Locating water leak in house

Kealyboy

I have a leak on my hot water pipe underground (ground floor). The hot water cylinder is down stairs and the run from the cylinder to hot draw off is only a few meters.

How can i pinpoint exactly where the leak is?? Without ripping up all my timber floor.

Thanks

cubix

You could go to the expense of getting someone in with a thermal imaging camera and if the leak was not too big it may pick up close to the spot but more times than not if its a copper pipe laid bare in concrete the heat from the hot supply has allowed the copper interact with the ingredients of the concrete over the years which in turn have attacked the copper pipe and will begin to fail. So even if you fix one spot there is high probability it will fail elsewhere. This coupled with taking up your floor in a section and not being able to get a match or do an invisible repair you would be wiser to run a new section of pipe from point to point, ideally behind a wall cavity that can be repaired/ painted more cheaply.

Kealyboy

Can any sort of leak detection equipment be rented out? ie sound detection equipment or infrared camera.

If i could locate the leak i will fix myself. Not really too keen on tearing up the hole floor to run a new feed for cylinder.

the_pen_turner

talk to your local council plumber.
a friend of a neighbour worked for the council. neighbour had a leak under a newish tiled floor,. council friend came round with some kind of apparatus and pinpointed the leak. I wasn't there when he did it but he was dead right . I think it was some kind of listening set up t

cubix

These lads do a range of test kit for hire all depending what part of the country your in.
https://dromadhire.com/survey/detection

Another option:
These seem to be getting a good reception and I can see alot of people adding them to their tool box. In or around the €230-250mark from some Irish suppliers but may not be the latest V3 type on sale in the UK

http://www.flir.co.uk/life/