Pipe Inspection & Leak Detection

Push camera systems and acoustic leak detectors are working tools that live in vans and get treated accordingly. Condition of the push cable and the camera head matters far more than the age of the system.

Match the reel to the pipe

Small-diameter reels navigate tight bends in 32 to 75 mm lines but will not push far. Full-size reels cover 100 to 200 mm mains at 60 m or more but cannot turn a tight residential trap.

Most contractors end up with two. If you are buying one, buy for the work you do most and hire the other.

Push cable is the wear item. We run every reel out to full length and check for cable memory, jacket damage and broken conductors before listing.

Sondes, monitors and leak detection

The sonde in the camera head is what lets you locate the camera from the surface, and it is useless without a locator tuned to its frequency. Confirm the sonde frequency matches the locator you already own — 512 Hz is the common standard.

Acoustic leak detection is a separate discipline. Ground microphones pinpoint water leaks by sound, while acoustic imagers such as the Fluke ii900 visualise compressed air and gas leaks as an overlay on a camera image, which turns a slow survey into a walk-through.

Common questions