East Anglian Leak Detection
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Witham homes, old and new

Leak detection in Witham

When a Witham boiler keeps dropping pressure with no sign of water, the cause is usually under a floor, often an underfloor heating loop in newer homes. We find which loop or pipe, and where.

Underfloor loops tested one by one

Heating pipes in solid floors

Price agreed before you book

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Lines open 8am to 8pm, every day.

Trains into London made Witham a commuter town, and in the sixties and seventies large estates were added for families leaving the capital. Many of those houses carry the heating pipes inside a concrete ground floor. When one corrodes, the floor hides the water and only the boiler gauge shows it.

Building has carried on around the edges since, and many newer homes have underfloor heating on the ground floor, with its manifold tucked in a cupboard. For underfloor heating in Witham, the task is finding which loop has failed and where, without lifting a finished floor.

White weatherboarded cottages with picket fences along a village street, typical of Essex Victorian bay-fronted houses on a hillside road above an estuary, typical of an Essex seaside town

Witham homes: two typical jobs

Underfloor loop failing in a newer detached house

The property

A detached house on a newer estate, with underfloor heating under the tiled ground floor. Six loops run from a manifold beside the washing machine.

The problem

Every couple of days the boiler wanted refilling, yet nothing was damp. When the heating ran, a faint warm strip appeared across the kitchen tiles.

How we found it

The manifold was dry. We closed the loops one at a time, and only the kitchen loop lost pressure. When it was warm, the camera showed heat spreading sideways, and tracer gas pinned the point.

The outcome

One tile and the screed beneath were opened at the mark and the loop repaired, quoted separately. The report went into the house papers.

Living room ceiling stain under an en suite

The property

A later-estate house with four bedrooms and an en suite over the living room. Both owners commute, leaving early and back late.

The problem

A faint ring on the living room ceiling darkened over a few weeks. Resealing the shower tray changed nothing, and the paint began to bubble.

How we found it

Readings put the wettest point under the basin, not the shower. With the hot tap on, the camera traced warmth along its feed inside the boxing; testing each fitting in turn agreed.

The outcome

The boxing was opened at the mark and a push-fit joint remade on a price fixed before work began. The report went with their redecoration claim.

Who we help in Witham

Newer homes with underfloor heating

Pressure loss with no damp, or a warm strip across tiles, points to a loop. We close loops at the manifold in turn and trace only the failing one.

Estate houses forever topping up

Once the boiler has been checked and cleared, the pipes are the suspect. Tell us how often you refill and whether leak sealer went in, as sealer can defeat the tests.

Commuters out of the house all day

Note the meter reading at bedtime, then again first thing, with nothing running overnight. Different numbers mean water is escaping, and those figures help us plan.

Supply pipes, heating pipes and the water company

Check your bill for your supplier's name. Companies read meters and may write if water passes all the time. They answer for the main and the pipe reaching your meter or boundary; the supply pipe into your house is usually yours, as is every heating pipe. Any allowance after the repair is a question for your supplier.

Heating leaks in Witham, step by step

1

How fast the gauge drops

Tell us how often you top up, from what pressure, and whether leak sealer has gone in. Sealer can block the tests, so we need to know beforehand.

2

Closing off one circuit at a time

With the boiler isolated, each heating circuit or underfloor loop is closed off with a gauge on it. Whichever loses pressure is the one we trace.

3

Finding the spot in the screed

Once the system is warm, thermal imaging shows pipes in the floor and the patch where water spreads. Our engineer Charlie confirms it with tracer gas or pressure testing, then marks it.

What finds a leak in a Witham floor

Thermal imaging

With the heating on a while, pipes in a screed floor show on camera as warm lines. A leak spreads warmth from one point, like ink on blotting paper.

Pressure testing

Shutting off a loop and fitting a gauge shows whether it holds. That is how a leaking loop is told from sound ones before any floor is touched.

Tracer gas

A hydrogen and nitrogen mix is fed into the emptied loop and escapes at the leak. It works up through screed and tiles, where our detector picks it up.

What an insurer looks for in our report

An insurer weighing a heating leak claim will want to know why the floor was opened at one spot. First, find out whether your policy includes trace and access. Our report gives the location, methods, readings and photographs, and the mark shows where to start opening up. The insurer decides on the claim.

Common questions in Witham

Yes. At the manifold, loops are closed one after another and watched on a gauge. Once the failing loop is known, the camera shows where warm water is spreading, and tracer gas proves the point. Where pipes sit in ducting, insulation or under a membrane, the survey is limited.

Yes, please. Sealer may slow or mask the leak while we test, so readings can mislead. Tell us what was added, roughly when, and whether it seemed to help, so the testing can be planned around it before you book.

No. No find, no fee on home water leaks does not cover central heating, and underfloor systems count as heating. Heating work is priced in advance, for a half day or full day of leak detection, and the price stays the same if we find it quickly.

Someone has to let us in and stay reachable during the visit, and the boiler, manifold and stop tap must be accessible. Tell us when booking if a relative or neighbour will open up for you, and who is paying.

Visits are usually booked within 24 to 48 hours. Lines are open 8am to 8pm, every day, so you can ring before or after work. Have your top-up history or overnight meter readings ready, if you have noted them down.

Towns and villages around Witham

Kelvedon and Coggeshall lie to the north-east, Braintree to the north-west and Tiptree to the east. Southward, leak detection in Essex takes us to Maldon, near the Blackwater estuary, and Danbury, on the way to Chelmsford.

Leak detection in Kelvedon Leak detection in Tiptree Leak detection in Maldon Leak detection in Coggeshall Leak detection in Danbury Leak detection in Braintree Leak detection in Essex
A narrow street of Victorian red brick terraced houses with a church tower at the end, typical of an Essex town

Leaks we trace

Water leak detection Leaking water main Central heating leak detection Leaking underfloor heating Shower leak detection Underground water leak detection Gas pipe leak detection Thermal imaging leak detection Acoustic water leak detection Tracer gas leak detection Commercial leak detection Trace and access leak detection Leak detection for landlords Water leak repair

Useful guides

Central heating leak sealer: what it can and cannot do How to choose a leak detection company: questions worth asking How to read a water meter and use it to check for a leak Lead water pipes in UK homes: how to spot one and find a leak

Losing pressure in a Witham home?

Ring 07700 102 008 between 8am and 8pm, and keep a note of your top-ups nearby.

Call 07700 102 008 Get a quote
East Anglian Leak Detection