Trace and Access Leak Detection

The methods we use to detect leaks in homes and businesses are non-destructive yet effective, meaning we can pinpoint the exact location of a leak without causing additional damage to your building. Our main leak detection methods are thermal imaging, acoustic testing, salts analysis and moisture mapping.

Whereas a guess at the source of your leak is hit and miss, a thermal imaging survey is accurate and trouble-free. It limits damage because we use it on the surface of your property to find hidden pipes under floors and elsewhere to find the leak.

Acoustic testing is another leak detection method used by CPL t/a Rainbow International. We tend to use this method if pipes are running deep in a building or if they are heavily insulated. When a pipe is leaking water onto the ground, it can cause the material around the pipe to vibrate. Ground microphones enable us to find the leak with excellent accuracy.

Our priority as water leak detection specialists is to find where water is getting in or getting out. If it’s unclear, will test any moisture that we find to help us to look in the right place. The tests we do look for salts such as chlorides and nitrates which allow us to determine the source of the water. If we find chlorides, we know the water must be coming from the freshwater supply into the house. If, on the other hand, we find nitrates, we know the water has come up from the ground as nitrates come from fertilisers and animal waste which are not present in drinking water. Finally, if there are no salts at all in the water, we know that the water is getting in some other way, such as rainwater or condensation.

Another way we can check for leaks in a property is by using a protimeter. This specialist leak detection tool checks moisture and condensation levels. Any reading that is out of the ordinary is one of our best leak indicators as it can be accurate to within a few meters of a leak site.

Some leaks, especially in hidden pipework or central heating systems, are difficult and expensive to trace using traditional methods. In this case, our technicians use specially formulated non-toxic tracer-gas leak detection which leaks out wherever water would leak. We then find the gas using state-of-the-art handheld technology. The method is so accurate it can significantly reduce search damage to property. Of course, for invisible leaks, this also makes it noticeably more cost-effective than guessing where the leak might be.