Owning the latest in leak-locating equipment can boost your business.
Every service and repair contractor sooner or later needs to locate a leak. The technology available
ranges from putting one's ear to the ground to computerized correlation.
When fluids like water escape from pressurized piping, they emit an "acoustic signature." Such sounds are
normally composed of multiple frequencies that combine to form the signature sound. These different
sounds are normally in the range of 100 to 800 Hz (cycles per second). Leaks at higher pressures produce
higher frequency sounds; leaks at lower pressures produce lower frequency sounds. Both the material and
the mass of the pipe carrying the water can also affect the frequency. Some noises even lower in
frequency can be produced by the turbulence created in the loose fill adjacent to the leak.