What You Should Know About Leak Detection
Leaking water pipes can cause structural damage, health problems and added expenses.
- Structural Damage — water that is continuously leaking in a particular area, especially near wooden structures or under a slab, causes the wood to rot and the slab to crack, meaning expensive repairs.
- Health Problems — moisture creates a conducive environment for the growth of mould. If you breathe mould spores, they might put your respiratory health at risk, meaning hospital expenses or even difficulty breathing leading to death.
- Added Expenses — you can already see under structural damage and health problems that you will incur expenses if a leak is not repaired. Additionally, if the leak is located after your water meter, you might get a large water bill.
This shows you the importance of identifying leaks and having them repaired by a qualified and licensed plumber. Here's what you need to know about water leaks and leak detection.
Signs of Leak Detection
Common signs of leak detection in a typical scenario may include:
- Constantly wet spots
- A water meter that is running when all taps are closed
- Cracks on floors or walls, especially where water pipes run
- Hearing water movement in your piping when all the taps are closed, etc.
If you encounter any of the signs mentioned above, contact a plumber as soon as possible before the problems worsen.
Leak Detection
Other than the signs mentioned above, there are other hardware or software-related ways of detecting leaks. You may also come across them being referred to as external- or internal-based leak detection methods respectively.
Hardware/External-Based Leak Detection Methods
These methods include the use of sensors on the outer side of the water pipe. You may hear of fibre optic sensors, acoustic emission detectors, ultrasonic detectors, negative pressure detectors or infrared thermography. You don't have to know exactly how these devices work, but know that your plumber might use them to detect and localise a leak. The signs mentioned above can also be classified as external-based detection methods, but they may not be as accurate or effective as these devices.
Software/Internal-Based Leak Detection Methods
These methods use computer software to monitor the pressure, flow rate, density and temperature of water in a pipe continuously. You might hear terms or phrases like pressure point analysis, flow and pressure change detection, dynamic-model based systems and mass-volume balance.
Your plumber might either utilise hardware, software or even both methods.
For more information, contact a leak detection service.