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Leak Detection Sydney
Inner West Specialists

Inner West Leak Detection Specialists

Champion Plumbing & Drains finds hidden water leaks across Sydney’s Inner West using acoustic, thermal imaging and tracer gas equipment. Our licensed plumbers turn up the same day in most cases, locate the leak to the exact point, and give you a written quote before any repair starts.

We’re out across the Inner West daily, from older Victorian and Federation homes in Newtown, Petersham and Haberfield through to modern builds in Drummoyne and Rhodes. With 25+ years of leak detection experience behind us, we attend, run the right method for the leak type, and move straight into water leak repair where the leak is accessible. 

Standard service bookings currently carry a $0 call-out fee. Give us a call today to book a same-day slot, or use the form for a 4-minute callback.

Our Leak Detection Methods

Hidden water leaks don’t usually announce themselves. They sit inside walls, under slabs or buried in the garden, pushing your water bill up and softening building materials for weeks or months before any visible damage shows up. These six signs are the ones we get called out for most often, and any one of them is worth a detection booking before the leak gets bigger.

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Unexplained increases in your water bill
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Damp patches on walls, ceilings, or floors
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Sound of running water when taps are off
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Bad smells or mould growth
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Soft spots in your lawn or constant wet patches
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Cracks in your foundation or walls

Letting a hidden leak run can add thousands to the repair bill, and it can void parts of an insurance claim if the source isn’t documented at the time of detection.

Our Leak Detection Methods

No single method finds every leak. Our team picks the right tool for the leak type and the property, often pairing two methods to confirm the location before we open up a wall, lift a tile or excavate. The four methods we use across residential detection work are below.

Acoustic Leak Detection

Surface microphones amplify the sound of water escaping a pressurised pipe through concrete, tile or floorboards. The signal pins the leak to within a few centimetres, so any access opening stays small.

Thermal Imaging Detection

An infrared camera reads surface temperature differences caused by water behind walls or under floors. Hot leaks show as warm patches, cold leaks as cool spots. Fast and non-invasive, no period features damaged.

Underground Water Leak Location

Buried mains, service lines and irrigation pipes need a combined approach. Pressure testing isolates the section, then acoustic and ground microphones pick up the signal under driveways, gardens or slabs.

Leak Types We Find

Most homeowners want to know what we’re actually finding, where it sits in the property, and how disruptive the repair’s going to be. The four leak types we come across most often in Inner West homes are below, with the typical signs and the detection method that suits each.

 

  • Slab Leaks Under Concrete: Slab leaks are pinhole leaks in copper pipes embedded inside or beneath concrete slabs. Typical signs are warm spots on the floor, an unexplained jump in water usage, and damp patches at slab edges. We locate slab leaks with tracer gas and thermal imaging, which pinpoint the exact spot without breaking the slab open to investigate.
  • Underground Main and Service Line Leaks: Service line leaks sit in the underground pipe running from the water meter to the house, often buried 300 to 500mm below grass, mulch or paving. Typical signs are wet patches across the lawn or driveway with no obvious source, and a rising water bill with no change in indoor use. We locate these with acoustic equipment and ground microphones.
  • Behind-Wall and Under-Floor Leaks: Concealed leaks behind tiled walls, plasterboard or under floorboards are common in Inner West terraces and older semi-detached homes. Typical signs are damp patches, swollen skirting boards, and a persistent musty smell that keeps coming back after you’ve aired the room. Acoustic and thermal imaging together locate the leak inside the cavity without lifting the tile or floor.
  • Pool and Irrigation Leaks: Pool plumbing, suction and return lines, and underground irrigation systems lose water gradually. Typical signs are a pool level dropping faster than evaporation accounts for, and wet patches in the garden between watering cycles. Pressure testing and acoustic equipment locate these leaks without draining the pool or digging up the garden.

Our 5-Step Leak Detection Process

Every leak detection booking runs through the same five steps, from your first call to the repair itself. Three things sit behind the process: a clear time we’ll attend, a fixed price for the work, and a written record you can show an insurer if a Trace and Access claim is involved. Every step is backed by our lifetime labour guarantee, and standard service bookings currently carry a $0 call-out fee*.

 

  1. Enquiry and same-day booking. Give us a call during business hours, and we’ll book the slot on the call. Outside hours, use the online form for a 4-minute callback in the next business window. A same-day slot is offered where availability allows.
  2. Site assessment and method selection. Our licensed plumber arrives within the agreed window, runs a visual inspection of the fixtures and water meter, and isolates the system if needed. We pick the detection method (acoustic, thermal, tracer gas, or a combination) on site.
  3. Detection and location. We deploy the chosen equipment and pinpoint the leak to the exact spot. We mark the position on the surface and photograph it for the written report, so the location is still recorded even if the surface mark gets disturbed.
  4. Written report and quote. You get a written report on the day with the exact leak location, photos, the detection method we used and the recommended repair. A fixed-quote price for the repair sits on the same report, so you know the cost before any work begins.
  5. Same-day repair where possible. Where the leak’s accessible and the parts are on the van, we carry out the repair on the same visit. Where the leak sits under a slab or in a service line that needs digging up, we book the repair for the next available slot.
Champion Plumbing and Drains technician monitoring a live CCTV drain inspection on a screen in a narrow side passage at a residential property

Transparent Pricing

Standard service bookings currently carry a $0 call-out fee, so we don’t charge to attend, assess or quote.   Once we’ve located the leak, the repair quote comes through separately, so each stage is priced and approved before it starts. Most residential detection jobs wrap up in 60 to 90 minutes. Our full pricing structure, including hourly rates and after-hours surcharges, sits on our pricing page.

Trace and Access Reports for Insurance Claims

Most Australian home insurance policies include cover for Trace and Access. The clause covers the cost of finding a hidden leak and the damage to walls, ceilings and floors that comes from accessing the pipe to repair it. The leak repair itself isn’t always covered, but the detection work and access damage usually are, which often makes the report from the detection visit the most valuable part of the claim.

 

We provide a written Trace and Access report within 48 hours, with photos of the access point, the detection method we used, the leak location and the repair scope. If your insurer needs a report, mention it when you book, and we’ll prepare it alongside the detection work.

Lifetime Labour Guarantee

Every leak detection and repair carries our lifetime labour guarantee on workmanship. The guarantee covers the labour side of any repair we complete, for as long as you own the property. If a fault develops on work we’ve done, our team comes back and re-does the work at no labour charge. Manufacturer warranties on the replacement parts apply separately, depending on the part fitted, and customer-induced damage falls outside the guarantee. Full terms sit on our lifetime labour warranty page. To make a claim, give our team a call, and we’ll arrange a return visit.

Inner West Service Area

Our team’s out on leak detection bookings across the Inner West every day. Newtown, Petersham, Marrickville, Haberfield, Drummoyne, Glebe, Leichhardt and the surrounding suburbs are where we attend most often, and the case studies above sit across that footprint. Bookings outside the immediate area are still attended the same day where availability allows.

 

Detection coverage runs across the wider Inner West. Take a look at our full Inner West service area or our complete plumbing services range.

Champion Plumbing and Drains team members reviewing and marking service zones on a Greater Sydney map in the office

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Fix Your Leak Before it Gets Worse

Fill in your details, and we’ll call you back within 4 minutes during business hours. You’ll get a same-day slot where available, fixed-quote pricing on detection, and standard service bookings currently carry a $0 call-out fee*.

 

For active flooding or a burst pipe, call directly. Our team is available 24/7 across the Inner West.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS

Most residential leak detection jobs are a fixed price quoted on site once we’ve inspected the symptoms. Thermal imaging and acoustic detection avoid the cost of cutting into walls or floors to find the leak. $0 call-out fee. See our full pricing.

We use non-destructive methods: thermal imaging cameras to spot temperature differences caused by moisture, acoustic listening equipment to hear water escaping under pressure, and pressure testing to isolate which section of pipe is leaking. The point is to pinpoint the leak before we open anything up.

Most residential leak detection visits take one to two hours from arrival to confirmed location. We can usually book you in same-day across the Inner West. Call us today for an urgent leak or fill in the online form and we’ll call you back within 4 minutes.*

Yes. Licensed (Licence No. 371639C), fully insured, and the team is trained on thermal and acoustic equipment. Every leak repair carries our lifetime labour guarantee. We don’t just find the leak, we fix it and back the work.

Yes. Our team attends same-day across the Inner West in most cases, subject to availability. Bookings called in or submitted before 4 pm are usually attended to the same day. We also handle water leak repair on the same visit where the leak is accessible. 

Yes. Slab leaks and leaks under tiled floors are some of the most common jobs our detection team attends. Tracer gas is the most reliable method on a slab because the gas molecule escapes through the leak and rises through the concrete to the surface. We don’t break a tile or slab until the leak’s located.

Most Australian home and contents policies include a Trace and Access clause covering the cost of finding a hidden leak and the damage to walls, ceilings or floors that comes from accessing the pipe. The repair of the pipe itself isn’t always included. We provide a written Trace and Access report within 48 hours, with the wording most insurers expect.

In most cases, yes. A hidden slow leak can waste 200 to 400 litres of water a day, often adding $30 to $60 a month to the bill. Larger slab or service line leaks can push usage much higher. Once the leak’s repaired, water usage returns to normal in the next billing cycle.

Yes. The written report includes the leak location, photos of the access point, the detection method we used, the exact pipe involved and the repair scope. It’s delivered inside 48 hours and written in language most insurers recognise. We can also liaise with your insurer’s loss adjuster directly if that helps.

Where no leaks are found, we tell you on the day, and the detection fee covers the time on site. The inspection still produces a written report ruling out the common leak sources, which is useful if the issue turns out to be condensation, rising damp or a one-off event. The report shortens any future detection visit.

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