Plumbing and maintenance
How hidden leaks are traced without demolition
Where jobs go wrong
Water travels along joists and under floor finishes, so the damp ceiling stain is often metres from the failed joint.
The wet patch is rarely above the leak. Tracing means isolating sections and reading the evidence rather than opening the nearest wall.
What to check
- 1
Isolating branches one at a time and watching the meter identifies which circuit is losing water before anything is opened.
- 2
Water travels along joists and under floor finishes, so the damp ceiling stain is often metres from the failed joint.
Your questions answered
How can I tell if I have a leak at all?
Turn every outlet off and watch the meter for movement over an hour.
Will the floor have to come up?
Not always. Isolating the run first usually narrows it to a small area.
Want the awkward part looked at first?
Access, existing pipework and floor build-up are the things that change a plan. Those get checked before anything is promised.