Roof leak detection in Sussex, Surrey & London
Roof leaks are seasonal, directional and infuriating to diagnose, because they only appear under a particular combination of rain and wind and the water can enter metres from where it lands. On a flat roof the failure is often a pinhole or a lap that has lost its bond, neither of which is visible even standing on it.
Electronic integrity testing solves that on any membrane roof: the surface is energised and the tester locates the exact breach. On pitched roofs we combine an external inspection with thermal imaging and moisture mapping from inside the loft, which shows the wetted path back to the entry point.
Our approach
How we find roof 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
Roof integrity and voltage testing
A single pinhole in a felt, EPDM or GRP roof can flood a ceiling while the roof looks perfect from above. Electronic testing energises the membrane and locates the exact point where current, and therefore water, is getting through, so the repair is a patch rather than a re-roof.
- 2
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.
- 3
Moisture mapping and salts analysis
Damp on its own does not tell you where water came from. Rising ground moisture leaves nitrate and chloride salts behind; a burst pipe does not. Testing the salt content of a plaster sample separates a plumbing leak from rising damp or condensation, which is often the difference between a valid insurance claim and a rejected one.
- 4
Tracer dye testing
Ideal where several possible sources share the same wet patch. A shower tray, a waste trap and a heating pipe can all end up on the same ceiling; dosing them one at a time and watching where the dye emerges answers the question definitively rather than by elimination.
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
Roof leak detection: your questions
The leak only happens when it rains hard. Is that still worth investigating?
Yes, and it is a useful clue. Rain-dependent leaks point at the building envelope rather than plumbing, which narrows the search considerably before we even arrive.
Do I need a whole new flat roof?
Usually not. Most membrane failures are a single breach or a failed detail at an upstand or outlet. Locating it precisely is what makes a patch repair a legitimate option rather than a gamble.
Can you tell whether it is the roof or a pipe?
Yes, and it is one of the more common questions we settle. A roof leak correlates with weather and carries dissolved salts from the building fabric; a plumbing leak runs continuously and does not. Moisture mapping and a salts test separate the two.
Related services
- Ceiling leak detectionWater travels along joists before it drops. The stain is almost never directly under the fault.
- Damp and mould surveysEstablishing whether you have a leak, rising damp, penetrating damp or condensation, because the fix for each is completely different.
- Leak repairFind and fix in one visit wherever possible, with the repair pressure tested and proved before we leave.
Roof leak detection near you
We cover 74 towns, cities and boroughs across Sussex, Surrey and London.
Sussex
Need roof leak detection?
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.