Leak Detection Blog
How-tos, case studies, and expert tips from the field - written by the technicians who do this work every day.
54 articles
An Overview of Simply Leak Detection's Equipment - How The Job Gets Done
A behind-the-scenes look at the sonic, tracer-gas, pipe-locating, and pressure-testing equipment used to find hidden leaks with minimal disruption.
Water Conservation Links for the Greater Seattle Area
A curated guide to current Washington water conservation resources, local utility rebates, meter tests, leak adjustments, and state water programs.
How Thermal Imaging Revolutionizes Water Intrusion Detection
Most people tend to underestimate the consequences of letting water intrusion go undetected. From structural damage to mold growth, hidden leaks are a nightmare for property owners. Fortunately,…
Detecting Water Leaks in Walls: An Expert Guide to Prevent Damage
When a frozen pipe bursts, it’s like a loud alarm going off in your home. You can see the water gushing in, and you know you have to move quickly to fix it. But a gradual leak inside your walls is…
Water Leak Detection Services: Protecting Your Home
Hidden water leaks can raise utility bills and damage floors, walls, and foundations before the source becomes visible. Learn the warning signs and how non-invasive detection pinpoints the problem.
Advanced Plumbing Solutions for Under Slab Leak Detection
Dealing with strange water issues in your home can be frustrating, especially when the problem is hidden beneath your foundation. If not addressed, under slab leaks can lead to serious damage.…
Water Pipe Leak Detection
Water pipe leaks don’t just waste water; they also pose a serious threat to property. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 1 Trillion gallons of water are wasted by…
Irrigation Leak Detection for Healthy Gardens - SLD
Your irrigation systems are crucial to gardening and landscape maintenance, keeping your plants healthy and happy. However, leaks in this system can harm the plants, and even a pinhole-sized leak can…
Protect Your Property: Water Leak Detection and Repair - SLD
Water leaks can be a mess for your property, causing extensive damage and costly repairs. In this blog, we’ll explore why quick action is crucial when it comes to water leak detection and repair.…
The Dangers of Ignoring Underground Electrical Faults
If you are concerned about your property maintenance and safety, underground electrical faults represent a critical issue that demands both understanding and immediate attention. These hidden…
Exploring Advanced Techniques for Plastic Water Pipe Leak Detection
Plastic water pipe leak detection presents a significant challenge when you are involved in property maintenance and management, yet it’s crucial for conserving water, preventing damage, and saving…
The Cost of Ignoring Water Leaks: Financial and Environmental Implications
Ignoring water leaks may sound like a good idea when you think you can’t afford a plumber. However, it’s a good idea to think long and hard before you make that decision. The costs of ignoring a…
Signs of an Underground Water Leak: When to Call the Professionals
Underground water leaks can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare, causing extensive damage and costly repairs. Detecting and resolving these leaks can be challenging, but it’s crucial to recognize the…
The Role of Regular Leak Detection Inspections For Preventing Water Damage
Water damage can be a property owner’s worst nightmare. It wreaks havoc on building materials, leading to costly repairs and decreased property value. If not caught early enough, leaking water can…
Environmental Impact of Underground Water Leaks - SLD
Water is the one resource we all need to survive and underground water leak s can cause enormous harm to the environment and put local water resources at risk of contamination. The better you…
A Guide to Water Leak Symptoms
Leaking water in your home may be one of the most stressful issues you can deal with as a homeowner. How do you know if you are leaking? How do you know where to look? How do you find the answer to…
Common Water Leak Detection Tools
Water leak detection tools are very specialized and designed to locate hidden water pipe leaks. Much like a plumber or electrician would arrive with tools specific to these trades, a leak detection…
Pipe Facts
Understand the common materials in residential water lines and why finding a hidden leak first can be more practical than replacing an entire pipe.
Underground Leak on a 500' Service
Underground water pipe leak located on a 500 foot water pipe. This water line provides water to a single family residence in Graham WA. There are several technologies that could have been used to…
Commercial Leak Detection Chehalis WA
Underground leak located on a PVC water pipe at the Veterans Memorial Museum. The leak was small however large in terms of water bills. It was hiding beneath a system of outside water faucets…
Commercial Underground Leak Detection
Underground commercial leak detection projects can be much easier if supported by a good plumbing company, how can this be? There are many things a plumbing contractor or property owner can do to…
Underground Leak Detection Support
At Simply Leak Detection, our passion and specialty is finding underground hidden water pipe leaks without digging or damaging your property. Each leak issue has its own challenges and requires the right tools and strategy.
Sewer pipe leaks located - using sonic leak detection tools.
New construction sewer pipe system leaks prevented the whole job from passing inspection at a dialysis facility in Puyallup WA. This is nearly 25,000sf of slab with over 1000′ of connecting 4″ and 2“…
Value Added Pipe Locating: A Benefit Of Using A Professional
Simply Leak Detection located this water pipe in addition to finding a small leak needing repair for a homeowner in Olympia WA. This water pipe was installed without a trace wire like many…
Reading a cubic foot analog water meter - A simple conversion to gallons per minute
All too often when a homeowner is notified of a hidden water leak issue it’s often a good idea to know how to quantify how big the leak really is. Analog meters will typically have a clock hand that…
Paperless scheduling and billing now offered | Housecall Pro
Greetings! In case you didn’t know, we’ve gone paperless late last year. All scheduling and billing goes through Housecall Pro. When you schedule an appointment with us, you get confirmation…
located a small leak on a 600' underground residential water pipe
Underground water pipe leaks can be difficult to locate without the right equipment and experience. This leak was located on a nearly 600′ underground plastic water pipe near Edmonds WA. After…
Here to support Plumbing Contractors
Simply Leak Detection supports many plumbing contractors find hidden underground water pipe leaks. Water pipe leaks can be located underground, beneath parking lots or slab foundations. Services are…
Repair Leak on a Long Water Service
Nearly 600 foot underground water pipe leak located for a cost effective repair. This leak was small and nearly 3 feet deep on this long plastic water pipe servicing a house in Kent WA. At arrival…
Leak locate performed as a best practice by referring contractor in Bellevue WA
This underground water pipe leak was showing above ground on a slope. The referring contractor made a good call to have this leak verified before excavating. The area where this water leak was…
Leak Detection Accuracy Saves Money | Simply Leak Detectio
Leak detection accuracy is best accomplished by utilizing several locating methods pointing to the same place. Since every leak will have it’s own set of variables, there are not many that are alike.…
Commercial leak detection - Seattle
Seattle like many large cities have water customers in need of commercial leak detection services. Commercial leak detection can often include a variety of difficulties that are not as frequently…
Residential leak detection Puyallup WA
Residential leak detection can save a homeowner potentially thousands! The savings is the cost of putting your landscape together again after well meaning friends, neighbors or contractors have…
Underground water pipe leak in Sumner WA
Underground water pipe leak which was accurately located between the house and the water meter. Upon arrival this leak was calculated at a third of a gallon per minute. Though it was hopeful that…
Irrigation leaks & conservation tips
Irrigation water conservation and irrigation leaks are important topics and I hope you find this information helpful. Lets begin with irrigation leaks that commonly go unnoticed during the Summer…
Digging Tip - Always call 811 to locate underground utilities
A water leak was identified and located under the blue painted “X”. Fortunately the condominium owner called ahead for underground utility locates. As shown in this picture you can see that there are…
How to easily pressure test most any isolated water system
Any system can be tested this way…i.e.; Irrigation, supply lines to structures, well water supported systems, isolated lines within RV, Mobile Home Communities, sections of City Parks or virtually…
Residential Water Leaks can cause damage
Residential water leaks left uncorrected can create damaging consequences. Pictured here is a heat pump that had a leaking pipe beneath it. The soil had been washed away to such an extent, the heat…
Isolation Valves - water management and leak detection
Isolation valves are important for both your homes water management and if needed, leak detection. If there is any need to turn off a section of your water supply, these valves can really help! The…
Tips to locating a plastic water line:
Most plastic water lines have no tracer wire, so RF utility locators cannot trace them. We locate these lines acoustically; a tracer wire, when present, can be traced with RF.
How to calculate gallons per minute flowing through a digital water meter:
The new digital meters will often show a “flow rate” displayed with some numerical value ranging from zero on up. Most flow rates are based on Cubic Feet (CF) Per Minute. Given that one CF = 7.48…
Never plant a new tree above a water line
It is always best to know where your water pipes are buried prior to planting trees & shrubs of any size. As seen in this picture, this cedar tree was placed nearly directly above this water pipe.…
Water can travel far from a hidden leak source
Water from a leaky pipe may easily show at quite a distance from the source of the leak. In the pictures below you can see water on the street and water crossing the sidewalk. It would be easy to…
Leak Detection Savings
Leak Detection can always save $$ in terms of time and costs when it comes to locating a hidden underground water leak for a simple repair as is the case with many. Here are a few pictures that…
Should the entire line be replaced?
This is a question faced by many that have or experienced a hidden underground water pipe leak. A full replacement can indeed remedy any hidden leak however is this solution really necessary? There…
Always inquire for a water credit
Though there are no black & white rules to water credits, it never hurts to inquire about them. Many cities will offer a water credit once a leak has been identified and repaired. Underground leaks…
Rising water rates
At the Portland Water Bureau , administrators are proposing an 11 percent hike instead of a 14.4 percent increase. Increasing water rates in any city water system brings all the more importance to…
How to tip: locating a buried PRV
Most Pressure Reduction Valves (PRV’s) will make a high pitched noise when water is flowing through it. If you are trying to locate a buried PRV, first turn on a hose bibb to start water flow. Next,…
Tracer Gas Leak Detection
The concept of tracer gas leak detection is to trace escaped gases that exist at a low concentration in the atmosphere. When higher (tracer gas) concentrations are introduced into a pipe system, the…
How to use your water meter to determine gallons per minute
Most water meters calculate water volume in cubic feet. If your meter shows cubic feet and water is moving through it by evidence of the leak detector spinning….follow these steps to determine…
Don't forget to consider additional sewer/sanitary costs if you have a water leak.
Unattended water leaks can be costly and since sewer rates are predicated on water consumption, it’s a good idea to consider this additional cost when it comes to leaks. See the attached file on our…
How To Tips - Checking your home for Water Pipe Leaks
It’s always a good idea to check your home’s pressurized water system for leaks on a periodic basis. Unwanted water leaks left uncorrected can lead to higher water bills, potentially higher energy…
How Much Is a Cubic Foot of Water?
One cubic foot of water equals 7.48 gallons. Here's how that translates to everyday household water use - from bathtubs to dripping faucets.
Visual Signs of an Underground Water Leak
Signs of underground leaks include unusually wet spots, a drop in water pressure, rusty or dirty water, heaving pavement, and unexplained increases in your water bill.