Concealed Leak Detection in Guildford
A homeowner in Guildford, GU1 had noticed their water bill had increased significantly over three months with no change in usage. There were no visible damp patches, no dripping so...
Response time
Booked in 2 days
Time on site
3 hours
Cost range
£225
Warranty
12 months
The Problem
A homeowner in Guildford, GU1 had noticed their water bill had increased significantly over three months with no change in usage. There were no visible damp patches, no dripping sounds, and no obvious signs of a leak. Their water meter was spinning slowly even when all water was turned off in the property.
The homeowner had tried the meter test themselves — noting the reading, waiting 30 minutes with no water running, and checking again — and confirmed the meter had moved, indicating a leak somewhere on their side of the supply.
The Diagnosis
We carried out a systematic investigation starting with the water meter, confirming the slow movement. We isolated the internal stopcock and checked if the meter stopped — it did not, confirming the leak was between the meter and the internal stopcock, likely underground.
We used acoustic listening equipment to trace the sound of escaping water along the supply pipe run from the boundary to the property. The loudest signal was detected where the supply pipe entered the property through the foundation, under the kitchen floor.
The Repair
We carefully lifted the kitchen flooring and removed a section of floorboard to expose the supply pipe where it entered the property. A small pinhole leak was found in the 15mm blue MDPE supply pipe where it had been rubbing against a sharp edge of the building structure.
We cut out the damaged section of pipe and fitted a new section with compression couplers. The pipe was re-routed slightly and sleeved where it passed through the building structure to prevent future abrasion. The area was reinstated and the supply tested.
Acoustic detection pinpointed leak under kitchen floor
Lifted floor and repaired damaged MDPE supply pipe
Tested supply and reinstated flooring
Outcome & Advice to the Homeowner
The concealed leak was found and repaired in a single visit. The homeowner was relieved to have the issue resolved after months of unexplained high bills. We provided a detailed report and invoice to support a potential insurance claim for trace and access.
We recommended monitoring the water meter over the following week to confirm the leak was fully resolved and no other leaks existed on the property's supply pipe.
Job Summary
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