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Braintree businesses and homes

Leak detection in Braintree

A climbing water bill is often the first clue, at home or at work. For leak detection in Braintree, our engineer Charlie pins down the leak from the surface, and we can usually repair it too.

Homes, shops and workshops

Old iron supply pipes traced

Repairs guaranteed for 3 months

Call 07700 102 008 Get a quote

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Lines open 8am to 8pm, every day.

Braintree grew on cloth and later silk, and Victorian terraces from the mill years still stand near the centre. Since then it has spread a long way, with post-war districts, newer estates and business parks along the main roads. A leak behaves differently in each, so we ask about the building first.

For water leak detection in Braintree, start with your bill. It names the company supplying you and the account the readings belong to. A shop or workshop may have its meter well away from the door, leaving the business a longer pipe to look after.

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

Two typical Braintree leaks

Launderette bill climbing with the machines idle

The property

A town centre launderette with a row of washers along one wall. Their cold feed runs in a channel under the floor from a stop tap by the door.

The problem

The water bill kept rising though trade was steady. Nothing pooled on the floor, and none of the machines showed a drip.

How we found it

With the machines off and the stop tap shut, the dial went still: the loss was inside. A pressure test showed the washer feed failing, the ground microphone peaked halfway along, and moisture readings there agreed.

The outcome

Marked and photographed, the spot meant opening only the floor above it. As a business, the launderette paid before the visit, and the repair was quoted separately.

Iron supply pipe splitting under a 1930s lawn

The property

A 1930s semi with a long front lawn. Its original iron supply pipe runs from the meter at the pavement to a stop tap under the kitchen sink.

The problem

The household was told water was passing the meter constantly. A greener stripe had crossed the lawn, and the upstairs cold tap had slowed.

How we found it

The meter kept moving even with the stop tap closed, so the loss was outside. Iron carried the hiss well; the ground microphone found its peak and tracer gas confirmed the spot.

The outcome

We mended the split during the visit, on a separate quote. Opening the ground showed a second rusted joint close by, and that was priced on its own.

People we help around Braintree

Shops, launderettes and workshops

Heavy water users often spot a leak on the bill first. A business booking may need paying before we confirm it, and cancelling takes a working day's notice.

Homeowners wanting the repair done too

Repairs are usually possible once the leak is marked, and they are quoted separately. A price agreed beforehand applies only to work on the day of the detection.

Landlords with tenants in older streets

Terraced lets near the centre often hide old pipes under timber floors. Tell us you are the owner, who is paying and who opens up; the report reaches you after payment.

Which company, and which pipe

Your bill tells you who supplies the property, and that company is the one to ask about readings or any leak allowance. When its figures show water flowing every hour, the loss is normally after the meter, and everything from that point to your building is usually yours, however long.

From booking to the report

Before we arrive

Tell us if the building is lived in, let or run as a business, and who pays. The meter, stop tap and valves need to be easy to reach and turn.

On the day

Meter and boiler gauge come first, to show which pipe is losing water. Only that pipe is traced, and a second method checks the leak before it is marked.

After the visit

Payment is taken as we leave. Once it clears, we send the written report, and any repair we carry out has its own price, agreed with you first.

The tools we lean on in Braintree

Acoustic listening

Old iron and copper carry a leak's sound a long way. We move the ground microphone along the pipe, and the noise peaks above the split.

Pressure testing

A gauge goes on a section that has been shut off. If it falls, that section leaks, which tells one branch from another, or heating from supply.

Tracer gas

For a quiet pipe under concrete or tarmac, we empty it and fill it with a hydrogen and nitrogen mix, which a probe picks up where it reaches the surface.

Places near Braintree

Great Notley joins the town to the south west and has many newer homes. Gosfield and Halstead lie north, Coggeshall is east along the A120, and Witham and Kelvedon sit by the A12.

Leak detection in Great Notley Leak detection in Gosfield Leak detection in Halstead Leak detection in Coggeshall Leak detection in Witham Leak detection in Kelvedon 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

Business premises and your insurer

A unit or shop may be covered by your own policy, the landlord's buildings policy or both. Find out which insurer expects the report before you book, and tell us. It holds the location, methods, readings and photographs, and is released after payment. Any claim decision rests with the insurer.

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

Water going missing in Braintree?

Ring 07700 102 008, any day between 8am and 8pm. Say what the building is used for and where its meter sits.