Detecting Leaks

Leaks may occur at almost any point in the water supply system, although connections, bends, and fittings are the more likely spots through which water nay find its way. After the plumbing has been in for years, any section of pipe may be vulnerable.  Leaks in exposed runs of pipe are easiest to detect; and those occurring in underground piping are hardest to find.  Leaks in piping behind walls or partitions or under floors may be troublesome to locate because moisture indicating a break may not appear near the place where the water is being lost.  Water from a leak will often run along a horizontal run of pipe or a beam and drip off may feet from where it started.  Water naturally runs down a vertical section of piping, perhaps to appear far below the actual leak. 

Damage from leakage can be costly, for continuous undetected dripping can eat away plaster walls or ceilings, rot timbers and joists, and destroy painted or wallpapered finishes. Repairing such damage is usually expensive. 

Location ol' leaks within walls or under floors is not easily accomplished by the amateur plumber.  When a leak is suspected, you should study the pipe layout above the appearance of water and try to trace out all the possible sources of the leak.  Water finds its way down and its appearance in the basement could come from a leak on the second floor.  Check all visible and accessible fittings and bends.  Eliminate as much as you can, thus localizing the area in which the leak may be.  But unless you narrow down the possible guilty sections to just one or two, you had better get some professional advice before tearing out sections of wall or flooring. 

Professional plunderers have various devices at their disposal whereby they can locate leaks without destruction to building structure. These include: Darley's leak locator, which uses the principle of the electric coil and the magnetic field; test rods for underground leaks; sound-detecting machines, such as crystal sets with amplifiers which can magnify the sound of a leak 10,000 times; chemicals which measure water movement; and the principles of water hammer or hydraulic gradient.