Warning signs
How a Hidden Leak
Actually Shows Itself
A leak you can't see still leaves clues. Worth getting it checked properly if you notice any of the following:
01
A water bill that doesn't add up. Same usage habits, higher bill — that gap usually means water's escaping somewhere in the system.
02
Running water with everything off. If you can hear water moving through the pipes and nothing's turned on, that's a leak signalling its presence.
03
Damp showing up on walls, ceilings or floors. Staining, bubbling paint or warped timber with no obvious cause usually means moisture's coming from behind the surface.
04
A warm patch on the floor. A hot spot on a concrete slab often means a hot water pipe is leaking underneath it — common in older slab installations.
05
Mould that keeps coming back. Persistent mould somewhere that isn't exposed to steam or condensation usually points to moisture feeding in from a concealed leak.
06
A suspiciously green, wet patch of lawn. Lush growth above a supply or sewer line with no irrigation to explain it is often an underground leak watering that spot for you.
Detection methods
The Toolkit We Use
to Track a Leak Down
Where the leak's likely hiding decides which tool we reach for. Often it's a combination of these, used to pinpoint it before we open anything up:
Acoustic Detection
Sensitive listening gear picks up the sound of pressurised water escaping, letting us trace it through concrete and solid surfaces without opening anything.
Best for: Under-slab & underground pipes
Thermal Imaging
Infrared cameras pick up the temperature difference moisture leaves behind, spotting wet zones behind walls, under floors or in ceilings without cutting into anything.
Best for: In-wall & ceiling leaks
Pressure Testing
We isolate sections of pipe and watch how pressure holds up over time — confirming whether a leak's there, and roughly whereabouts, before we touch anything physically.
Best for: Confirming a leak exists
CCTV Pipe Inspection
A camera run through the pipe shows us the internal condition directly — cracks, joint failures and exactly where the structural damage sits.
Best for: Drain & sewer lines
Our process
From First Call
to Fixed
1
Talking Through What You've Noticed
We go over the symptoms, check your water meter reading and take a visual look around the property to narrow down where the leak's likely sitting and which method suits best.
2
Locating It Without Opening Anything
Acoustic gear, thermal imaging and pressure testing (used alone or together) narrow the leak down to a precise spot, so what gets opened is a single access point rather than a chunk of wall or floor.
3
A Firm Price Before Any Digging
Once we know where it is, you get a clear price for the repair before any access or groundwork begins. Whether to proceed is entirely up to you.
4
A Repair With a Small Footprint
We cut only what's necessary, complete the repair to Australian plumbing standards, and pressure-test the section afterward to confirm it's actually holding.
5
Tidied Up, Warranty Attached
Access points get made good wherever we can, and we leave the site as we found it. Every repair carries a full workmanship warranty, and we'll flag anything else worth doing — like drying out a wall cavity or replastering.
Common questions
Leak Detection FAQs
A quick meter test tells you a lot. Turn off every tap and water-using appliance, note the water meter reading, then wait 30 minutes without touching anything. Check the meter again — if it's moved, water's escaping somewhere in the system, and it's time to call us to find it.
We work hard to avoid that. Detection equipment finds the leak's position first, so what we open is usually one tile or a small wall section rather than anything extensive. Under-slab jobs occasionally need a small core-drilled hole, but we keep every access point as minimal as possible.
Easily. A pinhole leak on a pressurised line can lose 50 to 200 litres a day, and a proper joint failure loses a lot more. Under SA Water's tiered pricing, even a modest leak adds up to hundreds of dollars a year — before you even factor in the structural damage it can cause.
Yes, and it's one of the more common jobs we get. The warm water leaves a heat signature on the floor that thermal imaging picks up, and we back that up with acoustic equipment to confirm. It's usually the explanation behind those unexplained warm patches on a concrete floor.
Often, yes — SA Water runs a leakage allowance scheme for sudden, undetected leaks. You'll generally need a licensed plumber's invoice confirming the repair, which we can provide to support your application.
Yes — we're a full plumbing team, not just a detection service, so the repair usually happens in the same visit. You'll get a firm quote for the fix before we touch anything, with zero obligation if you'd rather get a second opinion.
Also available