Underground & Watermain
Underground and Watermain Leak Detection
Excavating to find a buried leak is expensive and disruptive. Acoustic and correlated locating narrows the search to the leak's actual position first, so the excavation that follows has a target.
Symptoms we're called for
- A curb stop or meter that never stops ticking
- Saturated ground, sinkholes or unusually green strips above a waterline
- Low pressure in a building or sudden spikes in water cost
- Water pooling in a parkade or basement near a buried service
- Municipal or strata water loss accounting that does not balance
Property types
- Water services from the main to the building
- Strata, commercial and institutional site piping
- Irrigation mains and feed lines
- Municipal and utility distribution networks (with authorization)
Methods used
- Acoustic listening on valves, hydrants and exposed pipe
- Correlation between two points on the same run for pinpoint accuracy
- Line tracing and GIS-informed route confirmation
- Pressure and flow testing to confirm the leak before digging
Limitations, stated plainly
- Accuracy depends on pipe material, depth, soil and background noise
- We mark and document; excavation and repair are performed by others
- Private versus public responsibility is determined by the authority having jurisdiction
What you receive
- A located position marked on the surface and in the report
- Correlation data, photographs and route notes
- A dig-ready summary for the contractor performing the repair
- Follow-up verification after repair, on request
Next steps
- Hand the locate report to the excavation contractor
- Confirm scope and permits with the authority having jurisdiction
- Re-test pressure after repair to confirm the loss has stopped