Tips for Finding a Water Leak Under a Driveway
So you’re losing water, lots of it. You’ve shut the meter off at the house and the micrometer continues to spin. The only problem is, between your meter and the house is a long patch of driveway, readily hiding all signs of moisture. Need some tips to speed up your driveway water leak detection? Acme Detection is here to help!
Tip 1 – Determine How Much Water You’re Losing
It all starts at the water meter. Look at the triangle and try to measure how much water you’re losing in a given period. If it is a big leak(100 gallons or more an hour), you need to act fast. We would recommend calling a professional immediately. If it is a small leak(20 gallons an hour or less), you might be able to get away with waiting for the leak to truly present itself. The middle ground(20-80 gallons an hour)? That’s your call.
Tip 2 – Locate The Pipe
This may be a step for a professional because it probably requires a pipe locator. However a lot of times you can find some sort of plans or pictures of the house being built and you will know where it runs. Walk this line and check all surrounding areas. Look for any signs of settling in the concrete where the pavement has drooped down with ground sinking or cracked significantly.
Tip 3 – Listen For The Leak
Again this may be a step for a professional, but it is possible to do on your own. Simply take any pipe approximately 4 feet long and put one end to the ground and the other end to your ear. A lot of times you’ll be surprised by what you can hear. A leak in your water pipe will usually sound like a high pitched “sshhhhhing”.
Thanks for watching! We hope these tips will help you find your next Santa Barbara Water Leak!
Gary Fuller
ACME Detection
Santa Barbara, California
(805) 565 LEAK
(805) 565 5325
Leak detection tools we use
- LD 18 Sub Surface microphone
- Metrotech Vivax HL 5000-4 microphone
- Radio Detection RD 7000 locator
