Plumbing

Leak detection: finding hidden water leaks before they spread

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A high water bill, a damp patch that keeps growing, a boiler that keeps losing pressure or a meter that turns when every tap is off: all of these can point to a leak you cannot see. Leak detection specialists use equipment to find it with as little damage as possible, so that the repair is one small hole rather than a lifted floor. This page explains how it works and who pays for what. Exactly one specialist receives your request.

Exactly one business. Your request is handed out once. After that, no other business sees it.
You know who will be in touch. Before the business receives your contact details, we send you its name, address and phone number.
Withdraw at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time – using the link in our email.

Signs worth acting on

a water bill that rises without any change in how you use water
the water meter moving while every tap and appliance is off
a combi or sealed-system boiler that keeps needing to be topped up
damp patches, stained ceilings, lifting floorboards or musty smells
a warm patch on a floor with heating pipes underneath
persistent wet ground or a sound of running water outside

How a leak is found without digging

Thermal imaging shows temperature differences, which makes it good at tracing leaks from hot water and heating pipes buried in floors or walls. Acoustic equipment listens for the sound of escaping water along a pipe under pressure. Tracer gas, a harmless gas mixture pushed into a drained pipe, rises through floors and ground and can be detected at the surface where it escapes. Moisture meters and pressure tests narrow down which pipe or section is affected.

No single method suits every leak. A specialist usually combines two or three and should explain which it used and how confident it is in the location before anyone breaks open a floor.

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Heating leaks are different from water supply leaks

A sealed heating system that loses pressure can have a leak in a radiator valve, a pipe under a floor or inside the boiler itself. Topping it up repeatedly brings in fresh water and oxygen, which speeds up corrosion. If the boiler may be the source, the boiler must be examined by a Gas Safe registered engineer, not the leak detector. Mention which symptoms you have so the right person comes.

Who owns the leaking pipe

Outside the house, responsibility usually splits at the boundary of your property or at the outside stop tap. The water company is generally responsible for the communication pipe up to that point, and the owner for the supply pipe from there into the house. Many water companies offer help or allowances for leaks on customers' supply pipes; ask yours before paying for excavation.

In flats, water often appears below the leak. A leak coming through your ceiling may be your upstairs neighbour's responsibility, or the freeholder's if it is in a shared pipe or the roof. Report it to them and to your buildings insurer early.

Insurance: trace and access

Many buildings insurance policies include trace and access cover, which pays to find the leak and open up and make good the area around it, sometimes up to a limit. Check your policy before booking: some insurers want to appoint their own specialist, and paying someone else first can complicate a claim. Keep photographs of the damage and the specialist's report.

What the report should give you

A useful leak detection report states the methods used, the location found, marked on a plan or photograph, the likely cause and a recommendation for the repair. If the specialist also repairs, ask for the detection and the repair to be priced separately, so you can use the report with your insurer or another plumber if you prefer.

Your request and the specialist

Tell us the symptoms and what kind of property it is. We offer the request, without your contact details, to leak detection and plumbing businesses in your area; one buys it and has it exclusively. We then email you its name, address and phone number, before it receives your details. There is no charge to you. If water is pouring through a ceiling, turn off the stop tap if you can and call an emergency plumber or your insurer's helpline rather than waiting.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I know if I have a hidden leak?

If you have a water meter, note the reading with all taps and appliances off and check it again later without using water. If it has moved, water is escaping somewhere. Rising bills, damp patches and a boiler losing pressure are other signs.

Will the floor have to come up?

Usually only a small section once the leak has been located. The point of leak detection is to avoid lifting floors or digging trenches in the wrong place.

Is leak detection covered by insurance?

Often, under trace and access cover in buildings insurance. Check your policy and call your insurer before booking, because some insurers appoint their own specialist.

The leak is outside in my front garden. Who pays?

It depends on which side of the boundary or outside stop tap the leak is. Your water company can tell you where its responsibility ends and whether it offers help with supply pipe repairs.

My boiler keeps losing pressure. Is that a leak?

Often, either in the pipework or radiators or inside the boiler. A leak detection specialist can check the system, but anything inside the boiler must be looked at by a Gas Safe registered engineer.