Equipment used: Tracer gas, thermal imaging, endoscope survey, moisture meter and visual inspections.
Upon approval we could see a clear crack on the kitchen ceiling, which water had been dripping from. This was directly under the ensuite shower room on the 1st floor.
When taking moisture meter profiling of the ensuite walls, floor and the kitchen ceiling, the meter presented high readings of 999REL.
This property had recently had a water meter fitted, which when inspected, continuously spun even when all the taps and appliances were switched off.
We found that when the cold feed to the boiler was isolated, the meter continued to spin, which indicated it was a leak to the cold feed pipe.
Unfortunately, acoustic profiling was not possible and the endoscope survey was inconclusive. However, tracer gas was carried out to the cold feed which presented a large escape of gas from behind the shower mixer.
To observe the cause to the correct extent, the shower would need to be removed to give access to repair the leak.
We recommended that dehumidifiers/ air movers were placed within the property to dry the affected area. Without the approval of the client we could not remove the shower to repair the leak.