Leak Detection

Another day, another mystery for our Plumbdog pups to sniff out—and this time, the trail led us to Morley, WA, where a homeowner was left scratching their head over a sudden spike in their water bill.

Enter Darius, our seasoned water leak detection expert from Plumbdog Plumbing Perth, ready to get to the bottom of things!

Step 1: Water Meter Check 🔎

First stop? The water meter at the front of the property. A quick check confirmed there was definitely water loss happening on the property—a clear sign of a hidden leak. Time to unleash the tools of the trade.

Step 2: Listening In with Acoustic Gear 🎧

Darius grabbed his specialty acoustic leak detection equipment—gear designed to listen for the subtle sound of water escaping underground. He walked the area slowly, ears wide open…

And guess what? The sound led him right underneath his parked van in the driveway! 😅 That’s right—the leak was directly under his own wheels the whole time.

Step 3: Pinpointing the Leak & Preparing the Fix 🔨

After moving the van, Darius used compressed air and pinpointing methods to track the exact leak location under the driveway. Once identified, he provided the homeowner with a clear and honest quote to carry out the repair.

With one leak located and logged, Darius was off again—hitting the road to help another Perth local with a burst pipe. It’s all in a day’s work for the Plumbdog pack!

🎥 Watch the full video of Darius on the job!

Got a high water bill? Suspect a hidden leak?

At Plumbdog Plumbing, we use specialist acoustic leak detection equipment to track down even the trickiest underground leaks—no digging and no guesswork.

🐾 Give us a whistle today and let the Plumbdog pups sort it out!
📞 Contact Plumbdog Plumbing

At Plumbdog Plumbing, we always have our noses to the ground, sniffing out plumbing problems for our customers across Perth, WA. This time, our expert plumber Darius was called out to a property in Mount Lawley to investigate a suspected gas leak—and what he found was enough to make even the toughest Plumbdog wrinkle his nose!

Sniffing Out the Problem 🐾

Upon arrival, Darius performed a gas test at the meter using his trusty manometer, confirming a gas leak on the property. But where was it coming from? That’s where experience and the right detection tools come in handy!

Using his 20+ years of plumbing expertise, Darius methodically traced the leak’s location—deep in the backyard. As he got closer, the stench became overwhelming. Gas leaks, especially those left unnoticed for a long time, react with the soil and create a powerful odor that lingers on clothing, skin, and even in the air for days!

The Leak is Found!

After carefully exposing the pipeline, Darius performed the good old soapy water test—a tried-and-true method to confirm leaks. Sure enough, bubbles formed around a fitting where PVC connected to copper, confirming the culprit!

Fixing the Leak & Keeping the Customer Safe

With the problem identified, Darius wasted no time:
✅ Repaired the faulty fitting
✅ Conducted a final retest to confirm no further leaks
✅ Submitted a Gas Notice of Completion Certificate, ensuring the property was safe

As always, Darius backfilled and cleaned up the work area, leaving it just as he found it—only safer! With a big smile and a satisfied customer, another Plumbdog job was successfully completed.

Need a Perth Plumber Who Knows Their Stuff?

At Plumbdog Plumbing, we’re fully licensed gas fitters and always ready to track down leaks, repair issues, and ensure your property is safe.

🚰 Got a plumbing or gas problem? Give us a whistle! 🐶🔧
📞 Contact Plumbdog Plumbing Today!

Superstar Plumbdog James sniffs out a water leak

See the amount of water being wasted from one small burst pipe

Like & Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with our latest videos! 

Superstar Plumbdog James makes his debut on our YouTube channel on the job today at a property in Willetton sniffing out and fixing a water leak.

Leak Detection Gear

It’s one thing to have all the gear, but it’s another to have every idea how to use it. James makes it look too easy but that’s only because he has the nose for this type of thing and he’s also been doing this for a long time. Being top dogs when it comes to water leak detection keeps our tails wagging because it means we get the job done without wasting time which in turn saves our customers money.

The Leaking Pipe

Some leaking pipes are obvious when you can hear the water leaking, where some are more discreet with our customers only suspecting a leak because of increased water bills. We’ve shared videos on how to tell if you have a water leak by some simple tests but watch the video to see how much water is wasted from a small burst pipe.

Did you know you could get some money back?

In Perth, Western Australia, there are circumstances where you could qualify for a rebate if you have a water leak. There are some conditions to be met but most importantly, the works need to be completed or verified by a licensed plumber. Our Plumbdogs are licensed plumbers and part of the service we offer for those eligible is to complete the submission on behalf of our customers to the Water Corp to help get some money back!

When it comes to water leak detection and repairs, we have the nose and skills to sniff out and fix any plumbing issues. If you’re in the Greater Perth, give us a whistle!

Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Hello everyone, it’s Richard at Plumbdog here!

I wanted to do a short video just to show you guys how to check for water leaks. It’s early October here in Perth, Western Australia. We’re in a suburb called Como and as you can see from the sky, the sun is starting to shine, and officially we can turn Retic on at the start of spring. Personally, I like to leave it until a bit later because it’s still been quite rainy, but I’m just going to walk you through the sequence of events of how to turn your Retic on.

If you’re turning your Retic on for the first time this spring, it’s a good idea to check for water leaks following your first switchover. We find that a lot of people realise that they’ve got water leaks this time of year after turning their Retic on. So rather you know now, than get a very expensive bill in the post from the water corp informing you that you’ve got a leak. It’s going to show you a couple of quick steps that you can do yourself to check for leaks. Now that you’re Retic is presumably back on.

In here, we’ve got the main controller for the Reticulation. I’m just in the garage and as you can see, the dial there is put in the off position. The Retic has been off all winter, so it’s time now to turn the Retic back on. So just to stick with the existing programmes that were in there last year. Just simply turn the Retic setting onto run. That’s basically going to be in line with the settings. There are all different date and time settings to choose from. This property’s Retic days are Thursday and Sunday. We’ve got start times and what have you, so I don’t need to go into that, but basically, now the Retic is on.

With the Retic on, I just come outside to the water metre at the front and I’m just going to lift the cover. As you can see, the numbers at the top which is the reading of the meter that the Water Corp will take for your bills, and then on this type of meter, this needle here that spins around is really the one we’re looking for. It’s on number six at the moment and it doesn’t appear to be moving so I’m pretty confident there are no leaks on that. A good test to do would be to just keep your eye on it and to test for five minutes and then see if the needle moves off number six. If it does, obviously it might indicate that there is a small leak. But basically, one full turn of this needle here is one litre. So if it does move a tiny bit we’re talking about a tiny amount of water. So looking at that it looks like we are good.

Okay, so as you saw, there are no leaks there, but I’m just here with Rhyse and he’s just got a quick idea of something we can show you. We’re going to turn the camera around and you can see Rhyse. Hey Rhyse!

I’m going to run the tap slightly to imitate the leak to give you guys an idea of how much the needle will move in retrospect to how much water is coming out of the tank. So let’s pretend that’s a small leak, and then we’ll go see if the needle is moving around at the meter to give you an idea.
So we’re back at the needle, and with the naked eye, you can’t really even see it moving, but over a five-minute test you might see it move. Rhyse is going to bump it up a little bit, and yeah, you can see it moving a little bit. So hopefully it gives you a bit of an idea of the size of the leak based on the movement of the meter. It’s not a lot of water, and when it is dispersing into the ground or something, it’s not very obvious. It’s pretty easy for it to get away from you.

Alrighty, hopefully that helps. So regardless of whether it’s the time of year when you turn your Retic on, it’s always a good idea to go outside to your water metre. Once everything is off inside the house, just have a quick look and if your needle is moving, it could mean you’ve got a leak. If that’s the case, obviously you know who to call — Rich and Rhyse from Plumbdog!
Alright, thanks for watching, guys. I hope that was helpful and we’ll catch you on the next video. Take care, bye.

Don’t forget to hit like and subscribe so you’re notified each time we upload a video.