Leak Detection: How To Detect A Leak
Leaks are one of the biggest frustrations when it comes to utility systems. A leak can cause serious damages to a building, including the formation of mold, water stains, and structural damages. Running faucets and damaged irrigation can waste hundreds of gallons of water if left untreated. Because utilities are often under the surface or embedded within a structure, locating a leak can be an arduous task if you don’t have the proper equipment. How do we locate leaks? What kinds of leaks can we locate? What limitations are there to locating a leak?
Water Leaks in a pressurized line are typically located through a combination of utility locating and acoustic leak detection devices. To find a leak, you’ll have to find the line that is leaking first. If the line is leaking, there may be a presence of unexplained water. If your water system uses chlorinated water, finding chlorinated water outside of the system would be a sure sign of a present water leak. Using electromagnetic locating or ground penetrating radar, you can find where a water line leads, and this can help with the next step. Without an accurate marking, you may not be able to use the acoustic leak detection device to further pinpoint the issue.
Pipe material and pipe size can be an indicator if the pipe can be located electromagnetically, or with GPR.
Acoustic leak detection devices use sound to determine where a leak is occurring. A leak from a pressurized line will create detectable noise and vibrations from the surface that can be traced along the located water line. Using headphones, our technicians will listen for the sound of a leak. The louder the sound through the device, the closer you are to the leak. There are a number of factors that can hinder the leak detection process however, such as the depth of the soil over a pipe. Ambient noise is also sometimes unavoidable, such as someone mowing their yard or a busy roadway nearby. There’s also the material and diameter of the line you’re dealing with. For example, plastic pipes do not generate the same level of noise as pipes made of other materials.
These devices often rely on the fact that the water feature is pressurized, pushing water through the pipe using heavy pressure. Leaks in gravity sewers and swimming pool pipes cannot be detected with acoustic detection devices. This is where methods like smoke detection and video pipe inspection come into play, letting smoke rise from cracks in sewers. Using video pipe inspection, we may further determine the issue causing a sewer leak. Other things that could make finding a leak difficult include changing depths of the leaking pipe, surface covering blocking out sounds, and the pipe material, making some leaks harder to locate. Pressure measurements are also useful, especially when it comes to finding a leak within a fire sprinkler system since they use jockey pumps to avoid pressure loss. A loss of pressure or a spike in water usage would be a heavy signifier for a leak even before seeing any visible signs.
How about a gas leak? Gas leaks are often more dangerous than a typical water leak. Gas can cause issues for the body and chemical reactions to unnoticed leaks can cause fires and explosions. The smell of gas may or may not be present when it comes to a gas leak. Thankfully, we can use a sniffer device to determine the presence of gas. A sniffer device uses a chemical reaction to detect specific chemicals, determining their presence in the air. Using these tools, we can safely determine the extent of a gas leak.
Whether you’re determining the location of a water leak or a gas leak, Trinity Subsurface can help you understand the issue, giving you an idea of what needs to be repaired. Give us a call or visit our website to find out more information on our leak detection services.
