Water Mains Leak Detection in Herne Bay

Symptoms

The property in CT6 is a detached bungalow. No visible signs of water damage were present on arrival, but the water meter was registering consumption despite the supply being isolated at the external stopcock, indicating an active leak somewhere within the property.

The customer had already disconnected the basin in the bathroom and partially moved the vanity unit away from the wall before the engineer arrived.

With no obvious surface evidence pointing to the source, internal leak detection was required to trace the leak without unnecessary damage to the property. The bathroom was the primary area of concern given the customer's preparatory actions, but the precise location and cause of the leak needed to be confirmed through systematic investigation.

Methods Used

The water supply was restored at the external main stopcock to confirm active meter movement, establishing that a live leak was present. With no visible signs of damage inside the property, internal leak detection was carried out methodically, starting in the bathroom where the customer had already begun to investigate.

An endoscope camera was used to inspect beneath the tiled bathroom floor without requiring an initial full excavation, which allowed the leaking fitting to be pinpointed before any significant disruption was made to the floor.

Once the fitting was located and excavated, pressure testing was carried out across the entire property to confirm no further leaks were present. Tracer gas testing was also conducted as part of the process to ensure nothing had been missed.

The vanity unit and basin were refitted and retested before the job was signed off.

Investigation Process

1. 1
   Arrival and initial assessment

   The engineer arrived at the property in CT6 and noted no visible signs of water damage. The customer had already disconnected the basin and moved the vanity unit away from the bathroom wall.

2. 2
   Water supply restored

   The water supply was restored at the external main stopcock. The water meter immediately began registering consumption, confirming an active leak was present.

3. 3
   Endoscope inspection beneath bathroom floor

   An endoscope camera was deployed to inspect beneath the tiled bathroom floor. A leaking push-fit fitting was identified without requiring a full excavation at this stage.

4. 4
   Excavation of tiled floor

   The tiled floor was excavated to access the leaking fitting. During this process it was found that the pipework was 3/4 inch copper rather than 22mm, which had caused the push-fit fitting to fail.

5. 5
   Repair carried out

   The affected section of pipe was repaired using a 22mm x 3/4 inch compression straight fitting and a 22mm x 15mm push-fit straight coupler to correctly marry the mismatched pipework.

6. 6
   Full property pressure test and tracer gas check

   Pressure testing was conducted across the entire property with no pressure drops recorded. Tracer gas testing confirmed no further leaks were present anywhere in the system.

7. 7
   Vanity unit and basin refitted

   The vanity unit and basin were refitted and retested for leaks. No issues were found, and the job was completed.

Result & Outcome

The leak was traced to a push-fit fitting located beneath the tiled bathroom floor. The root cause was a mismatched pipe size — the existing pipework was 3/4 inch copper rather than 22mm, meaning the push-fit fitting had never formed a proper seal and was destined to fail. The endoscope camera allowed the fitting to be pinpointed precisely before excavation began, limiting the area of floor that needed to be lifted.

The repair was completed using a compression fitting sized correctly for the 3/4 inch copper pipe, combined with a push-fit coupler to transition to the 22mm system. Following the repair, pressure testing across the full property showed no further pressure drops, and tracer gas testing detected nothing — confirming the repair was complete and no secondary leaks had been overlooked.

For a job requiring internal leak detection in a property with no visible surface damage, the outcome was definitive: a single leak source identified, correctly repaired, and the full system verified. The customer was advised to arrange re-grouting of the bathroom tiles now that the excavation and tile re-laying are complete.