HOW TO DETECT A WATER
LEAK UNDER CONCRETE

Step 1 - Look for Signs of a Concrete Slab Leak

Identifying a concrete slab leak early can save you from extensive damage and costly repairs. Here are the signs you should look for:

• Wet or Damp Spots: Unexplained wet or damp spots on your carpets, floors, walls, or ceilings can indicate a leak under the concrete. These spots may feel consistently moist or show visible signs of mold or mildew.
• Sudden Increase in Water Bills: A significant and unexplained increase in your water bill often signals a hidden leak. Compare your current bills to previous months or the same quarter in previous years.
• Reduced Water Pressure: If you notice a sudden drop in water pressure throughout your home, it could be due to water escaping from a leak before reaching your taps or appliances.
• Sounds of Running Water: Hearing the sound of running water when all taps are turned off can indicate water movement from a leak under the concrete.
• Cracks in Concrete Floors: Look for unexplained cracks or shifts in your concrete floors. As water leaks and accumulates, it can cause the concrete to crack or soil to shift, leading to visible changes in your flooring.

Spotting any of these signs is the first step in locating the water leak under concrete. If you notice one or more of these symptoms you need to test for a leak in your property.

Step 2 - Test for a Leak in Your Property

Here's how you can test for a water leak in your property:

If your water meter reading is higher on the second check then you have a water leak.

By conducting the water meter leak test, you can confirm whether there's a leak in your property, the leak may be under your concrete.

Our professional leak detection service has the expertise and equipment to locate leaks quickly and with minimal disruption to your property.

Step 3 - Call a Leak Detection Company to Pinpoint the Location of the Leak

After confirming the presence of a leak, the next step is to locate it. Accurately locating a leak where non-destructive leak detection techniques excel.

The DIY method to find the leak under concrete is to simply start digging where the damp is showing. Digging the concrete without knowing the exact location of the leak is a risk. You risk the expense of having to replace concrete and flooring and not finding the leak!

Our leak detection engineers have years of experience, professional training and using state of the art equipment to accurately locate leaks on plumbing pipes, water mains, central heating and underfloor heating pipes under concrete.

Thermal Imaging Cameras

High-Resolution Thermal Imaging Cameras detect temperature variations in the concrete slab. Cooler areas typically indicate the presence of moisture from a leak. Heat patches can indicate a hot water pipe leaking under the floor.

Pressure Testing

Pressure testing is used to test the plumbing pipes below the surfaces. Incoming water supply pipes, central heating systems, hot and cold feed plumbing pipes and underfloor heating pipework are individually pressure tested.

Tracer Gases

Tracer-gas leak testing is used in conjunction with acoustic listening devices when searching for a leak in concrete. An inert gas mixture (95% Nitrogen / 5% Hydrogen) is pressurized into the pipe suspected of leaking. The Tracer gas will escape from the leak and rise to the surface, where it's detected using a gas sniffer.

Acoustic Listening Devices

Acoustic microphones are used to listen for the sound of water or tracer gases escaping from pipes. Our engineers are trained to distinguish the noise of a leak from other background sounds, allowing for precise location identification.

Damp/Moisture Meters

Moisture meters are used to measure the moisture content in and around the concrete slab. Elevated moisture levels often indicate the presence of a leak, helping narrow down the search area.