It sure worked for me, I found the leak in the ground from my pump house to the house by just putting this little gizmo together and pumping air at about 65 psi and right away I could hear the bubbles in the ground near the pump house. Mike you saved me $325 for a company to come out and find it , Thanks.

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Glad it helped you!

If underground, here is a POSSIBLE alternative. Get a Lazer thermometer and run it between the meter and the hose bib. If there is a leak, the ground temperature should be lower above the leak due to the water surrounding that area.

Thanks for this. I made one of these and it worked for me. I also used a 4' piece of PVC and a mechanic's stethoscope to find the exact spot that it was leaking underground. Set your compressor to 60psi and leave your water meter on. It did sound like gurgling water but it also sounded like a tapping as if someone was trapped in a box tapping on the inside. Weird, but that's how it sounded.

@MikeKlimek

3 ай бұрын

Awesome-glad it helped you!

As a person that has been finding water leaks for over 30 years it is just a good idea to pay a professional to find the leak. You had the right idea about adding compressed air. But the equipment that we use to hear the leak and sound below the ground costs around $8000 and takes time to learn. Plus you are trying to find an issue below the ground that cannot be seen or touched. Ground conditions vary and can change how a leak sounds. Even with all the knowledge and equipment leaks may be very difficult to find. Just had a site where there was multiple layers of asphalt and trash in the backfill. That creates horrible conditions to find a leak.

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

I get that. Even with an $8,000 device, you may still be several feet away from the leak, and when you are cutting through concrete, that is an expensive error. Many people can't afford that, and this is simply an alternative that sometimes works. Never hurts to attempt it, if you can find it, before calling in a pro.

@SuperJimmyBennett

11 ай бұрын

yeah and no, im not getting ripped off.. ill do it my self if its not under concrete, which my main line isnt.. the stupid tree near it is causing my leaks LOL roots.. wonderful isn't it

Thanks guy. Excellent video. Am curious what the leak detection folks charged and how long it took them to find the leak? Thanks. Ron

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

Leak detections will cost from $250-$400ish depending...took about an hour. Didn't pinpoint it, but we know it was from the street to the house.

Can I do this if my water pressure is only 60 psi. I have a small leak some were but I can’t locate it. And how much will it cost for a leak detection services to come and look it.

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

Yes you can, I wouldn't exceed 80 psi though. Leak detection companies vary wildly. Call around!

This helped a lot thank you

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

Welcome!

I see some moisture in front porch pavers and suspect leak. Water line is going under the slab to center of the house. I am worried and want to know if they need to cut my slab in the house to replace pipe. its 70 year old house..

@MikeKlimek

4 ай бұрын

You can either cut the slab open, or do a re-route of the line (don't need to cut the slab for this).

@user-bc2tt3uy4k

3 ай бұрын

They can also bypass the area in question under a driveway or sidewalk by pulling a new line under, and not breaking up, or cutting your concrete.

Why replace the whole line? Was it more cost effective than patch?

@MikeKlimek

2 жыл бұрын

A couple of reasons...the new line is one continuous piece of pipe from meter to house, so no fittings to leak in the future. With a patch, I didn't want a fitting down there where it could leak again. Also there is the potential of an additional leak somewhere along the length of the line, and lastly the line would have been well over 4 feet deep. Not sure even how deep it would have been. The topography of the lot has a rise from the meter to the house, and the old line was elbowed down into the ground instead of straight. Lots of trenching and the potential of an additional leak at some point in the future. No thanks!

Thanks for watching! Leave any questions or comments below:

seeing the video above it seems i would need s seperate line going back to the main which it seems you have instead of sending the pressure though the pipes in the house?

@MikeKlimek

11 ай бұрын

Unless you have a valve that isolates the inside from the outside, the pressure will be throughout the system. Not a bad thing

@SuperJimmyBennett

11 ай бұрын

@@MikeKlimek ok then.. i found my leak but not with pressure.. .the leak i have was to small slow to come to the surface like i wanted.. took a few days for the yard to dry out and looked for darker dirt.. and use the "poke a rod in the ground" test which worked because it hit an area of ground where it was soaking wet and slid in so easy..

@MikeKlimek

11 ай бұрын

Nice! Glad you found it!@@SuperJimmyBennett

your supposed to leave the water on with the air this forces more air and water through the leak at the same time, helping you pin point the area. maybe try that on the next one!

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

Yes very true. I actually did that as well, but my leak ended up being 8' down. Having the water on with the air does make for better acoustics

Can you share with us briefly how the leak detection company was able to locate the leak. What did they do to find it? Appreciated.

@danielzastoupil2359

Жыл бұрын

They basically use a $2,000 microphone on a plunger they stick in various points on the ground until they find where the noise is coming from.

@SuperJimmyBennett

11 ай бұрын

@@danielzastoupil2359 yup super rip off to the plumbers and or DIY folks like us

so how much was them to detect the leak?

@MikeKlimek

11 ай бұрын

Leak detection companies typically charge between $250-$375. I had a friend come over with the right equipment!

@SuperJimmyBennett

11 ай бұрын

@@MikeKlimek Great

This is nearly a 5 min video that can be summed up with "I made lots of bubbles in my pipes so could I end up calling the professionals anyway"

Where do I find a leak detection company blairsvill pa ???

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

I would ask around, maybe try Angies List, google reviews etc.

Misleading title of your video. You didn’t find the leak… I’m trying to AVOID paying $600 for the leak detection people coming out…

@MikeKlimek

Жыл бұрын

Sorry you feel that way. You can find it under certain circumstances, but mine was 8' down. I had an idea of where it was but it just didn't show itself

@SuperJimmyBennett

11 ай бұрын

@@MikeKlimek my line is about a foot down why? Because ive fixed 2 leaks .. 1 near the sidewalk near the main valve on the street.. and one near where it comes into the side of the house.. ..thanks to the tree in the yard.. = roots being the issue

These are the days of the ripoff

@SuperJimmyBennett

11 ай бұрын

agreed.. plumbers act like it some special thing, to a degree but over all plumbing isn't that hard. ive had contractors be like $300 to put in the plumbing for a valve for a shower which was a new remodel. I laughed and look at him.. its pex.. its not that hard.. take you maybe 10-20 if that. LOL

@MyBigThing2010

11 ай бұрын

@@SuperJimmyBennett people like you dont consider the travel time to get to you, the fuel used to get to you, the vehicle needed to get to you, the cost of the tooling to do the work, the hourly wage to pay the plumber, the INSURANCE cost, the cost of an attorney and accountant, the cost of the phone bill, water bill, electric, internet and insurance on the office space, the workers comp insurance, to cost of marketing and the cost associated with invoicing and collections, as well as, the fees associated with having bank checking accounts, savings accounts and the ability to process card transactions. Then there's TAXES! I Pay over 30% tax on anything the feds deem a "profit" ....so if you think I made $1000 on a job I really only walked with $700.00 .....so if a plumber made a "profit" of $100 on your shower valved after overhead expenses then that plumber only got to keep $70 for his work. ....on the real, probably way less at $300 for a shower valve install. So that guy looses a 1/4 to 1/2 a day with travel and screwing around to get your service call done and walks away with a profit of $50-70 and you think you're being ripped off....smh ....not to mention that the labor is guaranteed and if something went wrong you'd be first in line to sue. So that guy get to work for you and loose half a day to make $50-75 and takes on the liability of something going wrong and he's ripping you off??? Riiiiiight. People like you will NEVER get it and you will always think you're being screwed or ripped off. If its "not that hard and will only take 10-20 minutes" then why are you bothering someone to even quote you? Do it your damn self if its that "easy" and so fast! You obviously needed something that the pro had....tooling, parts, skill, knowledge or shift liability. In the real world when you need something you have to pay for it. You don't go and not eat because you think food is a rip off do you? A service is a product, just like anything that you can tangibly hold, but people like you don't get it and you never will understand what you are actually being charged for, you just assume its a rip off. I deal with DIY people all year every year and it's its usually worse when I get there than if they had not touched it at all and just called in the first place....but yeah, I'm a "ripoff" because I have to clean up your mess. Right? ...No. TBH, $300 isn't bad for a shower valve install, PEX or not. Time and overhead that guy isnt going out to a $300 lunch when he leaves your place like you think he is.