Anyone used a leak detection company?

[TheFarSide]

Our combi boiler is losing pressure and we have to top it up every other day - we've had the boiler checked and there are no problems with it, so the pressure drop must be down to a water leak ... somewhere ... problem is, we have no idea where! Have checked all the radiators and visible pipes.

To save digging up the floor and/or ripping out boxing, I'd really like to use one of those companies that use gas, thermal imaging etc to locate leaks. Problem is, they seem very expensive - I've been quoted £500 to £1000 and we don't seem to be covered on our insurance.

Would be very interested in any advice/opinions - if you've had a similar leak, how did you find it?

hello,

we use these companies to do this at work all the time. it is called a trace and access..

there are 2 different types. intrusive & non-intrusive.

the non intrusive is where they use thermal imaging to find it there are any problems

and intrusive is where they dig it up.

a few companies we use..

Rainbow
Chemdry
Munters - the best for thermal imaging

it is expensive to have done, but if you do find there is a problem your insurance should cover you for the work that needs doing as long as its not wear and tear or a maintenance problem

HTH

Well thanks for the info Natandchris. I will google them.

Or should we just put leak sealant in?

if you put leak sealant in without finding out the cause then if there comes a point where you need to claim on your insurance they wont cover the claim as it is a gradual operating cause which has caused further damage. what did your ins co say when you called them? who are you with? i ask as i am a claims assesor so may be able to advise further x

We are with the Co-Op/CIS. They said trace and access is a grey area. They will only pay for water damage caused by the leak and fixing the leak.

I'm thinking if the water leak is under the ground floor, there won't be any damage as such because the water will just be dripping into the ground. Fixing the leak won't cost much but finding the leak is going to be expensive.

They won't pay for leak detection and it wasn't clear if they would pay for pulling up (and subsequent repairs to) floors to access the leak. They basically said to submit the claim and then they would decide, but it's a lot of money to shell out upfront if they then say "no".

Thanks

We had this problem! It didn't affect our boiler but it was a water pipe under the floor. We have a policy with British gas that covered us for leaky pipes. They came and dug up the floor and repaired the leak then the insurance company paid for the damage.

Only difference is we had a vague idea where the leak was.

Will your insurance company recommend a trace and access specialist? You could ask them which company they would prefer you to use and mention the previous posters recommendations?

Thanks Alouiseg. Sounds like a good idea to ring the insurance company again. For us, though, I think the major cost is going to be finding the leak in the first place. We have no idea where it is!

Update: we put leak sealant in and it seems to have worked. Also, we figure it's a longstanding leak and would have shown up by now if not under the downstairs floor - therefore it must be under the downstairs floor, and our builder says it's only a day's work to lift the floor, fix the leak and make good at £120 plus materials, so I guess that's what we'll do if we find we're still losing pressure. I think those leak detection companies are taking the p**s. Insurance only pays for water damage and there won't be any water damage because the leak will just be dripping into earth.

We had a slow leak from our bathroom into the room below. We had many different plumbers and handymen being involved over several years looking for the leak, wrongly diagnosing it as a failing bath seal, failing grouting in the bathroom, etc, and then 'fixing' it repeatedly. Eventually our home insurance company said we had to get a leak detection company in (which we paid about £500 for) - and they eventually found a leaky pipe hidden in the wall, utterly invisible but very fixable once identified! Worth every penny.