely.
How it was investigated
The internal cold pipework was pressurised to 5.5 bar with an air compressor and held for thirty minutes. No pressure was lost, so the inside of the house was ruled out. Tracer gas then went into the external supply and the ground above the pipe run was surveyed at the surface, with correlation equipment listening at the same time.
What was found
Tracer gas came up on the driveway close to the meter, and the acoustic trace agreed with it. Excavation at that point exposed waterlogged ground around an old lead supply pipe, leaking immediately next to the external stopcock.
What happened next
The damaged section of lead was cut out and replaced with new pipe and a universal transit coupling, and the supply was restored. Two recommendations followed: replace the external lead main in full given its age, and fit a pressure reducing valve, because the incoming pressure was high enough to put the internal pipework at risk.
Two independent methods agreeing on one spot is what turns a survey into a hole the width of a paving slab instead of a trench the length of the drive.
Published by ADI Leak Detection atcase-studies/water-mains-leak-detection-grantham/
A leak notice from the supplier, and a stopcock that would not shut
Liverpool, Merseyside
Found by Matthew Barron
- Property
- Residential property
- Methods
- Acoustic correlation, Tracer gas, Damp meter, Pressure testing, Visual inspection
- Outcome
- Underground mains leak found in the garage, pipe repaired.
What the customer saw
A leak notice from the water supplier, water damage to the garage wall and the kitchen wall beside it, and the micro dial on the meter moving hard with nothing running in the house.
How it was investigated
The internal stopcock was passing water, so the quickest test available, shutting the house off and watching the meter, was gone. Tracer gas went in through a tap in the garage instead, and acoustic equipment listened for water moving through the structure.
What was found
Gas surfaced in the garage, the acoustic trace agreed, and the concrete floor was opened at that point to expose the pipe.
What happened next
The pipe was repaired during the visit.
A stopcock that no longer shuts off removes the fastest test there is. Everything after it takes longer, which is why a failed stopcock is worth mentioning when you call.
Published by ADI Leak Detection atcase-studies/water-mains-leak-detection-liverpool/
Water in the basement, and the fault outside the house
Marlborough, Wiltshire
Found by Artur Sowa
- Property
- Home with a basement
- Methods
- Supply tracing, Pressure testing, Acoustic listening
- Outcome
- Broken meter outlet fitting found and rebuilt; the source of the basement flooding removed.
What the customer saw
A flooded basement, and no internal stopcock anywhere in the property.
How it was investigated
The engineer found two external meter boxes and a stopcock hidden in an old gas box, then pressure tested and listened acoustically along the supply between the rear meter box and the external stopcock.
What was found
Excavation exposed a broken fitting on the outlet from the meter.
What happened next
The connection was rebuilt in 25 mm MDPE pipe and fittings, and the excavation was backfilled and made safe. ADI’s published record covers the pipe repair. It does not describe drying or restoring the basement.
Water appearing inside does not mean the fault is inside. On this job the first hour went on finding the isolation points, because a property with no internal stopcock has to be shut off from somewhere.
Published by ADI Leak Detection atcase-studies/water-mains-leak-detection-marlborough/
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