Pipe location and mapping in Sussex, Surrey & London
Half the cost of a leak repair is often the digging done in the wrong place first. Pipe tracing puts a signal on the run and follows it from the surface, giving a marked route and a recorded depth before a spade goes anywhere near it.
It is equally useful without a leak: before an extension, a driveway, a soakaway or any drilling into a floor with underfloor heating in it. Knowing where the services are is cheaper than finding out the hard way.
Our approach
How we find pipe location and mapping leaks
These are the methods we would normally work through on this kind of job, in this order, stopping as soon as the evidence agrees on one point.
- 1
Pipe and cable tracing
Knowing where a pipe actually runs, as opposed to where the drawings say it runs, prevents the two most expensive mistakes on any leak job: digging in the wrong place, and putting a spade through a live service. We mark the route on the surface and record the depth.
- 2
Acoustic leak correlation
A pressurised leak makes a continuous noise that travels along the pipe wall. Sensors placed either side of a suspected run measure the tiny difference in arrival time between them, and the correlator converts that into a distance. On a mains supply pipe this routinely gets us to within a foot of the fault.
- 3
Thermal imaging camera survey
Water moving where it should not changes the temperature of everything it touches. A thermal camera renders those differences as an image, so a leak under a solid floor shows up as a shape long before it shows up as a stain. It is completely passive: nothing is drilled, lifted or cut to take the reading.
- 4
CCTV drainage survey
Where waste water is escaping rather than supply water, the fault is usually a cracked, displaced or root-invaded drain. The camera carries a sonde so we can mark the position of the defect on the surface above, and the footage doubles as evidence for an insurer or a neighbour dispute.
What happens
Trace, access, repair, prove
The same four stages on every job, whether it is a weeping joint or a mains supply pipe under a driveway.
- 1
Trace
Non-invasive survey of the whole affected area. We rule systems out as well as in, because knowing what is not leaking is half the evidence.
- 2
Access
One opening, in the right place, as small as the job allows. Usually a borescope hole first, and a larger opening only if the repair needs it.
- 3
Repair
The fault fixed on the same visit wherever it can be, guaranteed for 12 months. Anything larger is quoted at a fixed price before we start.
- 4
Prove
The circuit re-pressurised and held, moisture readings taken again, and the whole job written up with dated photographs and calibrated readings.
Pricing
Published rates, no call-out fee
Charged by the half hour with a half an hour minimum, and no premium for an emergency. All prices exclude VAT at 20%.
- Weekdays7am – 6pm, Monday to Friday£54.00+ VAT
- Evenings & weekends6pm – 9pm weekdays, plus all day Saturday and Sunday£69.75+ VAT
- Late night9pm – 7am, every day£90.00+ VAT
Questions
Pipe location and mapping: your questions
Can you find a pipe that has no water flowing in it?
Yes. Tracing works by putting a signal on the pipe itself or by inserting a sonde, so it does not depend on flow. Non-metallic pipes need one of those two approaches rather than a simple metal detector.
How accurate is the depth reading?
Typically within about ten percent of the true depth in normal ground conditions. We mark the route on the surface and give you the depths at intervals so an excavation can be planned properly.
Can you find my outside stop tap?
Usually, yes. Buried and paved-over stop taps are a routine call, and finding one is often a short job.
Related services
- Underground water leak detectionMains supply pipe leaks under drives, gardens and roads, located to within a foot before anyone lifts a spade.
- Underfloor heating leak detectionBuried pipe loops in screed, found and mapped without breaking up the floor you paid a fortune to lay.
- Commercial leak detectionOffices, retail, hotels, schools, care homes and managed blocks, surveyed with minimum disruption to trading.
Pipe location and mapping near you
We cover 74 towns, cities and boroughs across Sussex, Surrey and London.
Sussex
Need pipe location and mapping?
Call 01273 936 030 for free advice, or book a survey online. No call-out fee, and we will tell you honestly if you do not need us.