What happens between your call and the report.
A leak survey in a trading shop has to be planned, quiet and quick. Here is the whole process, from what to have ready before we arrive to what the report you receive contains.
What to have ready.
None of them are essential. All of them make the visit shorter.
Where the meter is
Boundary chamber, service corridor or shared riser. If you are not sure, ask the landlord or centre team before the day.
Boiler pressure readings
A reading at close and one at open tells us whether the heating circuit is losing water overnight.
Recent water bills
Three or four bills show when consumption jumped, which narrows down how long the leak has been running.
Where the damp shows
Photographs of stains, lifted flooring or wet patches, with the date you first noticed them.
Access and keys
Who holds keys to plant rooms, risers and the stock room, and whether anything is blocked by stock or fittings.
Landlord or centre contact
In centres and parades the leak is often next door or upstairs. A contact for the managing agent saves a day.
How the survey works.
The same four steps on every job, whether it is a kiosk with one cold feed or a supermarket with four plant rooms.
Call us
Tell us what you have seen: a damp patch, a pressure drop, a bill that jumped. We match the right engineer and kit to the job and agree a time for the visit.
Call 0333 567 2615 and tell us what you have noticed: a damp patch, a boiler that keeps needing a top-up, a bill that has jumped, a smell in the stock room. You do not need to know where the leak is. That is our job.
We ask about the building, the pipework you know of and when you trade. That tells us which engineer and which equipment to send, and lets us agree a time that suits the store.
What you’ll see- A short set of questions about the symptoms and the building
- A time agreed for the engineer to attend
Engineer on site
A qualified leak engineer arrives with thermal imaging, acoustic sensors, tracer gas and correlators in the van. Every engineer has at least ten years’ experience.
A leak detection engineer arrives with the full kit in the van: thermal imaging camera, acoustic listening equipment, tracer gas, correlators, borescope, moisture meters and pressure testing gear. Every engineer has at least ten years’ experience finding leaks.
The first job is a walk round with you or the duty manager. We look at the symptoms, find the meter and the stop valves, and work out which systems could be responsible: mains, heating, hot water, drainage or the building itself.
What you’ll see- A walk-round and a few questions with whoever is on shift
- The meter and stop valves located and, where needed, the supply isolated for short periods
- Nothing moved on the shop floor beyond what is needed to reach a valve
Non-invasive survey
We test, listen and scan until the evidence points to one spot. Water, heating or drainage, above ground or below, with the floor and fit-out left alone.
We narrow it down before we look. Pressure tests on the heating, a timed meter test on the mains and moisture readings on walls and floors tell us which system is losing water and roughly where. Then the detection equipment goes to work on that area.
Thermal imaging picks up the temperature change a warm pipe leaves in a floor or wall. Acoustic sensors hear water escaping under pressure through concrete and tarmac. Tracer gas follows the pipe and surfaces at the break. When the methods agree, we have the spot.
What you’ll see- Pressure gauges on the heating and a timed meter test on the mains
- A thermal sweep of floors, walls and ceilings in the suspect area
- Acoustic listening and, where the pipe allows, tracer gas introduced and traced from above
Pinpointed and reported
You get the exact location, thermal images and a written report for your insurer. Where the repair is straightforward we aim to complete it on the same visit.
The leak position is marked on the floor or wall, photographed and shown to you before we leave. If the repair is straightforward and the fittings are accessible, we aim to fix it on the same visit.
After the visit you receive a written report: what was leaking, where, how we found it, thermal images and what needs to happen next. It is written for your insurer as much as for you.
What you’ll see- The leak position marked and photographed on site
- A repair on the same visit where the job allows, or a clear handover for your contractor
- A written report with thermal images for your insurer or loss adjuster
A typical visit.
The order rarely changes. The time each stage takes depends on the building and the leak.
Arrival
Walk-round with the duty manager. Meter, valves and plant located.
Isolate & test
Pressure and meter tests confirm which system is losing water.
Survey
Thermal, acoustic and tracer gas over the suspect area.
Pinpoint
The spot marked, photographed and shown to you.
Report & repair
Same-visit repair where possible. Written report to follow.
After the visit.
The visit ends with a marked position. The job ends with a report and a repair.
Inside the report
- The cause: which pipe or system was leaking, and why
- The location, marked on photographs and, where useful, a plan of the unit
- Thermal images and readings that show the evidence
- The recommended repair and anything else we noticed on the way
- A summary written for insurers and loss adjusters
Fixed on the visit
Where the fitting is accessible and the repair is straightforward, we aim to complete it the same day, so one visit closes the job.
Handed to your contractor
For bigger works, such as a mains section under a car park or a heating pipe under a tiled floor, the report gives your contractor the exact position so the opening-up is small and in the right place.
If anything in the report is unclear, or the symptoms change after the repair, call the same number. The engineer who attended can talk it through.
Questions about the visit.
What managers ask before the engineer arrives.
How long does a survey take?
Most investigations are completed in a single visit. A small shop with one suspect system is quicker than a retail park with a long mains run or a centre with several tenants. We give you an estimate when we book, and the engineer keeps you updated on the day.
Do we need to turn the water off?
Only for short periods during testing, and the engineer tells you before each one. Tills, chillers and customer toilets are back on between tests.
Will there be any mess or damage?
The survey itself is non-invasive: no digging, no lifted floors, no holes in walls. If a borescope is needed, it goes through an opening the size of a coin in an agreed spot. Any repair is discussed with you before it starts.
What if you don’t find the leak?
The investigation is still chargeable, as set out in our terms. You get a written account of what was tested and ruled out, and our advice on the next step.
Who do you report to?
Whoever you tell us to: the store manager, a facilities or property team, the landlord or managing agent, and your insurer or loss adjuster if you would like the report sent to them directly.
Book by phone.
Tell us what you have noticed. We will agree a time, send the right engineer, and leave you with a written report ready for your insurer.
Engineers across England, Scotland and Wales. £5 million public liability insurance.