Leak Detection – Terms & Conditions

While we will endeavour to locate the source of the leak, please note that a number of unforeseen factors, in particular flooring materials, may prevent accurate diagnosis.

We need to ‘see’ the maximum floor area possible; these areas need to be as uncluttered as possible, so please ensure that all furniture etc is moved to another part of the property before we arrive

We only undertake destructive or intrusive inspection after verbal instruction. Without this, we may have to conclude the leak detection without locating the leak, but time spent, and work done, would still be chargeable.

Detection method is at our engineer’s discretion, and not all equipment is applicable or suitable for every inspection.

We will try to work around limited access, heavily cluttered areas, but refusal of methods or refusal/lack of access that results in our engineer being unable to conclude his work will in such circumstances still result in our full fee being due.

During the successful location of a significant leak, where we suspect more leaks are present, we will attempt to detect these; however, the first leak may disguise additional leaks, and under these circumstances further leak detection may be required.

The leak detection fee is for non-invasive locations by instruments or devices, and intrusive access is not included in this cost.

We are not structural surveyors; our works are limited to internal leaks from fixed pipework. Whilst we might have experience or make comments on issues we observe, these should be verified by a chartered surveyor.

We are not drainage contractors or similar; this is a different skill and equipment set. We will inspect manholes as available/accessible, but we do not carry out CCTV inspection of drainage lines.

We will localise a leak to a specific area, however limits to non-invasive methods and building materials used can shift detection results, and significantly enlarge the detection and/or repair area of pipework and flooring. If we are able to localise a leak within a certain room/area sufficient to allow intrusive works to take place, we would consider this a successful conclusion.

Ducting, sheaths, and gas impermeable layers (such as full vinyl flooring) can block tracer gas leak detection. In such circumstances we will endeavour to localise with other methods, but this may still enlarge the location area.

Under a floor with a void, we will locate the area of a leak using tracer gas. As the gas spreads, localisation becomes much harder; we try to reduce this area using other equipment. This approach is particularly important, as the void may not follow the same shape as the room above.

N.B. These leak detections Terms and Conditions are in addition to our normal Terms and Conditions.