Is there a hi-tech way to find an indoor plumbing leak?
inquiring mind asked:
My son has a plumbing leak that no one can find. (Four people have looked.) Is there a way to pressurize the lines to find the leak or some other hi-tech solution? He has a hole cut in his ceiling and a pan to collect the small volume of water from the leak and he’s getting tired of it. :^)
We know there is a small leak because there is wet spot on the ceiling. There are two bathrooms above.
My son has a plumbing leak that no one can find. (Four people have looked.) Is there a way to pressurize the lines to find the leak or some other hi-tech solution? He has a hole cut in his ceiling and a pan to collect the small volume of water from the leak and he’s getting tired of it. :^)
We know there is a small leak because there is wet spot on the ceiling. There are two bathrooms above.
We have cut a section of the ceiling drywall away. We do not see any wetness on the pipes. We aren’t able to correlate it to use of the bathrooms, showers, toilets, etc.
We have also removed part of the wall in the upstairs bathroom and redone some of the fittings.
The drip/leak must be intermitant.
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6 Responses to “Is there a hi-tech way to find an indoor plumbing leak?”
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Is the drip not visible? is it a drip or a spray/mist?
you can pressure test the lines go to plumbing supply house and tell them what your doing they should have fitting that will work, shut off valves sink toilet water heater washer, pump air in line you should be able to hear the leak.
I think we need a better description here. The leak is in the ceiling? So that would mean you can see the pipe that is leak? What type of pipe? How have people tried looking if it is in the ceiling? Does the location make it possible to remove a strip of drywall and find there the leak begins? This would be the only way to repair the pipe anyhow.
If it is a vertical drain pipe, try finding out which fixtures make it drip (when you flush? when you use different sinks?) That can help you isolate the location of the break.
if you think it may be a drain issue use a little dye to rule out your drains. besides that try and narrow down the problems
Thermal Imager
It will detect heat signatures.
Since the water will be cooler it will show up on the thermal imager.
I’ve done a lot of leak searches and know of no high tech leak search, but I did find that the most elusive leaks usually came from the tub and shower units. I would rule out any water pipes, because they are pressurized and your leak is intermitant. I would also rule out the drain pipes and do an isolation test, where you stop using every fixture upstairs except one shower, do that for a few long showers, see if the leak persists. Then move on to the next shower.
Don’t just run the shower, actually take a shower, because water splashes off the body and goes everywhere. Does any water get on the floor when showers are used? I have found leaks from showers where water enters inside the wall between the tile and the tub unit. Are there any access panels to the shower valves- perhaps you could inspect for leaks inside there.
Good Luck