Central Heating Leak Detection in Bromley

Symptoms

The heating system at a property in CR0 had been completely off for around one week. When an attempt was made to refill and pressurise the system, the pressure would not hold — indicating a leak somewhere within the pipework.

There was no visible water, no sign of surface damage, and the heating had simply stopped functioning without any obvious indication of where the fault lay.

With no water showing and no accessible point of failure, this was a concealed leak investigation. The absence of visible damage made central heating leak detection the only reliable route to identifying the source before any remedial work could be carried out.

Methods Used

The investigation began with a compressor and listening stick across the system, but these produced no usable results. An acoustic device was then deployed and returned a strong noise signal in the small bathroom of the garage, which had been converted into a studio flat.

On the basis of this, a targeted excavation was carried out in that bathroom — revealing one heating pipe and two water supply pipes, with minor dent damage visible on the water pipes but no confirmed leak point.

Investigation continued into the garage kitchen, where further acoustic work under the worktop behind the washing machine indicated noise in the concrete floor. A small opening was made, and tracer gas was finally detected at that location after earlier attempts across the system had returned no readings.

This combination of acoustic correlation and tracer gas is standard practice in central heating leak detection where pipework is buried beneath concrete. Excavation under the kitchen worktop confirmed the source: a damaged 15mm grey plastic heating pipe just below the wall, close to the underside of the bathroom shower tray.

Investigation Process

1. 1
   System pressurisation attempted

   On arrival, an attempt was made to fill and pressurise the heating system. Pressure would not hold, confirming an active leak somewhere in the pipework.

2. 2
   Listening stick deployed — no result

   A compressor was installed and a listening stick applied across the system. No useful signal was detected at this stage.

3. 3
   Acoustic device detects signal in garage bathroom

   An acoustic device was used and returned a strong noise reading in the small bathroom within the converted garage studio flat.

4. 4
   Tracer gas introduced — no initial readings

   Tracer gas was injected into the system and checked across accessible areas. Despite using the full quantity available, no gas readings were detected at this point.

5. 5
   Excavation in garage bathroom

   With permission granted by the customer, a hole was dug in the garage bathroom floor. One heating pipe and two water supply pipes were found; the water pipes showed minor dent marks but no confirmed leak.

6. 6
   Acoustic noise detected under kitchen worktop

   In the garage kitchen, acoustic equipment identified noise beneath the concrete floor behind the washing machine, under the worktop.

7. 7
   Small opening made — tracer gas reading obtained

   A small opening was cut in the kitchen floor at the indicated location. A tracer gas reading was finally detected, confirming the leak was in this area.

8. 8
   Excavation and leak located

   The area under the kitchen worktop was excavated, revealing a leaking grey 15mm plastic heating pipe just beneath the wall, close to the underside of the bathroom shower tray. Rat damage was identified as the cause.

9. 9
   Pipe repaired

   The wall opening was enlarged to allow access and the damaged section of pipe was repaired using compression pushfit fittings, inserts, and Hep2o pipe.

10. 10
    System tested, backfilled, and refilled

    The heating system was pressure tested — no further leaks were found. The excavation was backfilled, the opening covered with plywood for safety, and the system was refilled and confirmed to be working correctly.

Result & Outcome

The leak was located on a grey 15mm plastic heating pipe beneath the garage kitchen worktop, positioned just under the wall and close to the underside of the bathroom shower tray. The damage was caused by rats, which had gnawed through the pipe. A section of pipework extending further under the shower tray was also found to be in poor condition but was not accessible for repair at this time.

The confirmed leak point was repaired using compression pushfit fittings, inserts, and Hep2o pipe. The system was pressure tested after the repair with no further leaks detected, and the heating was refilled and returned to full working order. The excavation was backfilled and covered with plywood, and the site was left clean and safe.

For a job of this complexity — buried pipework, no surface signs, and an initial failure of tracer gas to return readings — central heating leak detection required a layered approach combining acoustic correlation and tracer gas before the precise location could be confirmed. The remaining pipework under the shower tray will need monitoring, and rat extermination is required to prevent further damage.