Wall damage in two rooms traced to one hidden pipe
Damp kitchen and bedroom walls led to a failed pressure test. ADI traced the hidden pipework through boxing, opened the kitchen wall and repaired a leaking copper pipe.
Signs of the leak in Stafford
High moisture readings and visible water damage affected the kitchen wall and ceiling and a downstairs bedroom wall. The source could have been supply pipework, heating or waste drainage from the bathroom above.
How the hidden leak was located
Thermal imaging and moisture readings identified the affected walls. A failed pressure test confirmed a supply-pipe leak. Tracer gas was detected near the upstairs toilet, and an endoscope helped establish the hidden pipe route. Opening the kitchen wall exposed the leaking pipe. Flood and dye testing found no waste-pipe leak from the bathroom.
Why this area was opened
Damage in two rooms did not justify opening both at random. Circuit testing and inspection of the boxed route led to the kitchen wall, where the copper pipe was exposed.
The investigation, step by step
- 01Surveyed moisture and thermal patterns on the affected walls.
- 02Pressure tested the internal pipework; the test failed.
- 03Detected tracer gas in the upstairs bathroom and inspected inside the boxing with an endoscope.
- 04Opened the kitchen wall and repaired the exposed copper pipe.
- 05Flood and dye tested the bathroom fixtures; no dye was found in the inspected leak area.
What was found
- Found
- A leaking copper supply pipe concealed behind the kitchen wall. The damage extended into more than one room.
- Repair
- The pipe was repaired with two 15mm straight push-fit couplings and a length of 15mm plastic pipe.
- Recommended afterwards
- Arrange drying and restoration of the affected walls and reinstate the opened boxing.
- Worth knowing
- The published record does not give a post-repair pressure-test result. Drying and reinstatement were follow-on work.
What this investigation shows
The bathroom above was investigated as a possible source, but the inspected waste checks did not reveal a leak. The damaged room and the faulty system were separate questions.
Read about agreeing access and repair work and understanding the recorded outcome.
