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Leak detection across North West England

Leak detection across North West England finds where a hidden water leak is, on a central heating system, a water pipe inside a home or business, or the underground supply pipe, using instruments that listen, read heat, trace gas and test pressure. Red Rose Leak Detection locates leaks in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria.

A water pipe running under the ground into a houseA pipe comes in from the street side below the ground, passes beneath the front wall and rises through the floor, and a blue point marks the leak on the pipe under the floor.
Diagram: a water pipe running in below the ground and the floor, with the leak marked as one point.

What can leak detection find in a North West property?

Leak detection finds four kinds of hidden leak in a North West property: a central heating leak behind a boiler that keeps losing pressure, a leaking water pipe inside a wall, floor or ceiling, a leaking underground supply pipe, and the leak behind a home insurance claim.

  • Central heating leak detection

    Central heating leak detection traces the water a sealed heating system is losing to the place it escapes: a radiator valve, a joint, a pipe under the floor or an underfloor heating loop.

    Where it leaks
    Water leaving the sealed heating circuit at radiator valves and joints, on pipework under floors, in underfloor heating loops, inside the boiler, or through the pressure relief valve's discharge pipe.
    First signs
    A boiler gauge that keeps falling or needs topping up often; damp spots or rust marks around radiators.
    Methods
    Pressure testing, thermal imaging, tracer gas and acoustic listening
    Whose pipe
    The owner's: United Utilities says owners look after the pipes and fittings inside a property.

  • Pipe leak detection

    Pipe leak detection narrows a leak in a building's hot or cold water pipework to one point, in a wall, beneath a floor or above a ceiling, from readings of pressure, sound, heat, gas and moisture.

    Where it leaks
    Inside the building, on its hot or cold water pipework.
    First signs
    Stains and damp on walls and ceilings, a musty smell or mould, running water heard with every tap off, lower pressure, a metered bill that has risen, or a meter test that points inside.
    Methods
    Pressure testing, thermal imaging, acoustic listening, tracer gas and moisture mapping
    Whose pipe
    The owner's, for every hot and cold pipe inside the building; in a rented home the landlord repairs it.

  • Underground water leak detection

    Underground water leak detection traces water escaping from the buried supply pipe an owner looks after, the length from the property boundary under a drive, path or garden into the building, with listening, gas and pressure tests.

    Where it leaks
    A leak on the owner's buried supply pipe between the boundary and the building, a shared supply pipe included.
    First signs
    A meter that keeps moving with the internal stop tap closed, a waterlogged front garden, lush vegetation or damp patches on the ground, lower pressure, a metered bill that has risen.
    Methods
    Pressure testing, acoustic listening and tracer gas
    Whose pipe
    The owner's from the property boundary in; a shared supply pipe belongs to all the homes it serves.

  • Trace and access

    Trace and access leak detection finds the hidden leak behind a home insurance claim and records its position and the access needed to reach it.

    Where it leaks
    The leak behind an escape of water claim, on the heating, the water pipes or the supply pipe.
    First signs
    An owner whose claim is on hold until the insurer knows where the escaping water comes from.
    Methods
    Acoustic listening, thermal imaging, tracer gas, pressure testing and moisture mapping
    Whose pipe
    Whoever owns the leaking pipe; the cover pays for the search and leaves the repair out.

How can you tell a hidden leak is wasting water?

A hidden leak shows itself as a damp patch or stain, a boiler gauge that keeps falling, the sound of running water with every tap off, lower pressure at the taps, a waterlogged garden, or a metered bill that jumps.

Indoor and outdoor signs are set out in full, each with its source, on two pages: the signs of a leaking pipe inside a wall or floor, and the signs of a leak on an underground supply pipe.

On a water meter, a dial that keeps turning with all water use stopped most likely means a leak, according to Wessex Water's metered test, and United Utilities sets out the readings and timings for its own version on its Perform a leak test page.

A rising bill counts as a sign only where a meter is fitted: United Utilities' Annual Performance Report 2025/26 puts that at 52.9% of the homes it supplies, a little over half, and every new property it serves is metered.

Where does United Utilities' responsibility end and yours begin?

United Utilities' responsibility covers the water main and the communication pipe, ending at your property boundary, where yours begins: the supply pipe that brings the water into the building is yours, and so is every pipe indoors.

Who looks after which pipe where United Utilities supplies the waterUnited Utilities' part is the main in the road, the communication pipe up to the property boundary and the external stop tap in the footpath; the owner's part starts at the boundary, with the supply pipe into the home, the internal stop tap and all the pipework indoors.

United Utilities: the main in the road, the communication pipe to the boundary, the external stop tap in the footpath

The owner: the supply pipe from the boundary, the internal stop tap and every pipe indoors

Diagram: who looks after which pipe where United Utilities supplies the water.

The drawing starts at the main under the road. The communication pipe runs from it to the boundary, and the external stop tap sits in the footpath on the way; United Utilities says these stop taps "are usually found on the public footpath in the street outside your home" and are its responsibility. From the boundary, the supply pipe carries the water across the garden or under the drive to the internal stop tap indoors, and that length is the owner's.

Some supply pipes serve more than one home. United Utilities says a common supply pipe "is the collective responsibility of all connected homeowners", while each branch pipe belongs to the home it feeds. A pipe that supplies only your home is still usually yours to maintain, United Utilities adds, even where part of it runs outside your boundary.

Tenants are in a different position: United Utilities says that in a rented property it is the landlord's responsibility to repair the leak. Whether the leak is on the main, the communication pipe or the external stop tap, it is reported to United Utilities on its Report a problem page.

United Utilities is the water company for most of the North West, though not all of it. In the city of Chester, Severn Trent supplies the water and its responsibility ends at the boundary of the highway where its main or communication pipe is laid; around Earby, and in the Craven villages of High and Low Bentham and Ingleton, the drinking water comes from Yorkshire Water. Red Rose Leak Detection traces a leak on the owner's length of pipe, which is the work of underground water leak detection along the buried supply pipe.

How is a leak located before a floorboard comes up?

A leak is located before a floorboard comes up by testing which system is losing water, then narrowing the leak to one spot with listening, heat, gas and moisture instruments.

No single instrument finds every leak. Pressure testing proves which system is losing water, and the other four narrow the leak down, each with a limit worth knowing before it is relied on.

Acoustic listening

Acoustic listening suits supply pipes and house connections under mains pressure, and pressurised pipework indoors, where Sewerin's compact receiver listens for leaks on heating and sanitary installations.

What it detects
The sound that escaping water makes in a pipe under pressure.
Its limit
Without pressure in the pipe, or with a leak too quiet to hear, it has nothing to pick up, and Sewerin recommends tracer gas for those cases.

Thermal imaging

Thermal imaging suits leaks that carry heat to a surface, on central heating, hot water pipes and underfloor heating, including pipes under tiled or concrete floors; it also maps the reach of damp on a wall or ceiling.

What it detects
Warmer or cooler areas on a wall, floor or ceiling.
Its limit
A wall or a concrete floor blocks its view, since it reads only the surface and needs a difference in temperature there; a cool area can be a draught, and Fluke notes that the camera narrows down the likely area while an investigation may still need some invasive work.

Tracer gas

Tracer gas suits silent, tiny or hard-to-trace leaks and plastic or other non-metallic pipes, on customer supply pipes, boilers, central heating and underfloor heating; Sewerin says the gas comes up through concrete, tarmac, block paving and grass.

What it detects
Hydrogen reaching the surface above the point where the gas escapes.
Its limit
Its timing cannot be promised: INFICON says how long the gas takes to surface varies considerably with the ground material above the pipe.

Pressure testing

Pressure testing proves a leak is there before a floorboard comes up, on a sealed heating circuit, a single underfloor heating loop or a run of water pipework.

What it detects
A fall in pressure on a sealed system or section.
Its limit
A drop on the gauge is not proof by itself: Northumbrian Water notes that plastic pipe expands when pressurised, and Wunda that trapped air must be purged for an accurate test.

Moisture mapping

Moisture mapping shows how far a leak has soaked a wall, floor or ceiling, and Protimeter's search mode reads through tiles and vinyl as well as bare plaster without pins.

What it detects
Where a material holds more moisture than the area around it.
Its limit
Each reading is a comparison and never a measured water content: Protimeter meters come calibrated for timber, and on brick, stone and plaster, salts or metal close to the surface can lift the figures.

What does a leak detection visit involve, step by step?

A leak detection visit confirms that water is being lost, isolates the system that is losing it, tests which part will not hold pressure, pinpoints the spot with instruments and records where the leak is for whoever repairs it.

A Red Rose Leak Detection visit follows these five steps in order, because each step narrows what the next one has to test.

  1. Confirm that water is being lost

    On a metered supply, a meter dial that keeps turning with all water use stopped most likely means a leak (Wessex Water). On a sealed heating system, Ideal treats topping up once a month or more as a possible sign of a small leak.

  2. Isolate the system that is losing it

    Closing the internal stop tap splits the supply in two: in Wessex Water's test, a dial that still turns points to a leak most likely outside the property, and a dial that stops points inside. The heating circuit, the hot and cold pipes and the supply pipe are then treated as separate systems.

  3. Test which part will not hold pressure

    A pressure test closes off the system, or one section of it, and reads the gauge over a set period. Grant UK advises that an underfloor heating system losing pressure with no visible sign may need each loop tested on its own.

  4. Pinpoint the spot with the instrument that suits that pipe

    Listening, heat, gas or moisture readings then narrow the leak to one place. With a listening stick, Sewerin's method moves from point to point along the pipe until the two loudest points bracket the leak, and a ground microphone finds the spot between them.

  5. Record where the leak is for whoever repairs it

    The findings give the owner, the plumber, the landlord or the insurer the leak's location, the access work needed to reach it, photographs and the cause where it can be seen. Confused.com says these findings go to the insurer on a claim, and because insurers commonly exclude wear and tear, the recorded cause can decide the claim.

Can a metered water bill be reduced after a leak?

Yes: United Utilities' leak allowance can reduce a metered bill after a leak, though only once the leak has been repaired.

The supply pipe page sets out who can claim a leak allowance on a United Utilities bill, for which leaks and with which meter readings. Severn Trent in Chester and Yorkshire Water each give a once-only allowance of their own.

Does home insurance cover leak detection?

Home insurance often covers leak detection under the trace and access section of a policy, which pays for tracking down a hidden leak and for the work to reach it, though not for repairing the pipe; MoneySuperMarket says many insurers include it as standard and not every insurer does.

Check the policy before anything is booked. MoneySuperMarket advises calling your insurer first, Admiral says most insurers prefer to be contacted first about escaping water, and Admiral also says "you won't be covered if you only have contents insurance".

Water coming through from a neighbour raises a separate question. Citizens Advice says that if a neighbour caused the leak through carelessness, paying for the damaged belongings is their responsibility, and the page on who pays when a leak damages the flat below covers the rest. The investigation an insurer pays for is described in full under locating the leak behind a home insurance claim.

Which North West towns have their own leak detection page?

Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Preston and Chester are the North West towns with their own leak detection pages, and the coverage page lists the rest of the covered towns with their postcode districts.

Stockport, Warrington, Wigan, Oldham, Wirral and Blackburn are among the towns without a page of their own, and you can find their district codes on the page for coverage by town and postcode district.