Leak Detection

• It’s fun for our Plumbdogs to get our paws dirty and dig things up but we need to be safe and know what other services lead into the property.
• Watch as Richard shares some knowledge that any good plumber should know when taking on a job like this.
• Learn how you can check your pipes for a gas leak using this simple method with simple materials you should have at home.
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Another day for our top dog Richard as he headed off to Wilson, WA for a water leak detection job.  There was already an initial visit to the property, and he was able to identify where the burst water pipe and fixed it with a temporary repair.  Two to three weeks later he comes back to complete the work, and that is to lay new supply pipes.  This would mean he would have to dig around and that is why he brought an excavator for the job.  Part of what he needed to do was to locate all the other supply services such as the water, electricity, and gas supply. On one side of the property, Richard would have to manually dig through this small corner area where the gas meter is. Armed with his good old shovel he uncovered the Atco gas main line. However, while digging he was able to notice something that was not supposed to be in the picture, he smells gas. From a burst water pipe, we have now a suspected gas leak too!

Licensed Plumber and gasfitter. . . All rolled into one

Plumber’s hat OFF and now gasfitter’s hat ON! Since Richard was able to expose the gas pipes he will now investigate where the leak is coming from.  He was able to uncover an old rusty galvanized pipe connected to a pretty new yellow PVC pipe.  It is quite simple on how to find a pipe leak; all we need is some soapy water. Mix regular dishwashing detergent with water and place them in a spray container. After making the mixture, spray it on the pipe then wait and observe.  He saw that bubbles started to form on the rusty part of the galv pipe and he could even hear a faint hissing sound, thus confirming the leak.  Bubbles forming in an area is an indication of leak and this needs to be reported.

Gas leak = Alarm bells

Before he continues any further with his digging, he will need to report the gas leak to ATCO gas by calling their helpline so they can dispatch a technician onsite. Due to the nature of the problem, it will be deemed as an emergency and will need to be dealt ASAP, within the next hour or so. Important reminder: any gas leak should be reported right away to a gasfitter or the supplier.

The work done by the previous technician was not a great job job. Instead of extending the new pipe up until the rusty galvanized pipe they just had it cut up to a certain portion.  The leak would have been avoided if they replaced the entire line.

We have all the gear and every idea and that’s why we believe we are the best maintenance plumbing experts in Perth. Licensed plumbers and Gasfitters, give us a whistle!

• Water Leaks are one of the most common reasons for high water bills
• You can identify whether you have a potential leak, we’ll show you how
• Check out more of our VLOGs here!

Water leakage is one of the most common reasons behind your high water bills and if the leak is left undetected for a long time, it can dig an unwanted hole in your pocket.

In this video, our Plumbdog Richard shares some simple tips and tricks to discover unknown leaks on your property and reduce the unnecessary wastage of money. He also explains possible ways which you can detect the problem by yourself.

1. Find You Water Meter
   The first step is to spot the water meter. Before seeking assistance from a professional, you can try to locate the meter yourself, as it is usually placed in the garden towards the boundary, close to the street.
   If you are unable to figure the position, then the chances are that it might be buried under overgrown garden land. Such a situation demands an expert’s guidance, for which you can click the link we have mentioned in our blog.
2. Turn Off Water Using Devices
   The next course of action is to turn off all the devices that involve direct water use. Check for usual items like washing machines, water purifiers and filter systems, taps and adaptive aircons.
3. Test With The Water Meter
   Now finally, we test the leakage through our water meter. Now we need to observe the movement of our dial for over 5 minutes. If there is no movement then you can be comfortable knowing that there isn’t a leak. A movement in the reading is an indication of a possible leak.

What to do if you notice a movement?

In such a case, the ideal thing to do to give us a whistle and book yourself a professional plumber. If you want to try and detect the leak yourself first, then a good place to start looking is usually around the water meter itself.

If you are able to identify the water leak it will help save some time and money and you can call us to fix up the problem. Of course if you are unable to detect the leak yourself, our team of trained and experienced Plumbdogs will sniff out the problem for you.

Our Services

If you are facing any plumbing issues at your home or office, give us a whistle! We pride ourselves in being the experts that our customers and colleagues in the industry turn to for maintenance plumbing services that also provide value for your money. Our team of highly professional Plumbdogs hold years of experience in solving all kinds of plumbing related issues like fixing broken or twisted pipes, unblocking drains, leak detection, and hot water system installations, maintenance and repairs. Not only are we skilled and experienced, we have all the gear and every idea to be at your service.

• On a large property, it can get tricky for the untrained nose to sniff out a water leak. 
• Check out how Darius with his years of experience and our specialised leak detection equipment finds the leak. 
• We have all the gear and every idea!
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

In today’s VLOG, top dog Darius is on a property whose owner complains of a possible undetectable water leak. Darius uses his specialised water leak detection equipment on the massive driveway and give us a demonstration of how it helps in successfully sniffing out the problem area.

With no clear visible signs of a water leak, having the right gear means Darius is able to easily narrow down the problem area and while not obvious, he then sniffs out the leak and does what our Perth plumbers do best, gets digging.

Findig & Fixing Leaks

We don’t just find the problem, we can fix it too all in one visit. After getting the approval to fix the identified problem, Darius proceeds to fix the issue. With different ways to fix the problem at hand, we know the best way to get the problem fixed to last and Darius explains why.

Using a better adaptor for copper to plastic, some solid welding skills and also working with minimal workspace as you would have seen him done in the past to minimise property damage, our obedient Plumbdog has found and fixed the problem with a long term solution so that this problem doesn’t happen again.

If you suspect a water leak and can’t find the problem then it might be time to give your trusted local plumber a whistle. As you saw in the video this leak would have been at least 5 litres a minute. Imagine your water bill the next time around.

• Ticking Water Meters when water isn’t in use is a good sign that you might have a water leak.
• Having a uniquely stunning property can also mean it ca be difficult to detect water leaks. 
• On the property today, our skilled Perth plumber detects leaks with minimal damage to the property to keep things aesthetically stunning. 
• Pipes erode over time and sometimes fixing just one broken pipe might not do the trick. 
• We pride ourselves in being genuine maintenance plumbing specialists specialising in water leak detection & repairs.
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

In today’s video, top dog Richard is on a beautifully architectured property in Victoria Park, Perth, Western Australia. The task in hand is to find and fix a potentially massive leak at the residential property. The plumbing on this property is all over the place making it a good challenge for our Plumbdog to find and fix the enormous leak.

Signs of a Water Leak

Noticing that the water meter was still ticking even when the water was not in use, the client sought professional help and gave us a whistle!
After testing the meter, Richard notes that the dial is spinning peculiarly fast, indicating a potential water loss of up to 20 liters per minute for this property.

All The Gear and Every Idea

Our vans are stocked with all the gear and Richard uses advanced water leak detection equipment to start the inspection on the property’s long driveway. After checking over a particular area to spot the leak, he can hear a significant amount of noise from below the deck. Rather than simply removing the whole deck or main parts of the deck to check for the water leak, he inspects through the small panels on the side first. This minimises any unnecessary damage to the aesthetics of the property.

Finding & Fixing the Leak

After lifting the small panel, he can spot the downstream flow of running water. After inspecting a little closely, he figures out the leak source, which is a broken fitting. Two water lines are running parallel to one another, and one of them has been broken due to a massive tree root. The tree root has broken one of the screw fittings, and the enormous pressure of water has further destroyed it by wearing it out and eroding its other parts. Seeing the extent of damage, it’s clear that the leak has been present over a substantial amount of time.

To fix this issue wholly itself, Richard will now replace the pipe’s destroyed fitting with a new one. One of the pipe fittings types that we like is auspex which he will use today. The old hepworth pipe fitting has now been replaced with the auspex to ensure that this situation does not occur again in the near future and the pipes function smoothly.

Inspection

After the repair work is completed Richard does another check of the meter reading. Unfortunately, he finds out that the meter is still ticking a little, thankfully not anywhere close to the last time. However, it indicates leak of several liters happening somewhere, which means another burst pipe somewhere else on the property. These situations call for the process to be repeated until the next problem area is identified.

In case you detect any possibility of a potential leak on your property, then do not wait for any further. Give us a whistle at the earliest to prevent damage of this magnitude, as it will not only burn a hole in your pocket but cause a lot of accidental water loss. Also don’t forget using a licensed plumber also means that they can help you with a leak loss report which is a report for the Water Corporation which confirms that the leak repair has been carried out by a licensed plumber. This allows you to send the report to the water corp to seek a deduction for lost water.