Gas Method

There are two ways to find a leak using a specialised tracing gas method.

1) With the water supply turned off, a plumbing fitting such as a tap is removed and a hose from the gas cylinder is attached to piping network at this point. The gas is then turned on and allowed to flow freely into the piping system. If there is no leak the piping system will hold pressure, if there is a leak the gas will start to flow out of the pipe work at the leak. The nature of the gas that we use is that it is made up of the smallest and lightest particle known. The result is that this gas filters through the ground/concrete or what ever the covering, to the surface. At the surface we then trace this gas with a specialised gas sensor that is able to pick up two parts gas per million of any other substance (air).

2) With the water supply on we inject the gas under pressure into the water system. The gas is then held in solution in the water while under pressure and when it gets to the leak there is no further pressure to hold the gas in solution, it now breaks away from the water particle and come to the surface in the same way as it did above. This method came be very dangerous as gas can have a recoil effect and should be attempted by unqualified/untrained personal.