Leak Detection (in ground)

davidm25

We appear to have a leak between our front gate and the stop-cock in our Kitchen (back of the house) - no water at all reaching house at this stage. We've confirmed that water is going to the water meter at the gate so the problem is ours and must be on our property - it's either under the driveway or under the house itself. Next step would seem to be to get a leak detection company in to locate the source of the leak and then get it repaired. Has anyone used and can recommend any such company? Or is there another/better way to tackle this? We are based in North Kildare.

Thanks in advance,
D

antoinolachtnai

How old is your house? What is the water main going into the stop cock made of? Is the meter box one that was installed by Irish Water during the recent 'upgrades'?

What rate is the water meter running at? Take a reading now and take a reading in an hour. The difference is the hourly rate of water flow. This will indicate how big the leak is likely to be.

My suspicion is that your problem is one of two things:

1. The connection with the meter box was not put in place to a high standard and this has resulted in a leak.

2. Your pipe is decrepit and breaking down.

The only other thing is that the pipe has gotten damaged between the road and the stop-cock. But how could this really have happened?

If it is number 1, this needs to be dug up and fixed.

If it is number 2, the whole pipe needs to be replaced.

I think a specialised leak detection company is a waste of money.

If you are not used to doing such things I would get a builder or plumber. This is not difficult or complex work. It is mostly a matter of digging.

If this were my house, I would dig a hole in the soft ground nearest the water meter box, on the likely route to the stop-cock. You need to take care, as you may locate the pipe by doing this. If the pipe is leaking so much water that no water is reaching the house, it should be very obvious once you dig down to the level of the water meter because the soil will be very wet. This would confirm that the leak is at or near the meter.

John.G

davidm25 wrote: »

We appear to have a leak between our front gate and the stop-cock in our Kitchen (back of the house) - no water at all reaching house at this stage. We've confirmed that water is going to the water meter at the gate so the problem is ours and must be on our property - it's either under the driveway or under the house itself. Next step would seem to be to get a leak detection company in to locate the source of the leak and then get it repaired. Has anyone used and can recommend any such company? Or is there another/better way to tackle this? We are based in North Kildare.

Thanks in advance,
D

Irish Water have just found a leak in my next door neighbours property...just where the water enters the house and they (IW) are paying for the repair.

Calibos

John.G wrote: »

Irish Water have just found a leak in my next door neighbours property...just where the water enters the house and they (IW) are paying for the repair.

Thats the First Fix IW scheme. OP should go to the IW website and apply for that.

Unfortunately for me our 5000L/day leak was commercial so no first fix scheme for us....though I suppose we got to claim the Vat on the repair back and expense the rest off our end of year taxes

For anyone in future who finds this thread in a search (Hello Future Boardsies!! ) they can PM me for the name of the Leak Detection/Repair company I used. The first shower we rang didn't bother to turn up or call back or re-arrange an appointment. The firm we used were out the next morning exactly as promised, had all the acoustic and gas detection gear to find the leak and the parts to fix it, his kango was the quietest I've ever heard and he did a perfect concrete repair when done. The engineer was a sound lad.

Do you know what ours was caused by?!?! A piece of sharp slate in the hardcore under the concrete yard and eventually the Vibrations from the nearby Train station had shifted a sharp corner of it under our lead water main where it sat for years, tap tapping away at the lead mains pipe until a 5mm little line piercing of the pipe formed. Both he and I were thrilled when he realised this was the cause of the leak because it meant it wasn't corrosion. He said when a leak is caused by corrosion theres a good chance the pipe is corroded elsewhere and the water pressure will just find the next weak point and new leaks will inevitably form. We were also lucky in that the 5000L a day lost over several months found its way into the sewer pipe that runs parallel to the old lead main only about 18inches away so we suffered no structural damage to our premises. ie No sinkholes opened up!! Its why the first we knew about the leak was the €2000 water bill that is usually only about €40 every 6 months!! ie. No evidence of the leak on the surface as the leak was under concrete and the 5000L a day was being carried away by the sewer!!

antoinolachtnai

What sort of money did the job cost?!

Calibos

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

What sort of money did the job cost?!

€689 incl VAT