Find the leak with electronics, not a chisel. Acoustic detection, thermal imaging and tracer gas locate the source to within centimetres — so we cut the smallest possible hole, fix the leak, and put your home back together.
Acoustic + thermal + tracer-gas methods · Insurance claim-friendly reports · Most leaks found within 60 minutes
Yes
Local to Coventry CV2
Before any work
Written quotes
7 days/week
Open 24/7
Always
Customer service first
Pinpointing the exact location of a water leak — heating circuit, hot/cold mains, underfloor heating pipe, concealed waste pipe, shower tray leak, behind-tile leak, or external mains supply leak. Followed by precise repair: the smallest possible cut, joint or section repair, and reinstatement.
Homeowners with damp staining, dropping system pressure, unexplained water bills, soft floorboards, peeling paint near pipework, or visible water with no obvious source. Insurance claimants needing a documented detection report. Landlords investigating tenant-reported leaks.
When you can hear running water with everything off, when the boiler pressure drops repeatedly, when the water meter ticks with all taps closed, when damp appears in a position that doesn't match a known pipe, or when an insurance company has asked for a trace-and-access report before authorising a claim.
Old-school 'find the leak' meant lifting floors, smashing tiles, opening ceilings — sometimes the wrong ones. Modern detection equipment locates the leak within centimetres before any cutting starts. Your damage is the access hole for the repair, nothing more.
Hidden leaks are the most expensive type of plumbing fault — because the damage compounds invisibly.
Sustained leaks rot joists from underneath. By the time a ceiling sags, the floor above may already need replacement at £4,000+.
Water tracks along cables to electrical fittings — downlights, ceiling roses, junction boxes. Tripping breakers are a polite warning; a fire is the alternative.
Sustained damp behind plaster releases mould spores into the room air — particularly serious for asthmatic and immunocompromised occupants.
Most insurance policies have a 'gradual deterioration' exclusion. The longer a leak runs untraced, the easier it is for an insurer to deny.
We ask the right questions before we set off — pressure history, location of stain, recent works, recent freeze events. Often we can narrow the likely cause to two possibilities before arrival.
We isolate each circuit (heating, hot mains, cold mains) to identify which one is losing water. Confirms the leak system before any detection equipment comes out.
Acoustic listening (Sebakmt SeCorr) on pressurised pipes, thermal imaging (Flir) on heating circuits, tracer gas (hydrogen-nitrogen mix) on the trickiest cases. Leak located typically within 5cm.
Minimum-cut access, joint or section repair, pressure-test, and reinstate. Plastering and tiling reinstatement coordinated where needed.
Written report with photos, equipment readings, and a clear cause statement — accepted by every major UK home insurer for trace-and-access claims.
Targeted access — typically one small hole instead of three guesses.
Most leaks found within the first hour on-site. Repairs typically completed same visit.
Reports formatted for trace-and-access cover. We've worked with Aviva, Direct Line, LV, AXA, Hiscox, NFU and most others.
Tiles, hardwood floors, decorative ceilings — saved by precise location, lost by guess-cutting.
We fix the leak, not the whole circuit. If the rest is sound, the rest stays.
Photos, readings and certificate of repair. Useful for resale and for future insurance claims.
Different leaks need different detection methods. The art is matching method to symptom — and not relying on a single technique when the leak hides from it.
Discuss your projectPressurised water escaping through a small hole creates a high-frequency sound (typically 200–800 Hz). Acoustic ground microphones and contact listening devices (Sebakmt, Fuji) pick this up through walls, floors, screeds and even through 100mm of concrete. Best for: mains supply leaks, hidden heating pipework, embedded copper pipework in floors.
Heating pipe leaks create temperature anomalies — either a cold spot from heat-loss to leaked water, or a hot spot from the heated leak itself. Flir E8 / E96 thermal cameras detect differences as small as 0.05°C, mapping pipework non-invasively through plaster and tile.
When acoustic and thermal can't find the leak (often because the leak is too small to make sound, or in a cold mains run with no temperature delta), we introduce a non-flammable hydrogen-nitrogen tracer gas mixture into the pipework. Surface gas sniffers then locate the escape point — accurate to 1cm even through floor screeds.
Concealed compression joints in floor zones (especially mid-1990s push-fit installs). Failed solder joints in lofts after freeze events. Corroded copper in solid concrete floors of 1960s–1980s housing. Underfloor heating manifold leaks behind kitchen plinths. Failed shower tray seals in upstairs ensuites. External mains MDPE damage from garden landscaping.
Section replacement for accessible runs. Pipe-freeze for repairs where draining the system is impractical. Pressfit joints for repairs near combustibles. Resin-impregnated repair sleeves for very awkward locations. Full pipe relining is rare in domestic but available.
Most UK home insurance policies cover 'trace and access' costs up to typically £5,000–£10,000 per claim. Our reports are formatted to meet insurer requirements. We don't charge VAT on trace-and-access where we're not VAT registered — saves you 20% on the recoverable cost.
Coventry, CV2 & the wider West Midlands.
Call us or request a written quote — we'll come back to you fast.
Local plumber · Coventry CV2 · Open 24/7
