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Even a small water leak due to faulty water pipe fittings can cause huge water bills.

 Author: Graham Mann, Water Audit Expert.

Even a small water leak due to faulty water pipe fittings can cause huge water bills.

Photo 1: Listening stick, leak noise heard in pavement.

Water charges within Southern Water area are the highest in the UK, a small water leak can have a significant impact on water charges. Certainly when this customer received huge bills a water leak investigation was  instigated, the site which is a port covers a large area with underground pipe work stretching many miles.

A team of water leakage experts used tried and tested leak noise techniques using a “listening stick” which is a steel rod pointed at one end and an ear piece on the other, leak noise is transmitted underground was heard in the vicinity of an underground inspection cover (see photo 1).

The cover was next to the wall so an internal investigation was carried out inside the building to see if a water supply pipe was on the opposite side of the wall as the leak noise was loud and localised (see photo 2)

The inspection cover was broken out (photo 3) and excavated to reveal a burst water pipe (photo 4) due to a faulty mechanical join, the water leak flow rate was 5,000 litres per hour (5 cubic metres) in water and waste water cost terms this equated to £ 600 per day and £ 219,000 per year, the payback on the leak detection and water leak repair was 2 days.

Photo 2: Water supply pipe on other side of internal wall opposite inspection cover.                                                                                                                                                                                               

 Photo 3: Inspection cover broken out with leak noise under cover.

Photo 4: Burst water pipe.