The Plumbing Detective - Part 2

By Billy Aldridge

In our last episode of the Plumbing detective I told you how to find and fix hidden leaks that commonly occur in the bathroom.  Today I am here to show you the ins and outs of detecting leaks that occur outside of or under your home. 

Has your water bill suddenly gone sky high for no rhyme or reason? Ever notice a persistent wet spot in the yard or adjacent to your home’s foundation?  Or, have you lately begun to hear a subtle hissing noise that you can’t quite put your finger on?  Either of these clues is trying to point the finger at a water bandit that if left undetected could potentially cost you thousands of dollars to repair.

If your suspicions have been aroused by any of the above, run do not walk to the nearest phone and call your friendly neighborhood plumber.  We are experts when it comes to running down a hidden leak in swimming pools and water supply lines, beneath concrete slabs and inside sewer pipes.  If the leak is subtle it could take a bit of technology to track down the culprit.  If it is more pronounced you should first find and close the water shutoff valve to the house. (see video below)

What you don’t want to do is start tearing up the pool deck or begin digging up your front yard looking for a hidden leak.  That can not only cause you to anger your neighbors, but it could also cause more harm than good.  In order to find hidden leaks, plumbing professionals use a host of modern equipment including fiber optic scopes, electromagnetic pipeline locators and other devices that are designed to be able to detect leaks non-destructively.  Once located, it may be a matter of simply pulling up a floor tile or two or open up a slab at the precise location of the leak in order to repair a pipe.  Either way, a professional is going to be able to find and repair a hidden leak much faster and with minimal disruption to property.  Some of the equipment that can be employed to detect hidden leaks is listed below.

·         Electromagnetic Line Locators operate by locating either a background signal or by locating a signal introduced into the utility line using a transmitter.  EM utility locators are used for tracing metallic pipes and utility cables and clearing drilling and excavation locations. These utility locators consist of a separate transmitter and receiver. The transmitter emits a radio frequency EM field that induces secondary fields in nearby metallic pipes and cables. The receiver detects these fields and accurately locates and traces the pipes, often to distances over 200 feet from the transmitter. Modern utility locators are also capable of providing approximate depth estimates of the pipes and sweeping areas for 60 Hz signal emanating from electrical lines. /

     

          

      The Gen-Ear is a simplified, more economical tool with stronger sound amplification than other systems. Use it to pinpoint water leaks in residential and commercial water lines, whether they are under concrete slabs, in walls, swimming pools and hot tubs. The compact amplifier fits easily in the palm of your hand. It provides noise-free amplification with built-in preset audio filters, so you don’t have guess what settings to use. And the high performance headphones with noise cancellation features block out interference from surrounding ambient noise. The ground sensor listens for the gurgling or hammering of water escaping from a cracked pipe under concrete, asphalt, or tile. For soft surfaces like grass or carpet, use the probe rods. Or, for above ground pipes or hydrants, you can use both the probe rods or the magnet attachment. For especially hard to find leaks, the Sound Amplification Module adds air to the line, increasing water pressure. This amplifies the leak sounds, making them easier to locate. 

·         Inspect impossible to reach places with the ProVision Fiberoptic scope—the ultimate hand tool for diagnosis and exploration. The flexible cable fits in openings as small as 1/2-inch in diameter allowing you to look behind walls, down into drains, inside engines, or hundreds of other inaccessible places without costly demolition or disassembly. Adjustable focus, omni-directional cable bends in every direction and the light switch is pressure activated making the PV100 functional and simple to operate. Sealed lens and cable are submersible making them perfect for plumbing applications. 18-inch flexible cable affords great range while the powerful lamp illuminates dark crevices.

      Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a geophysical

      method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. This nondestructive method uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum, and detects the reflected signals from subsurface structures. GPR can be used in a variety of media, including rock, soil, ice, fresh water, pavements and structures. It can detect objects, changes in material, 

      and voids and cracks. GPR uses high-frequency radio waves and transmits into the ground. When the wave 

      hits a buried object or a boundary with different dielectric constants, the receiving antenna records variations in the reflected return signal. The principles involved are similar to reflection seismology, except that electromagnetic energy is used instead of acoustic energy, and reflections appear at boundaries with different dielectric constants instead of acoustic impedances. The depth range of GPR is limited by the electrical conductivity of the ground, the transmitted center frequency and the radiated power.

The old adage “out of sight, out of mind,” can come back to haunt homeowners from time to time, since the majority of their wiring and plumbing is located inside walls, as well as under lawns, foundations and driveways.  Once sprung, a leak typically starts slow and then gains in momentum until it makes its presence known, sometimes in a dramatic fashion.  It is not uncommon for a plumber to be summoned to a home only to find water shooting several stories into the air from the front yard.  When this happens it’s time to bring in the backhoe and start digging.  For those who heed the warnings a bit sooner, other less expensive options can many times be employed. 

Think that leaks are a small problem?  According to recent studies as much as thirteen percent of all the water used in this country is lost in leakage.  That equates to hundreds of billions of gallons lost each and every year in the USA.  While costly this doesn’t take into consideration the collateral damage caused in terms of water damage and erosion caused by leaks. It also isn’t uncommon for leaks to cause mold inside walls and under floors that are not only expensive to eradicate but can also be a health hazard.

So if you suspect that you have a hidden leak, don’t wait until it causes untold damage to your home.  Call out your friendly neighborhood plumbing detective and stop water bandits in their tracks.

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, Florida.  For more helpful plumbing tips and how-to videos, go to http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com