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EcoBuild Plumbing & Heating LTD 079 1616 8585

Water leak detection for London homes.

Hidden leaks found with thermal imaging, acoustic tracing and tracer gas, without pulling your home apart. Then we fix them.

  • Non-destructive methods first, nothing opened on a guess
  • Leak found and repaired by the same engineers
  • Written findings for your insurer
  • Every London borough, 24 hours a day

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  • Gas Safe Register
  • Gas Safe registeredCheck us on the register
  • 24 hours a dayNights, weekends, bank holidays
  • All of LondonEvery borough covered
  • A limited companyRegistered in England & Wales

Non-destructive first

We use the equipment to find the leak before anything is opened up. When we do need access, it is one small opening in the right place, not a floor lifted on a hunch.

Priced before we start

You know what the survey will cost before we begin, and what the repair will cost before we do it. No surprises added to the invoice afterwards.

Found and fixed

We are plumbing and heating engineers, not just a survey company. Once the leak is found we repair it, test it and give you written findings for your insurer.

Signs you have a hidden leak

Most leaks show themselves long before water comes through a ceiling. If any of these sound familiar, it is worth getting it checked now rather than later.

Higher water bills

Your usage has gone up but your habits have not. On a water meter, a hidden leak costs money every hour.

Damp patches and stains

Marks on ceilings below bathrooms, or damp on walls and floors that keeps coming back.

Boiler losing pressure

Having to top up the boiler pressure regularly almost always means water is escaping from the heating system.

The sound of running water

Hissing or trickling in the walls or under the floor when every tap in the house is off.

Mould and musty smells

A leak that has been going for a while keeps the area damp enough for mould to grow.

Warm spots on the floor

A heating or hot water pipe leaking under a solid floor can make one patch noticeably warm.

How we find leaks without tearing your home apart

No single tool finds every leak. We pick the method to suit the pipe, the floor and the symptoms, and often use two together to confirm the spot before anything is opened.

Engineer pressure testing a heating system at a radiator valve

Pressure testing

The system is isolated and put under a controlled test pressure. If it drops, there is a leak, and isolating sections one at a time tells us which part of the house it is in.

  • Heating and mains water
  • Narrows the search fast
  • Proves the repair afterwards
Engineer using a thermal imaging camera on a damp wall

Thermal imaging

A thermal camera shows temperature differences through walls and floors. Hot water escaping from a heating pipe or underfloor loop shows up clearly without lifting anything.

  • Heating and hot water leaks
  • Underfloor heating
  • No floors or walls opened
Pinless moisture meter held against a wall

Moisture mapping

Moisture meters show how far the water has spread and where the readings are highest, which points back towards the source of a damp patch, stain or soft floor.

  • Damp patches and stains
  • Ceilings below bathrooms
  • Shows when it has dried out
Acoustic leak detector being used over the ground outside

Acoustic tracing

Water escaping under pressure makes a noise. Ground microphones and amplified listening equipment pick it up through floors, walls and paving, including on underground supply pipes.

  • Mains supply pipes
  • Under solid floors
  • Paths and driveways
Tracer gas cylinder and regulator connected for a leak test

Tracer gas

For the hardest leaks. The pipe is drained and filled with a safe hydrogen and nitrogen mix, which escapes at the leak and is picked up at the surface by a very sensitive detector.

  • Pinpoints the smallest leaks
  • Works where others cannot
  • Safe, non-toxic gas
Inspection camera showing pipework behind a bath panel

Inspection cameras

A small camera on a flexible cable goes behind bath panels, into boxing, under floors and inside drains, so we can see the leak before anything is cut open.

  • Behind baths and boxing
  • Wall-hung toilet frames
  • Drains and wastes

What happens on a leak detection visit

We listen first

What you have noticed and when, then the water meter, the boiler pressure and the layout of the pipework. That alone often narrows it down.

Isolate and test

Sections of the system are isolated and pressure tested, so we know whether it is the heating, the hot, the cold or the mains, and roughly where.

Pinpoint

Thermal imaging, acoustic tracing, tracer gas or a camera to find the exact spot, confirmed with a second method where we can before anything is opened.

Repair and report

A small, targeted opening, the leak repaired and the system tested. You get written findings with photos to pass to your insurer.

Leaks we track down

  • Central heating leaks and boilers losing pressure
  • Underfloor heating leaks
  • Hidden pipes behind walls and in ceilings
  • Leaks under shower trays and baths
  • Mains water supply leaks, inside and underground
  • Damp and moisture investigations
  • Leaks under solid concrete floors
  • Trace and access for insurance claims

Leak detection on recent jobs

Acoustic surveys, inspection cameras and thermal imaging on homes across London.

Why use EcoBuild

24 hours a day

Nights, weekends and bank holidays. One number for every London borough, answered by the people who do the work.

Honest advice

We do not open anything up until we are confident where the leak is. Less damage means less making good afterwards.

Qualified and registered

Gas Safe registered, so a leak on the heating or the boiler side is dealt with by the same team that found it.

Priced before we start

You know what the survey and the repair will cost before we start. The invoice matches what you agreed to.

Common questions

How much does leak detection cost?

It depends on the property and how hard the leak is to find, so we confirm the price with you before we start. There are no surprises on the invoice, and if we find the leak we can usually repair it on the same visit.

How long does a survey take?

Most leaks are found within a couple of hours. A large house, an underground supply pipe or a very slow leak can take longer, and we will keep you told as we go.

Will you have to damage my home?

Very little, and often not at all. The whole point of the equipment is to find the leak before anything is opened up. When we do need access, it is a small, targeted opening in the right place rather than floors and walls pulled up on a guess.

Will my insurance cover it?

Many home insurance policies include trace and access cover, which pays for finding a leak and getting to it. Check your policy or call your insurer before we visit, and we will give you written findings to support your claim.

Can you come out in an emergency?

Yes. We cover every London borough 24 hours a day. If water is coming through a ceiling, turn off the stopcock and call us straight away.

Do you repair the leak as well?

Yes. We are plumbing and heating engineers, not just a survey company, so once the leak is found we fix it, test it and leave the system working.

One number, every London borough, 24 hours a day. Call 079 1616 8585 or message us on WhatsApp.

Think you have a leak?

Turn off the stopcock if water is coming through, then call us. We cover every London borough, 24 hours a day.

Call 079 1616 8585

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