How to find water leak under concrete floor?

[5312]

It appears from the water meter reading that we have a large water leak.

I suspect that it is under the concrete floor of the sheds or yard.
How do you detect exactly where it is located? Is there any reasonabley priced equipment you can buy? Or do you need a specialist firm in to find it?

TIA

 

[Hesstondriver]

would a diviner be able to find it ?

 

[pellow]

Can you isolate pipes with taps to narrow the potential leak area? I have drilled 10 mm holes in concrete floors to locate a leak effectively before

 

[Pigken]

Always try food colouring.

 

[milkloss]

You might be able to use a listening stick. It's an acoustic cup that amplifies the noise of grit movement due to the water leak. Doesn't work as well with plastic pipe but maybe worth a try.

 

[britt]

Find where the water is going first. Lift drain covers and look around the edges of buildings aprons etc.
As above, turn off sections to try isolate which is leaking, if the water is flowing through fast you may feel the stoptap vibrate as it shuts off.

 

[5312]

I have tried turning off all the pipes going into and out of the sheds and yard. The only place left is under the concrete which is a continuous slab under all the sheds and yards.

 

[britt]

We had similar a few months ago. It was the dirty water coming out of the kitchen tap that was the worst part.

 

[Thick Farmer]

Find the pipe before it goes under the concrete, dig it up and reroute it from there.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

You could spend weeks on this.

had a similar issue and after a day pondering we bit the bullet and replaced the lot.

its a once in a generation thing lucky kids again, eh!?

 

[Chae1]

It appears from the water meter reading that we have a large water leak.

I suspect that it is under the concrete floor of the sheds or yard.
How do you detect exactly where it is located? Is there any reasonabley priced equipment you can buy? Or do you need a specialist firm in to find it?

TIA

Don't mean to sound patronising but have you checked the meter?

We got a huge water bill a couple months ago. They hadn't actually bothered to read meter. Despite putting that it was a actual reading on invoice.

 

[Steevo]

Find the pipe before it goes under the concrete, dig it up and reroute it from there.

Exactly this. Quickest and cheapest method.

 

[britt]

Exactly this. Quickest and cheapest method.

I was given that advice. As it turned out finding the leak and fixing it was the best and quickest option. Only resort to that if you can't find it.

 

[wdah/him]

As mentioned above check the meter. We couldn't find a leak and so dug down beside the meter and put a turn off on. The meter still turned. New meter had been fitted and the men had fudged it up.

From my experience start there before u dig anywhere. Then if its good dig before the concrete and put a turn off there.

Good luck

 

[dannewhouse]

Is it possible to reroute? Or even get a new one miles in, they do a remote gadget for boring under roads without disturbing them. No good if internal troughs.

This is why I try to duct pipes as much as possible.

 

[Pan mixer]

If there is a leak under a slab or building and it is substantial, there will be evidence of water flowing out from under the slab somewhwere unless you are on free draing ballast or similar.

I have had a number of these over the years and it has always shown me where the problem is - heavy clay here though. I have always replaced the pipe around the offending slab - it took several hundred metres in one case with 18 rising mains to go into sheds as well, it took a while.

 

[yellow belly]

If it is a steel pipe under the concrete in the past we have put a plastic pipe inside the steel pipe
As above check the meter was read properly
if there is a leak it will be wizing round When every thing else is off
house troughs ect
check it daily

 

[JD6920s]

You might be able to use a listening stick. It's an acoustic cup that amplifies the noise of grit movement due to the water leak. Doesn't work as well with plastic pipe but maybe worth a try.

They do work, best done at night when all is quiet. The water boards have people that do it in the streets at night apparently. I bought one from here.

Listening Stick Hardwood Cotton Reel Head - 5ft Stainless Steel shaft | Vernon Morris

vernonmorris.co.uk

 

[5312]

I had checked the meter, it was spinning around but I don't know if was faulty or not.

I found the pipe before it went under the concrete and put a tap on it there. It turned out the leak was before that so ran a new pipe to bypass it.

It seems that the builders must have damaged it with the excavator and the leak is under a pile of rubble but next to a soakaway.

 

[Chae1]

I had checked the meter, it was spinning around but I don't know if was faulty or not.

I found the pipe before it went under the concrete and put a tap on it there. It turned out the leak was before that so ran a new pipe to bypass it.

It seems that the builders must have damaged it with the excavator and the leak is under a pile of rubble but next to a soakaway.

Who is liable for lost water?

Do you still have to pay bill