Most domestic leak detection surveys take a few hours on site. A leak with a small search area is often located in one to three hours, a heating circuit or buried supply pipe more like half a day, and a large property a full day. The report follows within a few working days, and the repair is a separate visit by your plumber.
You are booking time off work, or asking a holiday-let cleaner to be there, and you want to know whether this is a quick visit or a whole day with the house turned upside down. It is a fair question and it deserves a straighter answer than “it depends”. This guide sets out where the time goes during a survey, typical durations by the type of leak, what makes a visit run long, when the report lands, and what happens after the leak is found. Treat the times as honest working ranges rather than promises, because every property in Cornwall is a little different and some leaks are shy.
Where the time actually goes
People sometimes imagine a scanner waved over the wall until it beeps. The reality is closer to detective work, and most of the clock is spent on diagnosis rather than gadgets.
- Questions and history. What you have noticed, when it began, what has already been tried, where the pipes are known to run. Ten to twenty minutes that often halves the search.
- Working out which system is leaking. Isolating the heating from the mains, watching the pressure gauge and the meter, and confirming whether the loss is on the supply pipe, the heating circuit, the hot water or a waste. This cannot be rushed because everything after it depends on getting it right.
- The search. Thermal imaging, acoustic listening or tracer gas, chosen to suit the pipe material and floor. This is the part people picture, and it is often the shortest.
- Confirmation. A repair point is never marked on one instrument’s say-so. Readings are cross checked with a second method before anyone is told to open a floor. This adds minutes and saves rooms.
- Marking and explaining. The location is marked, photographed and talked through with you so the plumber knows exactly what to do.
Typical durations by type of leak
| Type of leak | What the survey involves | Typical time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Visible damage, hidden source (ceiling stain below a bathroom) | Small search area, testing fittings and wastes, moisture mapping | One to three hours |
| Central heating losing pressure | Isolating the circuit, thermal scan of pipe runs, acoustic confirmation | Two to four hours |
| Underfloor heating loop | Draining and gas charging the loop, scanning the whole floor | Half a day |
| Buried supply pipe in a garden or drive | Tracing the pipe route, then acoustic and correlation work along it | Half a day |
| Swimming pool or hot tub | Pressure testing pipework, dye testing the shell, isolating lines | Half a day or more |
| Large house, holiday complex or commercial premises | Multiple circuits, long runs, several buildings | A full day, sometimes more |
Method choice affects time. A thermal camera reads a whole floor in minutes but tells only part of the story. Acoustic work is slower and more precise. Tracer gas needs the pipe drained and charged before the search starts, which can add an hour before any scanning happens. An engineer with the full toolkit picks the fastest route to a confirmed answer, which is not the same as the fastest route to an answer.
What slows a survey down
A minority of visits run longer than the table suggests, and the reasons are usually one of these.
- Intermittent leaks. A joint that only weeps when the heating is hot, or a supply pipe that only loses water at night when mains pressure rises, may not be leaking when the engineer arrives. Occasionally a return visit is needed with the system in its faulty state.
- Unknown pipe routes. Older Cornish cottages and farmhouses were plumbed in stages over decades. Tracing where the pipes actually go takes time before the leak search can begin.
- Long supply pipes. A rural property outside Launceston with a private pipe running two fields from the road has a lot of pipe to listen along.
- Thick floors and walls. Granite, slate over concrete and cob all muffle sound and hold heat, which slows acoustic and thermal work.
- Leak sealer in the system. A sealed pinhole can partly re-plug during tracer gas testing. Tell the engineer if a bottle has gone in.
- Access. Fitted carpets glued down, heavy furniture over the suspected area, or a locked outbuilding where the mains enters.
- More than one leak. Corroded pipework rarely fails in one place. Finding the second leak after the first is confirmed adds time but saves a second visit.
How to make the visit shorter
You have more influence over the length of the survey than you might think. The properties where a leak is found quickest are nearly always the ones where the owner has done a little preparation.
- Know where the stopcock and meter are. If you do not, find them the day before.
- Write down the timeline. When the damp appeared, how often the boiler needs topping up, what the meter did overnight with everything off. Our guide to an overnight water meter leak test shows how to gather that.
- Leave the heating on. For a suspected heating leak, a warm system is far easier to image. Do not drain it down or turn it off unless the pressure is collapsing.
- Clear the floor. Move rugs, boxes and light furniture away from the damp area and from the route the pipes are likely to take.
- Gather any plans. Building drawings, a previous plumber’s notes, photographs from an extension build. Anything that shows where pipes went.
- Tell us what has been tried. Sealer, a plumber’s visit, a floorboard already lifted. None of it is a problem, all of it saves time.
From booking to report
We aim to be quick to site, and in most cases a survey can be arranged within the same week. The visit itself follows the pattern above. At the end you will have the leak marked and explained, and a verbal summary so your plumber can be booked straight away. The written report, with photographs, thermal images and the confirmed location, normally follows within a few working days. It is written for two readers: the plumber who will make the repair, and the insurer who will assess the claim. Most buildings policies include some trace and access cover, and our guide on what to expect from a leak detection survey covers what goes in the report and how it is used.
After the leak is found
Finding and fixing are separate jobs. The survey locates the leak to a small area. The repair, replacing the failed pipe or fitting, is a plumber’s job and a separate visit, and how soon it happens depends on your plumber’s diary rather than ours. Because the location is marked, the repair is usually short, with one opening rather than several. Drying out comes after the repair, and for a floor that has been wet for months that can take weeks even with dehumidifiers. If you are wondering how the finding and fixing roles fit together, what happens when the plumber could not find the leak sets it out.
A water leak detection survey is the usual starting point for a hidden leak in a home. We provide leak detection across Cornwall, from holiday lets in St Ives to farmhouses inland, and we tell you at booking roughly how long your type of leak is likely to take.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a leak detection survey take in a house?
Most domestic surveys take a few hours. A leak with a small search area, such as a ceiling stain below a bathroom, is often located in one to three hours. A heating circuit or a buried supply pipe usually needs half a day. Large properties can take a full day. Preparation shortens all of them.
Do I need to be at home for the whole survey?
Someone needs to let the engineer in, answer questions at the start and be there at the end to see where the leak is marked. For a holiday let a key holder or cleaner can do this if they know the history. Being reachable by phone during the visit is enough for the middle part.
How soon after the survey do I get the report?
You get a verbal explanation and a marked location on the day, so the plumber can be booked immediately. The written report with photographs, thermal images and the confirmed location normally follows within a few working days and is written for both your plumber and your insurer.
Why might a leak not be found on the first visit?
A small number of leaks are intermittent, only running when the heating is hot or when mains pressure rises at night. If the leak is not active during the survey it cannot be heard or seen. In that case a return visit is arranged with the system in its faulty state.
Does leak detection include the repair?
No. The survey locates the leak and marks the repair point. The repair is a separate job carried out by your own plumber, usually on another day. Because the location is known to a small area, the repair is normally quick and needs only one opening.
Book a same-week survey
Tell us what you have noticed and we will say roughly how long your type of leak usually takes to locate. You get a marked repair point on the day and an insurance-ready report to follow.
