How Does a Plumber Find a Water Leak Underground?

Locating a water leak below ground may not be an easy task even to an experienced plumber. The leaks may be deep in the plumbing system, and hence, they may be hard to find. But when using the right tools, techniques, and knowledge, a plumber will be able to find such leaks and repair them before they can cause widespread damage to your home or property. In this blog post, we are going to take you through the steps on how plumbers detect water leaks underground.

Understanding Underground Water Leaks

We first must know what defines an underground water leak before delving into the procedures that plumbers employ. Leaks may occur at any point in your plumbing system, both from the water supply line coming into your house, and/or pipes hidden in the yard or garden.

Several factors may cause water leaks underground such as:

- Pipe corrosion due to age

- Tree roots penetrating pipes

- Pressure changes in the plumbing system

- Improper installation of pipes

- Shifting soil around pipes.

Although these leaks may seem insignificant, they might result in something serious such as waste of water, increased water bills, or even collapse of your property. Find and fix the leak as soon as possible to avoid additional damage.

Step 1: Identifying the Signs of a Water Leak

A water leak underground can be detected by identifying its signs. Not all leaks are apparent; some are rather subtle and can go unnoticed for months or even years.

Some common signs of an underground water leak include:

Bigger water bills: Water bills are likely to increase suddenly without there being an increase water usage.

Muddy areas: Consistently saturated locations on your lawn, driveway, or foundation may be a tip off that you have a leak somewhere underground.

Running water: You might hear running water, even though all taps are closed; this may be a sign that there is a leak in the water line.

Low water pressure: A decrease in the water pressure in your taps or in showerheads can be an indication of leakage somewhere underground.

Growth of mold or mildew: Leaks below the ground may cause the ground to seep moisture in your house foundation or walls, causing mold or mildew growth.

Step 2: Using Specialized Equipment

After the leakage is detected, plumbers employ different specialized tools to know the exact location of the underground leak.

These are some of the general tools and techniques that plumbers can employ in the discovery of water leaks underground:

Listening Devices

Listening to the sound of water escaping the pipe is one of the most effective ways plumbers can detect a leakage of water underground. Listening devices that specialize in amplifying the sounds of water leaking beneath the ground, like ground microphones or leak detection headphones, are used. The plumber will put a microphone on the floor and listen to whether there is rushing water or dripping, as it will enable the plumber to know where the leak is.

Acoustic Leak Detectors

Acoustic leak detectors are another essential tool plumbers use. The frequency of the sound made by escaping water in a pressurized pipe is sensed by these devices. When a leak takes place, the water flows out with certain frequency that can be captured with the help of the acoustic detector. This technique is very useful when working on leakages in bigger and more complicated systems.

Thermal Imaging Cameras

Plumbers use thermal imaging cameras at times to identify underground leaks. These cameras sense the difference in temperature in the ground which may be because of water leaking out of a pipe. A thermal camera can also assist the plumber to see the location of the leak by providing a cooler region on the ground, since water is usually cooler than the surrounding soil or concrete. This technique comes in handy particularly when the leak is fairly deep underground.

Gas Tracing

To find leaks more accurately, other plumbers resort to gas tracing to detect underground leaks. During this process, non-toxic gas is entered into the pipe system. The leakage allows the gas to reach the surface, where it can be identified by special sensors. This method is helpful especially when attempting to find leaks in places that cannot easily be reached, like in the walls or under concrete slabs.

Pressure Testing

Another sure way of detecting a leakage in underground pipes is through pressure testing. The plumber will shut off the water supply line temporarily and pressure the system. This helps them to tell whether the system has a leak by monitoring the pressure drop. This technique is applicable in identifying the leakages in pipes with great surface area or in the case of two or more pipes joined together.

Step 3: Digging and Locating the Leak

Once plumber narrows down the area where the leak may be, he/she will then dig or carefully excavate the area to reach the pipe. If the leak is near the surface, a plumber will only be required to dig a small hole. But if the leakage is further underground, then the procedure might demand more excavation which might involve cutting concrete or asphalt.

Excavating the Ground

As soon as the location of the leak is established, the plumber will start digging the soil around the pipe. This must involve accuracy since over digging may lead to destruction of other pipes or cables underground. The plumber dig until the leakage is obvious.

Repairing the Leak

The plumber will fix the pipe after the leak has been identified. In most instances, the plumber will have to replace the damaged part of the pipe with new material to get the water flowing again. Depending on the nature of the leak and the pipe, the repair can be made by welding, clamping, or putting epoxy on the area.

Once the leak has been fixed, the plumber will fill in the hole with soil and refurbish the area. If the leak was on a concrete surface, the plumber will seal the surface, and make sure that it is level and clean.