Ilam is a residential suburb about five kilometres west of the city centre, built around the University of Canterbury campus and close to the Riccarton shopping area. Ilam Primary School, next to the university, opened in 1950, and Westburn School followed in 1962. Most hidden leaks in Ilam are on the supply pipe between the boundary and the house, under a shower or in a wall cavity. We narrow it down with the right equipment and show you what we found.
Ilam family homes and rentals: catching leaks early
Ilam was built up around the University of Canterbury from the mid 20th century, and its homes are mostly family houses, many now student rentals, with some later infill. A lot of the original houses have the supply pipe that went in when they were built, and pipe that age can fail at a joiner or fitting without showing at the surface. In a rental, a leak can run for months because the owner paying the water charge is not living there to notice it.
We start with a meter test, then separate the hot and cold systems and the inside plumbing from the buried line. In an older Ilam home on a timber floor, the subfloor is the quickest place to confirm a leak. If the buried supply pipe is losing water, we trace its route across the lawn and listen for the leak with a ground microphone.
Ilam is close to the airport, where the thermometer drops under zero on roughly 50 nights a year, more than twice as often as in the city centre, so frost damage is a real risk. Pipes in garages, roof spaces and along outside walls can split in a cold snap and start leaking as they thaw. Lagging them before winter helps. After the repair, the owner gets an itemised invoice for a remission application.
Local tip: Ilam landlords can record the meter reading at each change of tenancy; comparing them shows a slow leak before it adds up.
Leak Detection in Ilam: Local Factors
Frost can split pipes in garages, roof spaces and under floors, and the leak may only show once the pipe thaws. We find it and recommend lagging for exposed runs.
For anything else, see our plumbers in Ilam.
How We Handle Leak Detection in Ilam
Our leak detection in Ilam is non invasive wherever possible, so only a small area needs opening for the repair.
Pricing: quotes are free, and every job gets a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Leak Detection Jobs We Do in Ilam
- Acoustic leak detection
- Hidden water leak
- Under slab leak
- Thermal imaging leak search
- Pressure test
Leak Detection Ilam FAQs
Our Ilam rental's water charge jumped over the summer break when it was empty. Is that likely to be a leak?
If nobody was using water, it very likely is. We test the meter with everything off, isolate each part of the plumbing and find the leak so it can be fixed and the invoice used for a remission.
Can you find leaks under concrete slabs?
Yes. We use pressure testing and listening gear to locate leaks under slabs.
Can you fix the leak after finding it?
Yes. Once we find it, we give you a price and can usually fix it on the same visit.
Leak Detection Near Ilam
- Leak Detection Riccarton
- Leak Detection Fendalton
- Leak Detection Avonhead
- Leak Detection Burnside
- Leak Detection across Christchurch