About Leak Search
Mark Quartermaine from Leak Search has invested in the most technologically advanced electronic leak detection equipment and uses industry best practice to detect leaks.
Mark owns and operates the company and has over 35 years experience in all aspects of hydraulic services within the water industry.
Equipment includes:
Acoustic Ground Microphones (4) are used to listen directly to valves or pipes or indirectly through the ground with various attachments, e.g. listening stick (contact sounding) or geophone foot (surface sounding).
Acoustic Correlating Data Loggers (44) units are placed on the valves and hydrants no more than 150 m apart and are programmed to turn on when sounds are low, say between 2 and 4 am. They are used in high traffic areas and analysis of sound level and sound spread helps eliminate environmental background noise. Leaks typically have a high decibel level and a narrow noise spread.
Correlators are two transmitters or accelerometers that measure the time difference between two points, from the mechanical vibration the water leak makes as it leaves the pipe and the time or the velocity of the pipe for the noise to be heard at each correlation unit. These vibrations travel through the pipe wall (as minute vibrations) and in the water column (as a pressure wave).
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) uses electromagnetic waves. When a signal meets an object or layer with different dielectric properties, part of that signal is deflected back to the surface; the time delay from transmission to return gives a depth to that object or layer. It can be used to identify non-metallic services, voids, utility mapping, pipeline leak detection assessment, water tables and has many other applications.
Pipe Location and finding Lost Services using NULCA Underground Asset Location procedures. This can be done with a pipe and cable locator by sending a pulse down metallic service lines, e.g. 20 mm copper service from the tapping band to the water meter (to identify tapping band locations) also to check for other suspected utilities in the area.
Flow and Pressure Monitoring Loggers (5) (MetroLoggers) are deployed at the header tank water meter, (bore water meter) or both meters if they are available, to determine water flows and pressures. These pressures are logged at five-minute intervals and this data can be downloaded daily on-site and information sent via SMS.
Data for the previous 24 hours can be emailed to a client’s office the same day as the on-site download. There is no long waiting period to access the data acquisition.
GPS – Utility mapping is available via a hand-held unit with up-to-date maps of Western Australia. GPS is used to locate remote and lost metallic and non-metallic service lines, site surveys, elevation levels and mapping service. The location of any leaks are sign-posted and photographed so maintenance crews can find them later. Wireless broadband service is used to transfer data via on-site field communications.