Leak detection in New Forest

Water hardness across the New Forest sits at 270 to 310 ppm CaCO3 – supplied by Bournemouth Water and Southern Water – and that sustained hardness promotes scale formation inside copper and iron supply pipework. Over decades, scale build-up creates localised pressure differentials that accelerate pinhole failure, a pattern seen repeatedly in the older property stock around Lymington and the Beaulieu Estate. On private water supplies, common on rural properties throughout SO40 to SO43, there is no mains-pressure monitoring to provide an early warning, so leaks can run undetected far longer than on a metered supply.

Our leak-detection methodology combines thermal imaging to identify moisture saturation beneath floors and behind wall finishes, acoustic correlation to locate the precise failure point within buried pipework, and tracer gas injection where the leak path is too diffuse for acoustic methods alone. None of these techniques requires destructive opening-up until the location is confirmed.

Every survey concludes with an insurance-grade written report: timestamped thermal and acoustic data, annotated site drawings, and a clear methodology statement suitable for submission to a loss adjuster or the National Park Authority where works are planned. There is no callout fee; the trace is billed at our half-hour labour rate for the time of day, and any repair is quoted in writing before work starts – see /pricing.