Water Pipe And Drain Tracing

Drains

Leakbusters employ a wide range of SOND transmitters. These can accurately trace the lines of non-metallic drains and ducts.
When searching for drain pipes and sewers the transmitter is attached to our CCTV camera equipment and is then inserted into the pipeline. Unlike other companies we use our technology to trace pipes as small as 22mm diameter.
Once a problem such as a blockage or sewer collapse is detected, the accurate depth and position is registered and marked using the suitably tuned receiver above the ground.
This is an efficient and reliable diagnostic service which is extremely useful in assisting repairs which require an open-cut excavation.

Pipe tracing equipment
Pipe tracing equipment picks up SOND which has been
passed through drain pipe underground

Water mains

Typical applications – Schools, factories/industrial units, blocks of flats and hospitals

We often get called out to properties/buildings that been overdeveloped over the years leading to a lack proper maintenance and lack of drawings showing mechanical services and utilities. Our water SOND can trace out the hidden routes/locations on lead, copper MDPE and steel pipe work. In the London area there are mains water pipes made of ASBESTOS; we do not work on Asbestos on the grounds of Health and Safety.

How a SOND works – We isolate the water supply to a building, we then locate an appropriate section of pipe work that is known to be on the supply pipe that is being traced, we open up the section of pipe and install the SOND (which is a small 5mm flexible plastic pipe with a thin internal metallic wire within it), the SOND is then pushed down the pipe and moves around bends and turns within he pipe, we then use an above ground sonar device which picks up the SOND location, it tells where the SOND is and how far it is buried below ground. The SOND can be traced whether the ground surface is TARMAC, CONCRETE, SOIL and ASPALT. In very limited situations ie a football pitch with under-soil heating, the metallic under floor heating elements will interfere with signals our sonar is trying locate, making the job impossible.

GORGEOUS GEORGE

We were called out to this job in a residential area where the contractors working on behalf of the local water authority had installed new 6″ blue MDPE water in the main road but unfortunately had not connected up one of the supplies to a property, the home owners live abroad for 8 months of the year and upon returning home found that they had no water and the contractors carrying out the work had left the area 4 months earlier.

Our team were able to use our SOND which was passed down a very old existing lead supply from the property, the SOND was then accurately traced back to the pavement, we were then able to mark on the pavement exactly where the contractors needed to excavate in order to connect up the water supply. This method provides accurate tracing which saves money and time.

From our initial phone call to discuss this job, the job was completed within 48hours.

MIRACLES – WE TRY HARDER

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pipe tracing equipment
 
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Gorgeous George our ‘Tap Supremo’ shows off our SOND and pipe tracing kit.

We often get asked what actually is a SOND? – a SOND is a 4mm flexible plastic pipe that has a metallic strip embedded within it, our SOND can be placed within pipes as small as 15mm diameter (we are the only company with this size technology). The SOND is passed through an open ended section of pipe and is then connected up to a electronic box then send signals through the metallic strip embedded within the SOND. These signals are then picked up various transmitters which let us know where the SOND is and how deep it is buried below ground.

Our system will also warn us of other buried utilities such us electricity and gas.

pipe tracing equipment