Many of our clients are worried that when we carry out leak location, water main repairs or replacements that they will end up with ugly trenches, flower beds ripped out or lawns spoiled during the process. Our engineers work hard to ensure that they leave the ground as close to how they find it as possible.
Our engineers are very experienced in leak detection in Bracknell, Reading and across the South. In the first instance they will use a listening stick to see if they can hear any underground water running, this is a completely non-invasive process. If we are unable to hear any anomalies during this process we will then use a gas injection test to detect the leak. This involves putting a mixture of innocuous gases through your water supply pipe and, using another piece of equipment, we will detect where the gas is escaping at ground level. Again, this process is completely non-invasive to the ground. In the majority of cases the leak will be detected using these methods.
If the water supply pipe is in need of repair, in most cases, we will locate it as close as possible to where the leak is using the previously described methods. Once we have done this a smaller area will need excavating. If this is in grass then we will generally cut out and lift up an area of the lawn and then replace that area carefully, the process is the same if you have paving slabs. If you have pressed concrete, or another ground cover that will not be able to be matched, we will be happy to quote to bypass that part of pipe to avoid the necessity of breaking it up, if this is possible to do.
We will always endeavour to use as few excavations as we can during this process, however it is very dependent on the length of the supply as to how many will be necessary. By using a thrust bore mole, we can keep excavations to a minimum as we don’t need to excavate a trench to put the pipe in, but use the mole to dig underground and piece the pipe through between the excavated holes.
It is important to use an experienced company such as Hamblin Watermains to carry out leak detection, leak repair and new supply pipe installation to ensure they have the expertise and knowledge to leave as minimal ground scarring as possible. To find out more, get in touch with a member of our expert team today.
