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LOGIX WATER LEAK DETECTION

Tips & advice from the leak experts

Practical, no-nonsense guidance to help you spot a leak early, understand your meter and protect your property, plus clear advice on when it's time to call us.

Domestic step test

Do you suspect a leak on your property?

Follow these three simple steps. They take only a few minutes and tell you where to look.

1

Check your water meter. Is it turning?

Make sure no water is being used on the property, then watch the meter.

No: you don't have a leak Yes: go to step 2
2

Are any taps or toilets leaking?

If so, fix them first, then go back to step 1. If the meter has stopped, the problem is solved. If it's still turning, carry on to step 3.

Tip: is your toilet leaking inside the bowl? Place a piece of toilet paper against the back of the inside of the pan and see whether it gets wet.

3

Close the inlet valve to the house

This is normally near your kitchen door. Then check the meter again. Is it still turning?

Yes: the leak is between the meter and the inlet No: the leak is inside the house or hot-water system

Important: some leaks only appear under high pressure, usually at night. If the meter doesn't move during the day, take a reading before you go to bed and again first thing in the morning, making sure no water is used overnight.

If the meter moved during the night and toilet use can't explain it, the test needs to be done at night to find the leak.

Still can't find the leak? Call us on 082 803 3912 and we will pinpoint it for you.

Leak sizes

How much water can you lose?

Even a pin-sized hole wastes a surprising amount of water. Here is what tiny leaks add up to:

Hole sizeLitres per minuteLitres per hourPer dayPer month
0.5 mm0.33 ℓ/min20 ℓ/h0.48 m³14.4 m³
1.0 mm0.97 ℓ/min58 ℓ/h1.39 m³41.6 m³
1.5 mm1.82 ℓ/min110 ℓ/h2.64 m³79 m³
2.0 mm3.16 ℓ/min190 ℓ/h4.56 m³136 m³
2.5 mm5.09 ℓ/min305 ℓ/h7.30 m³218 m³
 Figures at 5 bar (500 kPa) water pressure, as per the SABS Code of Practice 0306-1:1998.

Did you know? A single badly leaking toilet can easily create a 1.0 mm leak, wasting up to 41 600 litres of water every month.

How much does a leak cost?

A leak costs you far more than the water running to waste:

  • Sewer charges: you pay a percentage of your water bill for sewerage, based on all the water that passes through your meter.
  • Electricity: a factor that is almost always overlooked. If the leak is on the hot-water network, you are paying to heat water that goes to waste.
  • Free water isn't free: if you receive a free water allocation, remember that the leak isn't using the free water. It's using water you pay for, which could have been saved.

Where is the leak?

Don't be fooled. A sound in the bathroom or kitchen doesn't always mean the leak is in the bathroom or kitchen, or even just outside. It can be metres away. These rooms are acoustically perfect for amplifying sound, and sound travels along the pipes to these points.

In most cases leaks are next to the sewer line. The water finds its way along the pipe and stays underground, out of sight. Tree roots and flower beds also force the water down, so it never becomes visible.

Property buyers

What should I do when I buy a house?

A few simple checks before you sign can save you thousands later.

Book a pre-purchase pressure test
  1. Check the meter to make sure there are no leaks.
  2. Insist on a report confirming the water network is sound and leak-free. We can do a pressure test to prove that no leaks are present.
  3. Check the geyser(s), or have them checked, to confirm the installation complies with the SABS 0254 safety code.
  4. Ask for a sewer inspection to be sure the sewer network is intact and clean, with no broken pipes or tree roots in it.
  5. Ask for a layout of where the fresh-water and sewer networks run on the property and draw it on a copy of the building plans. Or make a rough drawing with estimated positions, for later in case you have problems with the networks.

If in doubt, call us: 082 803 3912

Complexes & office blocks

PRVs: pressure-reducing valves

A pressure-reducing valve can be installed at complexes, office blocks and similar properties to reduce the supply pressure. It prevents burst pipes and damage to your network when the supplier increases the pressure for whatever reason.

The delivery pressure can be set to a level that suits you. You save on maintenance and on water consumption.

Geysers & the law

Geyser installations: SABS 0254 safety code

All geyser installations must comply with the SABS 0254 safety code.

Protect your insurance cover. All installations after 2001 must meet these specifications. If a non-compliant installation is worked on, the plumber must inform the homeowner in writing that it doesn't meet the standard. Homeowners' insurers may refuse cover if the installation isn't up to standard.

What size geyser can be fitted against a wall?

  • No geyser larger than 150 ℓ may be wall-mounted.
  • The wall must be inspected to see whether it can hold the geyser or needs additional support.
  • At least four fastening bolts, no smaller than 10 mm, must be used.
  • Enough space must be left so the geyser can be maintained later without difficulty.

Ceiling-mounted geysers

Must be fitted with a drip tray and supported as follows:

  • 114 mm × 38 mm or 50 mm × 75 mm, part-two stress-grade structural timber between the roof-truss beams, spanning at least one load-bearing wall.
  • With reinforced truss beams, the geyser must span three beams and a load-bearing wall.

Common installation mistakes

  • No pipes should run over the trap door.
  • A shut-off valve, and the electrical switch, must be within reach of the trap door.
  • The 50 mm tray drain pipe must protrude at least 150 mm outside the wall and be installed at a slope to stop back-dripping and damp being absorbed into the walls.
  • The safety-valve pipe should be metal and lead to the outside of the house.

A word on polypropylene (Polycop) pipe: its use in a roof is strongly discouraged. Using it for hot water, or installing it inside a wall, does not meet the standard and should not be done.

Never fit Polycop pipe close to a geyser. It expands and shrinks as it heats and cools, and the joints start to leak. Polycop is meant for cold water underground.

Meter readings

How do I read my water meter?

For billing purposes, only the white-on-black numbers count. To find out whether you have a leak, watch the dials or the white-on-red numbers. They show the smallest amounts of water.

Black digits: the billing reading (white on black). Red digits or dials: the fine reading used to spot leaks (white on red). On bulk meters, dials replace the white-on-red numbers, with the smallest water use on the left.

Is my meter faulty?

The chances are very slim. The older a meter gets, the less accurate it becomes, but the error is almost always in the client's favour. Meter faults do occur, but only in very few cases.

For bulk meters we advise installing a strainer before the meter to prevent damage from stones and debris in the water.

Bypass & bulk meters

These meters have two readings: one for high-volume flow and one for low-volume flow.

They are usually found at factories, housing complexes, flats and office blocks.

Meter installation

Meters must be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and this is where the most common mistakes are made.

  • Meters can only be installed vertically or horizontally (mostly horizontally). Make sure yours is installed correctly.
  • Allow straight pipe of at least three times the meter diameter in front of the meter, with no obstruction behind it, especially for bulk meters. For example, a 100 mm meter needs 300 mm of straight, unobstructed pipe before and after it.
  • Some newer meters differ, so always check the meter's specifications.
Our methods

The two most common methods of leak detection

Sound (acoustic correlation)

A correlator records the sound in the pipes. With the pipe size, length and material entered into the computer, the sound velocity is calculated and the leak is pinpointed.

Gas (tracer gas)

Forming gas is pumped into the pipe network and traced to where it escapes. This method tends to cost more, because the gas is a consumable that can't be recovered. The gas is harmless in the quantities used.

Know the risks

Common causes of leaks

Most leaks come down to a handful of well-known culprits. If any of these apply to your property, it's worth having your network tested.

Book a leak test
  1. Copper pipes: not soldered properly, or pitting.
  2. Galvanised pipes: age and tree roots.
  3. Polycop brass fittings: corrosion caused by electricity (lightning or earthing problems), missing O-rings, roots, or rocks on the pipe.
  4. HDPE pipe: missing O-rings, cracks, tree roots, or rocks on the pipe.
  5. Pressure too high for the pipe.
  6. Trees planted on top of the pipeline, whose roots damage the pipes.
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