The idea of owning your own home is a dream, right? That is until you realise there are hidden expenses everywhere. Unfortunately, it is no longer the job of your landlord or real estate agent to cover leak repair work if anything goes wrong in your home. But with the help of top water leak detection techniques used by professional leak specialists or plumbers, help is on its way.
Now I don’t want to scare anyone, but there are literally hundreds of things that can go wrong in your home, many of which can become a financial crisis if left unresolved. If the clothesline breaks, the lights won’t work, or a pipe burst and causes a mini flood, the responsibility and cost of repairs falls directly on you, the homeowner.
Facing Water Leaks At Home
Water leaks are just one of those problems that most homeowners face more frequently than any other disaster. Leaking water inside your ceilings, behind your walls, or even under the concrete substructure of your house, can lead to an array of dangerous issues including wood rot, mould growth, and even worse, the weakening of your home.
The good news is that you can hire an expert leak detection company who can find the source of the water leak in your home, without damaging walls, ceilings and floors, and without any inconvenience to you. Investing in leak detection services could save you thousands in future repair work, so consider hiring one before a little leak becomes a rotting nightmare.
Using Top Water Leak Detection Techniques
Having leak detection in Melbourne has come a long way from the methods used in the past, when plumbers had to literally guess where the water was coming from. Knocking out holes in people’s walls was one of the only ways to investigate what was really going on behind them. Water leaks in ceilings and under floors posed another problem, as heaving concrete slabs isn’t an easy job, just to find a crack in a pipe.
Thankfully those days are gone, and leak detection methods have advanced to the use of non-invasive, high-tech equipment and strategies to accurately pinpoint the location of water leaks. There is no longer the need for sledgehammers, hand saws and paying for unnecessary repairs, water leaks can be located without any of them.
Thermal Imaging
Professional leak detectors now use hand-held thermal imaging devices to locate hidden water leaks. Thermal imaging cameras and devices use heat seeking technology, converting temperature fluctuations and heat waves into live thermal images, on a hand-held screen. Thermal imaging is one of the most popular methods used these days, as it provides a picture of exactly what is happening with water pipes that are hidden behind surfaces like ceilings, floors and walls. These cameras can also show where moisture has built up in an area, to quickly prevent the spread of mould, and to prevent the decay of wood, plaster and other materials.
Acoustic sensors
Water travelling through pipes creates its own sound vibrations, and acoustic sensors can pick up those sounds and transmit them back to the technician. Small cracks in water pipes will emit a high frequency sound, while a larger leak will produce a lower frequency, making it easy for the location and diagnosis of the leak. This method is very effective for underground pipes and doesn’t require digging up the ground to assess their condition.
Loss Analysis
Analysing the pressure and volume of the water supply can provide leak technicians with a clear understanding of where large leaks are located. Usually there will be a significant drop in water pressure when a leak is present, and loss analysis reports will indicate whereabouts the problem lies. This is a safe and effective method of detecting leaks in water mains and supply pipes.
Tracer Gas Detection
After emptying your water pipes, tracer gas is inserted. This non-toxic and non-corrosive pressurised gas is then inserted and released through the piping system. The gas works its way through the pipes, escaping from the cracked areas and rising to the surface. Sensitive gas detection equipment is used to pinpoint these areas of gas emission which shows where the water leak is located. Tracer gas is usually used when acoustic sensors cannot locate the leak, and for areas thermal imaging isn’t an option.
Call the experts
A suspected water leak in the past would have cost a fortune to locate. Outdated methods of cutting holes in walls and heaving concrete slabs in the hopes of stumbling upon the trouble site have thankfully been replaced with safe, non-invasive technology and environmentally friendly procedures. Thanks to the inventions of thermal imaging and acoustic sensors, today’s leak detection specialists can locate any type of water leak, anywhere on your property quickly, and without damage.
To be on the safe side when owning your own home, it is wise to invest in the assistance of a qualified and trusted leak detection company that can enlist the top water leak techniques above to avoid further damage to your property. Before undertaking any renovations, it is also wise to consider hiring a leak detection plumber as they can detect any problem pipes before the groundwork begins.