How do you find a leak you cannot see?
By elimination. The property is split into sections — service line, cold internal, hot internal, garden taps, retic — and each is isolated in turn to find which one is losing water. That section is then pressure tested, and acoustic equipment is used along the run to narrow the sound of escaping water to a point.
The leak gets marked on the ground before anything is opened. That is the whole purpose of the exercise. More on the method
What does leak detection cost?
We do not publish a figure, because any number put on this page would be a guess about a property nobody has seen. What we can tell you is how it works: the call-out is $0, the leak is located first, and the repair price is given to you in writing before any work starts. Transparent pricing, no hidden costs.
How do I know I have a leak at all?
The usual signs are a water bill that has jumped with no change in how you use water, a meter that keeps moving when everything in the house is off, a patch of ground that stays damp or green, a warm spot on the floor, or a drop in pressure.
In Bull Creek's sandy soil an underground leak often produces none of the visible ones, which is why the bill is so frequently the first thing anyone notices. Ring us and we will check it properly rather than leave you wondering. Hidden water leaks
Who is responsible for a leak — me or Water Corporation?
Water Corporation looks after the main and the meter. Everything on your side of the meter is the property owner's to arrange and pay for, including the service line buried under the front lawn and the pipework under the slab. For anything beyond a worn washer, it has to be done by a licensed plumber.
Can I get money back for the water that leaked away?
Possibly. Water Corporation customers whose hidden leak is found and repaired by a licensed plumber may be eligible for an allowance of up to 50% of the estimated water lost.
Water Corporation sets the conditions and makes the decision, so check it directly with them. What is worth knowing is that the repair by a licensed plumber is the part that makes the question worth asking at all. High water bill in Bull Creek
Do you have to dig up my yard to find it?
No. Locating is done from the surface — isolation, pressure testing and listening. Digging only happens at the repair stage, at the point that has been marked, and only once you have accepted a written price for it.
That is the reason detection is worth doing rather than skipping. A located leak is a small excavation. An unlocated one is a trench.
How long does a leak take to find?
It depends on the size of the property, how many separate runs it has and how well the leak is making itself heard. Some are answered by a single closed valve inside a quarter of an hour. Others take a careful pass along a long buried run. We will give you an honest sense of it on the phone rather than a number designed to get us in the door.
Do you do gas leaks?
Yes. Gas work is carried out under gas licence 13098, held by Tim, who does the work. Bull Creek is on mains gas, so this is regular work in the suburb.
If you can smell gas now, get everyone out of the house first, do not touch switches or light anything, and ring from outside. That one does not wait.
My pipe has burst — is that a detection job?
No. If water is already out and doing damage there is nothing to find. Turn it off at the meter at the front boundary if you safely can, and ring us. It goes to the front of the day. Emergency plumbing
The yard is wet but the bill is normal. Is that still a leak?
Often not. Water that appears after rain and dries out between falls is usually storm water — a soakwell that has silted up, or drainage sized for a house before the patio, carport and extensions were added to it.
Water that is there in a dry spell is a pressure leak. We would rather sort out which one you have before quoting anything. Storm water and soakwells
Are you available on weekends or after hours?
No. We work Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 4:00pm, and we would rather say that plainly than have you waiting on a Sunday for someone who is not coming. Inside our hours, quick response is part of what we offer and urgent jobs go to the front.
Are you actually local?
We are based in Leeming, which shares a boundary with Bull Creek. We are a service-area business — there is no shopfront in Bull Creek and we come to you. About us · Service areas
What licences do you hold?
Plumbing licence 8396 and gas licence 13098, both held by Tim, who does the work himself. Plumbing and gas are separate tickets in Western Australia and plenty of operators hold only the first.