ISOLATION | PRESSURE TESTING

At Leak Detection Solution, our services include delivering isolation and pressure testing to quickly diagnose leaks in homes, commercial buildings and heating systems. 

 

Let’s break down what these tests involve, when they’re used, and why they matter, especially if you want to catch issues before they turn into expensive repairs.

 

What Is Isolation Testing?

 

Isolation testing is exactly what it sounds like: isolating sections of your plumbing or heating system to narrow down the source of a leak. To do this, our team start by shutting off the water at key points:

 

• Internal stop-tap – usually found under the kitchen sink or in a utility room.

• External water meter – typically located outside the property near the boundary.

• Heating system valves – for isolating radiators, pipework, or boilers.

 

By controlling the flow of water, we can test individual sections of the system and monitor for drops in pressure or signs of leaks. This is ideal when you're not sure where the problem lies; it allows us to methodically eliminate different parts of your plumbing network until we find the fault.

 

What Is Pressure Testing?

 

Pressure testing involves pressurising a section of pipework with water, air or inert gas and observing how that pressure behaves over time. If the pressure remains stable, that part is sound. If the pressure drops, there’s a leak somewhere in that section.

 

We use the finest instruments to measure the pressure and detect even the tiniest changes. For example, if we're pressure testing a central heating system and we see a slow but steady drop in pressure over an hour, that tells us a leak is present, even if it’s not yet visible.

 

How Does Tracer Gas Fit In?

 

Once we’ve isolated the problem area and identified that a leak is likely, we can take it one step further by injecting tracer gas into the system. This harmless mix of hydrogen and nitrogen is highly effective at finding the exact location of a leak.

 

Here’s how it works:

 

1. The tracer gas is introduced into the isolated pipework.

2. Because hydrogen molecules are extremely small, they escape from even the tiniest pinholes or cracks.

3. Using a sensitive gas detector, we scan floors, walls, ceilings or outdoor ground to locate where the gas is escaping.

 

This method is especially useful for hidden pipework beneath concrete floors or behind walls. It means there’s no need to dig blindly or remove tiles unnecessarily.

 

When Should You Use Isolation and Pressure Testing?

 

Isolation and pressure testing is the go-to solution for a wide range of scenarios:

 

Suspected leaks but no signs visible

 

If you’ve got high water usage but no drips, puddles or damp spots, pressure testing helps confirm whether a leak exists at all.

 

Heating system losing pressure

 

If your boiler keeps losing pressure, there could be a leak in the pipework, radiators or heat exchanger. Testing can pinpoint the problem without pulling up floorboards or replacing parts at random.

 

Multiple systems on one property

 

If your building has multiple water supplies (for instance, cold mains, hot water, and central heating) isolation testing lets us identify which one is leaking.