Testing Underground Water Lines for Leaks

• What pressure and temperature?
• Potable or non-potable?
• What diameter and length?
• What materials of construction?
• Urban or rural?
• How deep is it buried?
• What sort of terrain?
• What sort of access?

Please help the forum to offer appropriate advice.

See www.fluidconservation.com

Yes, with the right equipment you can use accostic emission spectroscopy to determine location of pipe crack (hole) within a few feet. I have seen it work on lines several miles long.

There are several companies that sell the hardware. Look at the magazine waterefficiency.net. Also, look at the following websites: subsurfaceleak.com, sweerin.net.

I meant sewerin.net.

There are several methods, including acoustic and video. But as others have mentioned, more information will get you better answers...

Try this site www.echologics.com

As I have supervised the under ground installation of numerous public potable water systems I believe that your question is best answered with out asking more questions. You will need to be able to close a valve at each end of the section of water main you wish to test. You must also have a tee in the line so that you can completely fill the line with water, and install a pressure gage and an inlet valve that can be used to apply air pressure or nitrogen to the system. After pressurizing the system, monitor the air pressure gage. If the system is in an area where it will warm up the pressure gage will indicate a little more pressure, a cooling effect will give an opposite reading. If the pressure holds, you have no leaks, of course if the pressure reading falls you have a problem. The purpose for testing in this manner is so that if the pipe breaks, you will only have a minor issue instead of an explosion to deal with.

TMF