Leak Detection

• Water leaks are often discovered when the expensive water bill arrives in the mail
• Some water leaks are obvious but some are hidden away quietly wasting water and money
• Checking whether you have a water leak is not hard and you can check for yourself whether you have a water leak.
• Follow these instructions to check whether you have a water leak
• If you do have a leak, suspect a leak or are still unsure then consult your local licensed plumber.

If you suspect that you have a water leak or simply want to start checking regularly whether you have a water leak, here is the best way to check and you don’t even need to be a plumber or handyman to complete this water leak detection test.

Instructions: How to Check If Your Property Has A Water Leak

Follow the following simple steps to work out if you have a water leak:

1. Turn off all taps and water using devices in your house
   Don’t forget about devices like your washing machine, water filters and even sprinkler systems outside.

2. Locate your Water Meter
   Most water meters are quite easy to find and you should be able see it quite easily having a quick look around the house but in case you need some help finding your meter, click here: https://mywater.com.au/css-web-external/pub/propertySearch

3. Check the Meter Reading
   More importantly, take a note of the last 3 digits of your water meter reading (usually red numbers)

4. Wait 5 Minutes
   You can wait a little bit longer to be completely sure but 5 minutes is sufficient.

5. Check the Meter Again
   Take note of the last 3 digits of your water meter reading again after waiting 5 minutes.

Did the 3 Digits Change?

If the digits changed, unfortunately you have a water leak somewhere. If all of your taps and water consuming devices are completely turned off then those digits will not change because water is not being used.

Water Corporation have a handy tool you can use to calculate how much water you are losing and also let you know the cost of wasted water. Click here https://www.watercorporation.com.au/faults/leak-detection-tool

Pro Tip – Slightly More Advanced Leak Test

If you know where you main isolation tap to your reticulation is a handy tip is to isolate your reticulation and repeat the test.

If you find that there is no longer movement of the 3 digits then the leak is on your reticulation somewhere.

Important Information & Useful Links

Did you know that ideally you should only test your reticulation system on your designated watering days?

Here is some handy information regarding testing: https://www.watercorporation.com.au/home/faqs/saving-water/can-i-test-my-irrigation-system

Not sure which are your watering days? Click here https://www.watercorporation.com.au/save-water/watering-days?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz7XAl_vr5AIVxBWPCh3WLAvQEAAYASABEgIIH_D_BwE

Did you know that Plumbdog are the leaders in locating and repairing water leaks in Perth?

Not only do we have a wealth of experience, and carry all of the latest equipment to find the trickiest of water leaks, but as we are licensed plumbers we can repair the leak too, and due to the fact that we drive huge service vehicles stocked to the roof with stock we can usually complete the whole job in one single visit, meaning less disruption to you and your busy schedule.

• We identified a leak losing 1.5 litres of water every minute
• We saved our customer time and money because we could get the job whole job done
• We achieved this because of our experience, training and having the best tools for the job
• This is what we do every day

Today wasn’t really any different to any other day for me, but I did save my Seville Grove (between Canning Vale and Armadale) customer time, money and inconvenience which always makes our job worthwhile.

I was called out to fix a leaking gas hot water system which I completed fairly quickly and easily but when I was commissioning and testing the repair I noticed a running water sound coming from the hot water unit, this usually means trouble in our line of work so performed a water leak detection test on the property water meter and found that 1.5 litres of water was being lost every minute and I needed to get to the root cause of the problem quickly.

In normal circumstances with a regular plumber, he would usually recommend calling out a leak detection specialist and then call in another plumber to fix the leak, costing time, inconvenience and money. But I was like a dog with a bone, I wouldn’t let go of this problem and cause my valued customer further inconvenience so explained the issue to the customer, gave them a super quick price and they agreed to let me repair it right away. Myself and the rest of the team at Plumbdog pride ourselves on our multidisciplinary skillset and our ability to go above and beyond what is usually on offer from other Perth plumbing companies.

What I did – The Process

I know that no one likes reading big blocks of text, so I’ll take you through what I did today regarding the leak in an easy to digest format:

1. Isolated the cold water inlet for the new hot water system and retested the water meter that was no longer turning. Confirmation that leak was on the hot water line
2. Walked around the property with our Flir E5 Infra-Red Camera – nothing initially detected
3. Turned the valve to the hot water system back on again, allowing the hot water to flow through the pipes and out of the tap as well as the leaking pipe which heated the ground around the area allowing me to detect the exact location of the leak with the infrared camera
4. Proceeded to excavate the sand, found multiple pipes with one pipe spraying hot water from a corroded part. I also noticed a number of DIY attempts at pipe repair which weren’t adequate for this setting
5. Exposed the leaking pipe and replaced the damaged section with new 15mm copper wipe welding each end
6. Back to the water meter for another test – confirmed all leaks fixed
7. Backfilled the area with sand, cleaned up and then completed a Water Corp loss report for the client to receive an adjusted bill in the next cycle

Check out our quick video on the job
Have you seen an infrared camera in action?

So, there you have you have it, a day in the life of Rich the Plumbdog Perth Plumber. Came as a gas fitter to install a hot water system and left having carried out tasks associated with water leak detection specialists, plumbers and gas fitters! How’s that for versatility?

If you are need of any plumbing services, gas plumbing, drainage work or leak detection just give the team at Plumbdog a howl on 1300 884 146 and find out for yourself why we are constantly voted best of breed when it comes to plumbers in Perth.

• Not all jobs are the same. Some jobs give us some interesting challenges that force us to get creative.
• At Plumbdog, we look for solutions even when it’s not just about the pipes.
• In this video, Darius uses a creative way to get the job done well while minimizing damage needed to the property.
• See more of our VLOGs here

In this job, Darius had a pipe that has failed inside the cavity wall. This not only makes the job interesting, it also means potentially having to cut out a big hole in the wall to work with which would simply make the building look ugly.

While cutting out a big hole would be the easy option for any old plumber to work with, our Old Dogs have some great tricks and want the best outcomes for our loyal customers.

Check out the on the spot tool modification and how easy Darius makes it look. Not only is he working with such a small hole in the wall, he cuts through the pipe, welds it and wraps it up neatly before sealing it all back up.

Imagine if you had a plumber out who insisted on using the good old hacksaw, they would need much more space to get the job done leaving a huge and unsightly patch on the building.

This is just one of the many reasons why we truly believe Plumbdog is the best in the industry. We have all the gear and every idea!

Plumbdog are maintenance plumbing specialists and the experts for leak detection and repairs, blocked drains and hot water service and repairs.