Leak detection in Rickmansworth: is the leak between the meter and the house?

Confirm the controlled interval

Photograph the correct meter and exact times, listing every water use. Check the internal stop tap effect only if accessible and easy to operate.

Outside taps or outbuildings may branch before the valve. Shared supplies require coordination.

Map route clues

Collect old plans, extension photographs and known entry points. Label them by date and treat them as clues.

Photograph damp lines, cracking or sinking from safe areas. Do not probe or lift paving.

Clarify responsibility

The water company and homeowner may control different pipe sections. Report road leakage and keep reference numbers.

A specialist can test and trace the private supply before proposing access. The wettest surface point may not mark the defect.

Record the opened evidence

Photograph the actual pipe route, defect and nearby services before reinstatement.

Repeat the meter check after repair and protect new surfaces until safe for traffic. Ground may drain slowly even when flow has stopped.

Protect route and reinstatement evidence

Before excavation, agree how other utilities will be located, how pedestrians and vehicles will be excluded and what surface boundary may be disturbed. Do not move covers or landscaping in advance.

Record the opening, pipe material, depth and actual entry point. Keep the reinstatement date and loading restrictions. This updated route record can prevent another broad driveway search if a future supply concern occurs.

Prepare a useful supply-pipe visit

Have the meter serial, timed readings, internal stop-tap location and property entry point ready. Note extensions, previous trenches, irrigation and outbuildings because each can alter the assumed route. A simple scaled sketch is more useful than guessing where the original main runs.

Ask the investigator to distinguish confirmed flow, likely route and chosen access point. Acoustic or tracing evidence may narrow an area, but the final defect is only confirmed when the pipe is exposed or the test result changes after repair.

Until attendance, avoid parking over a softened area and do not attempt to expose underground services. If water is escaping into a road or creating a hazard, report it promptly to the relevant water company or authority as well as arranging private-side investigation.

Questions to close the visit

Before work begins, ask how the private supply will be isolated, how continuing flow will be measured and what result will confirm success. If the route crosses another ownership boundary, obtain the necessary permission rather than assuming that a meter-side finding authorises excavation everywhere.