What does a leak detection specialist do when a leak cannot be reached

Full transcript

George and Dave in conversation. Every word of the episode, exactly as recorded.

George

Welcome to the ADI Leak Detection podcast. I'm here with Dave from ADI Leak Detection, the country's leading name in leak detection, who's here to answer your questions and provide expert leak detection advice. Dave, today's question is one I suspect a lot of homeowners have wondered about: what actually happens when your team turns up and the leak is somewhere you just can't get to directly?

Dave

It's a really common situation. You've got a wet patch on a floor, maybe a ceiling that's damp, and the pipework causing it is buried under concrete or hidden behind tiled walls. ADI's engineers don't need to open everything up to find it.

George

So what's the first thing you actually do when you arrive at a job like that?

Dave

The first thing an ADI engineer does is build a picture of where the pipework runs. We're looking at what type of construction it is, what's above it, what access points exist. That survey stage tells us which detection method is going to give us the clearest result.

George

Right, so you're not just grabbing a tool and starting somewhere random.

Dave

Exactly. If you go straight to equipment without understanding the layout, you can misread what you're hearing or seeing. The survey informs the method. For most inaccessible leaks in residential properties, we'll start with acoustic listening equipment.

George

Tell me how that works because I think most people imagine you'd need to be right next to the pipe.

Dave

Acoustic listening devices pick up the sound signature that escaping water produces as it leaves a breach under pressure. That sound travels through the surrounding material, whether that's concrete, screed or soil. Our engineers place sensors at multiple points, compare the signals, and use the pattern to narrow down where the breach is sitting.

George

And what if the floor is solid concrete and the acoustic signal just isn't coming through clearly enough?

Dave

That's where tracer gas comes in. Tracer gas leak detection works by introducing a safe, inert gas mixture into the pipe. The gas escapes from the breach, rises through the ground or substrate, and our engineer traces it to the surface using a detector. Solid floors don't stop it.

George

That's clever. So the gas does the travelling that the engineer can't do.

Dave

That's a good way to put it. The gas finds the path of least resistance upwards, and the detector tells us exactly where it's breaking surface. It's particularly useful under concrete, under tiling, anywhere the leak itself is completely hidden from view.

George

What about confirming whether the right section of pipe is the problem? Say you've narrowed it down but you need to be certain before anyone starts any work.

Dave

Pressure testing does that job. ADI's engineers isolate a section of pipework and apply controlled pressure. If the pressure holds, that section is intact. If it drops, the fault is confirmed within that section. It's a straightforward pass or fail result, and it means the homeowner and their plumber know precisely where to focus.

George

So by combining those methods, you're building the case for where the leak is without taking a sledgehammer to someone's kitchen floor.

Dave

That's the whole point. Non-invasive leak detection protects the property. A homeowner with a leak under a solid floor doesn't want their entire ground floor lifted on a guess. ADI locates the leak first, marks the position, and the repair goes exactly where it's needed.

George

Dave, that's genuinely useful to know. If you're dealing with a water leak that's hidden behind an inaccessible surface, you now know there's a proper process for finding it without unnecessary damage. ADI Leak Detection has built its reputation as one of the most trusted names in the UK for doing exactly that, and you can find them online to get the help you need. Thanks for listening.

How this episode was made. This episode was produced using AI-generated voices and script, based on real leak detection questions and the working knowledge of ADI Leak Detection engineers.