After a hydrostatic test has been performed, the second step of the leak repair process would be to get a leak isolation done on the property.  A leak isolation is how plumbers can tell where, how many, and how large leaks are. Because there are two different systems, there are two different processes of finding the leak.

Domestic System Leak Location

The first step in performing this test is to shut off the water on the sprinkler system if applicable as well as turning off the water supply to the house at the main line cut off valve. At this time the plumbers need to determine if it is on the hot water lines or the cold water lines under the house. After turning off the water at the meter, air is pumped through the lines in order to push any remaining water out so that the plumbers may use a special piece of equipment called a ‘Geophone’  is used to listen for any escaping air or water as it leaves the house. If the leak is not in the hot or cold water lines under the house, the yard line is the culprit.

Sanitary System Leak Location

This part of the leak location involves a hydrostatic process of elimination by breaking the system down into smaller parts using a series of different side test balls and air hoses. Once the section(s) of the houses’ sanitary system that is/are determined to have leaks, the second step in the process is to run a sewer camera to visually inspect the pipes to pinpoint the size and location of the leaks. Once the camera has found the general vicinity of the leak, the plumber will use a setting called ‘Locate’ in order to pinpoint the location with the help of a location wand.  This particular test makes use of the clean out, which is the same as the sanitary system hydrostatic test.