Combining IR Imaging and Ultrasound to Find Pipe Leak
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Combining IR Imaging and Ultrasound
to Find Pipe Leak
Tip provided by
Richard W. Rhoades
Level II Infraspection Institute
Certified Infrared Thermographer®
Locating pipe leaks hidden within finished walls can be tricky. In this Tip we examine the use of thermal imaging and airborne ultrasound to help pinpoint the source of a leak.
Ever had one of those pesky water plumbing leaks in your house, but loathed the idea of tearing out ever-larger sections of ceiling, walls, and floors to find the source? An IR inspection can often ‘see’ thermal profiles created by wet building materials, but an airborne ultrasonic detector can be useful to ‘hear’ and help pinpoint the leak source.
Recently, we found water soaked ceilings and walls in our mid-level bathroom and adjoining laundry room, and water dripping into the basement below. We suspected a leak in the household plumbing system. Most dripping ceased within a few hours of shutting off the city water supply.
So where does one start with tearing out ceilings, walls, and floors to find a water leak?
As an alternative to gross demolition, I drained the household water system, and pressurized it with a small air compressor to about 50 psi. With a UE Systems Ultraprobe 9000 in ‘airborne’ mode, I started scanning and ‘listening’ for air leakage signals from the wet ceilings and walls in the laundry room and bathroom. Within a minute, a faint (very high frequency) leaking indication was detected from a ceiling area directly above the bathroom sink.
I cut out a 10” area of sheetrock to allow better access to the noise source and found the noise emanating from a soldered joint of half-inch copper tubing. Even with this leak exposed, the ‘noise’ could not be detected by the unaided human ear. Yet the Ultraprobe had originally ‘heard’ the leak noise even with the sheetrock in place.
In this case the leak source was quickly located, potentially saving thousands in home repair bills. As is the case with thermal imaging, training and experience are essential to become proficient in the effective use of ultrasonic sound detectors.
