Water leak underground,help.

[Optimus]

Interesting. But if the OP can’t find a wet patch anywhere as it is I’d imagine finding a milky patch just as hard…? Although a good idea to store for another day up there

Yes ,we put extra stop valves in over the years.allows us to do it in sections if we have issues.
If a land drain picks it up, you should still have a rough idea where the problem is.as long as you know where they all run.

 

[farmbrew]

I bet it ends up being a connection not tightened sufficiently when laid.
Had the same issue a couple of years ago. Meter going round constantly, eventually wet patches showed up like a fountain. I borrowed a neighbours digger to find water was finding its way up hill through a land drain.
Just kept digging digging more holes.
The field looked like a the battle of the Somme before i eventually worked out the T connector to a neighbouring property was loose.
Rather worried that I know there are at least 3 more junctions along the length, fingers crossed ok so far

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

We have a water leak somewhere on the farm, with 15 water troughs in various fields and a network of underground blue plastic pipe that previous farm owner did not record.

Has anyone suggestions for a national reputable company that can locate leaks? We are in Glouscestershire.

If you have no other/more local firms, then you could try these guys. But they are in Sussex.

Beeney & Co Ltd​

I had one of their chaps for a day to fix leaks on our (similar sounding) farm, but with the benefit of gravity fed spring water. The thing that impressed me most was the speed and efficiency with which he could dig a hole.

If its not got chlorine in the water then it doesn't seem to make such a mess of the soil structure, so may not show up how everyone on here is expecting.

edit: I would boost the pressure up and get it found more quickly

 

[C.J]

Thanks for the suggestion, have a ball valve directly after the pump, and when in the "off" position pressure holds and pump stops, but as soon as I re open the valve to the whole system the pressure falls and the pump runs continiously.

Am looking for a company suggestion to find the location of an underground leak.

You haven't really told us much about your system - I'm guessing its a closed system with a pressure vessel but is it a pressure boosting pump , a shallow well pump or something else ? could it be the foot valve in the suction pipe that has failed ?

 

[som farmer]

own supply, sandy soil, gravity flow replaced by pressurised system, not a clue where some pipes are, sounds familiar !

the cheapest, easiest, quickest and less frustrating method is simple, buy stop cocks and fit where you know the pipe is, block out where you know leak isn't, and replace the pipe where you think it is.

ours used to be gravity, but we could go onto the mains, when short, the mains pipe was renewed, pressure increased, and when we needed the mains, the higher pressure blew our connections, we had a one way valve, to stop mains from going into our reservoir. Dug and dug, failed, new system was the cheapest solution.

replaced it since, just couldn't find the leak, diggers and drivers soon add up to a lot of money. Actually found that leak, a few years later, draining a wet spot, pipe had come apart at a joint, pipe was still live, didn't have a clue a pipe was there, nor where it went, or came from, stop end, ended that.

 

[Steevo]

We have a water leak somewhere on the farm, with 15 water troughs in various fields and a network of underground blue plastic pipe that previous farm owner did not record.

Has anyone suggestions for a national reputable company that can locate leaks? We are in Glouscestershire.

These guys know water pipes…..and are in Gloucestershire.

http://www.pipelinelogistics.com/leak-detection#:~:text=We%20work%20quickly%20and%20efficiently,is%20in%20need%20of%20replacing.

 

[Blue.]

Do you know anyone with a road compressor?
Couple it to the pipe and go and listen.

 

[farmbrew]

Do you know anyone with a road compressor?
Couple it to the pipe and go and listen.

and blow every other joint in the line?

 

[soapsud]

Thanks, I have walked round the property looking for a wet patch, the problem is I think the dry weather made the ground move in places and this may have opened a plastic pipe joint somewhere. Do not see any obvious wet spots.

I need a company that can find the leak, in about 3 miles total of plastic pipe.

Anyone used such a company?

Used a firm based in Bristol years ago. Took 3 days. Lots of holes. Cost a bit too.

The first thing they did was check flow regularity on meter after sectioning off the lines one by one.

It was worth doing.

Lastly, report leak to your supplier. They may recompense you over your higher than normal water consumption costs as, in effect, their water is returning to the aquifer. Proof reqd obvsly.

 

[Mc115reed]

The leak detective off tiktok is who you need - this is company he works for, they do domestic and commercial leak detection… from watching tiktok hell pressurise the pipes with tracer gases then walk around with a gas sniffer too find the leak

 

[Blue.]

and blow every other joint in the line?

I've 16bar water pressure here,a road compressor tops at 8 bar.

 

[Quaddog]

Had this problem about ten years ago, a pin hole in a mains piece of old black pipe. Found it by walking the line and saw a wet patch. It put about £700 on the bill. When I cut the leaky bit out and examined it closely I could see that it had been kinked when it was put in and straightened again and buried. It had taken fifty years for the leak to spring. Must say that 99% of the time leaks are at a junction, trough or the like.

 

[Paddington]

Severn Trent man reckoned the old black pipes needed a slight wave when they were laid to allow for ground movement inn the years to come. Our pipe from the meter was dead straight.

 

[som farmer]

Severn Trent man reckoned the old black pipes needed a slight wave when they were laid to allow for ground movement inn the years to come. Our pipe from the meter was dead straight.

we had a long pipe, from a meter, crossed 2 farms, a lot of verge, and when it arrived at our farm, it went across a stony field, from meter to last trough, it was closer to a mile, than half.

worked fine for a number of years, then bills started creeping up, then speeding up, claimed some leak allowance, but where the hell do you start even looking for a leak. Wouldn't show on the brash, or sandy soil, can't really start digging holes in neighbours fields, odd one fine, lots no. I always thought it was on the brash, was the problem, had a job to get the trench deep enough, solid rock at 18 to 24 ins, in places.

pressurised our system, and had the meter disconnected, didn't stop estimated bills for a while !

Local farmer moled a new line, on his farm, about 500 meters, powered up, no water the other end. So, holes dug etc, found the problem, two 150m length of pipe, was faulty, plastic hadn't spread to make the hole, so solid in places. Repaired a couple of places, but had to replace both lengths in the end. He was somewhat pissy about that.

 

[paulthefarm]

You haven't really told us much about your system - I'm guessing its a closed system with a pressure vessel but is it a pressure boosting pump , a shallow well pump or something else ? could it be the foot valve in the suction pipe that has failed ?

Sorry to not have explained clearly, we have a borehole that pumps water to holding tanks, no problem there. Then booster pump from holding tanks to the network system of many pipes to troughs in fields and various buildings including farm house, about 30 different end points. The system was installed by previous owner, no plans and no markings on the valving system.
The booster pump was fine for years, running and then shutting off until water needed, there is a 300 litre pressure vessel after the pump.

Now the pump just runs continously and does not reach pressure of the previous 3 bar, now running at 1.3 bar which is really too low for the whole system.

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Sorry to not have explained clearly, we have a borehole that pumps water to holding tanks, no problem there. Then booster pump from holding tanks to the network system of many pipes to troughs in fields and various buildings including farm house, about 30 different end points. The system was installed by previous owner, no plans and no markings on the valving system.
The booster pump was fine for years, running and then shutting off until water needed, there is a 300 litre pressure vessel after the pump.

Now the pump just runs continously and does not reach pressure of the previous 3 bar, now running at 1.3 bar which is really too low for the whole system.

That seems to indicate several cubic metres per day. Us dwellers on clay would think that would show up quite quickly.
Another ( possibly daft ) suggestion, get someone with a drone to get some aerial shots and see if there is a particularly green patch.

 

[C.J]

Sorry to not have explained clearly, we have a borehole that pumps water to holding tanks, no problem there. Then booster pump from holding tanks to the network system of many pipes to troughs in fields and various buildings including farm house, about 30 different end points. The system was installed by previous owner, no plans and no markings on the valving system.
The booster pump was fine for years, running and then shutting off until water needed, there is a 300 litre pressure vessel after the pump.

Now the pump just runs continously and does not reach pressure of the previous 3 bar, now running at 1.3 bar which is really too low for the whole system.

So if the booster pump is running continuosly , is the bore hole pump running a lot , to replenish your holding tank ?

 

[paulthefarm]

That seems to indicate several cubic metres per day. Us dwellers on clay would think that would show up quite quickly.
Another ( possibly daft ) suggestion, get someone with a drone to get some aerial shots and see if there is a particularly green patch.

Should have added that we are on brash with plenty of limestone and free draining due to hill location so leaks do not show and walking over fields show no muddy patches or especially green areas.

 

[paulthefarm]

So if the booster pump is running continuosly , is the bore hole pump running a lot , to replenish your holding tank ?

Good point, will check the borehole pump, as it is located in a field 500 metres away from the holding tanks to see if it is also running continiously.
It is difficult to see usage at the holding tanks as there are electrical trigger floats on the holding tanks that activate the borehole pump when they need replenishment.

 

[zero]

Sorry to not have explained clearly, we have a borehole that pumps water to holding tanks, no problem there. Then booster pump from holding tanks to the network system of many pipes to troughs in fields and various buildings including farm house, about 30 different end points. The system was installed by previous owner, no plans and no markings on the valving system.
The booster pump was fine for years, running and then shutting off until water needed, there is a 300 litre pressure vessel after the pump.

Now the pump just runs continously and does not reach pressure of the previous 3 bar, now running at 1.3 bar which is really too low for the whole system.

Is it likely that the previous owner may have had more fields linked to the system that are now farmed by someone else?
Other than that, mark every trough, house, usage point on a map and see if theres a rough pattern or line between them to give a vague idea as to where the pipes run. Even a gap in a hedge or a random join in a fence can be a clue as to where pipes were moled in.