Running water in pipes - cannot find leak

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Hi folks,

So, for the last week I could hear running water in the pipes while sitting on the can. It was certainly not the toilet leaking.

I finally got around to checking the water meter and true as nuts, it's turning. One last-digit every minute.

I close the tap in the house and it stops. I cannot find the leak anywhere.

I've checked:
  1. The dishwasher
  2. The boiler
  3. The washing machine
  4. The taps
  5. I've isolated every branch in the house I can.

I cannot:
  1. find any wet patches
  2. The leak
  3. Mini floods.
I've followed the pipe around the house which is the noisiest with a broomstick in my ear and the pipe and I "lose" it when the pipe goes into the wall. I suspect it's the line going into the ceiling which is blind as it was put in for a shower which never materialised.

Question:
How can I find this leak? By the mount of water moving (judging by the dial) I expect I should see huge lakes by now. Even if it was going into the cavity wall I should see it by now? We're a week on.

I live in a normal semi. Not like I have to search the lines out to the farm buildings on the manor :(

I'm going to get one of those pipe-freeze kits to try isolate more and narrow it down. Good idea or bad?

Any other ideas welcome.


thanks
Crappy
 
Last edited:
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If you closed your internal stopcock and the water stopped, then the 'leak' is between there and the meter.

Andy
 
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have you looked at the cistern my was running out of the internal overflow
 
Filling loop passing by? Toilet overflow, tanks in loft,
 
If no signs of a leak my eyes would be looking at an overflow pipe. A toilet probably a dodgy valve and very slowly over flowing out an over flow pipe. Check your overflow pipes for a drip.
 
Damn - all these replies and no email telling me people were replying...

Ok, no, it's not the toilet (we only have one). There is a ball-valve just before the cistern. I shut that, noise continues.
No, there is no header tank in the loft.
Not the boiler or filler loop - the loop is disconnected and no signs of leaking from it's overflow pipes.
Internal overflow? You implying header tank etc? Nope - don't have those.


I've got a mate coming round with a thermal camera tomorrow to look for wet spots. Wait and see but not holding much hope...
The noise is still there and the meter is still turning. We're roughly 3 weeks in now and no evidence which is really odd....

C
 
PRV on the boiler? Could be a leaking heat exchanger or cylinder.
 
do you have an outside garden tap ? is it supplied by a pipe going through the wall to outside ? is it a cavity wall ? might be leaking into cavity.is your flooring in house suspended timbers or concrete ? are any pipes below the floor levels.
 
do you have an outside garden tap
Yes, it does go through the wall. I recently replaced the dishwasher which connects to the same pipe about 1m away. I'll remove the backpanel of the cupboard and take a look at the wall.

I do think that the kitchen is raised on concrete as beams. It could all be pouring down there. With the heat we're having it may well be soaking away....

Will report back!`
 
have you removed kitchen base unit plinths ,to see any signs of water.?? where is main stopcock located in property and where is water meter ? are there any old supply pipes to redundant outhouses /toilets / garages /lean to's. etc ,that may be buried but still connected to house plumbing ? do you have a pressurised hot water cylinder by any chance
 

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