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Author:
MobileHomePlumberinNC (NC)
I'm wanting to branch out into more yard leaks.
So what do you use to locate leaks in the yard?
Please be specific. Brand, Model, price, and/or maybe a link to the manufacturer and/or product.
What should I avoid? What DOES NOT work?
When I started up my business many years ago I dug up a rich customer's fancy grassed yard and 4 hours and 4 holes later the leak was still a mystery. I couldn't charge them full price and felt guilty charging them anything, so I suggested a new water line, referred it out, and counted my losses. That bad experience has cost me a fortune worth of jobs.
It's 2009 and technology is far better. What's the way to go now for the pro?
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Author:
hj
I hire a leak detecting company. They have the THOUSANDS of dollars worth of equipment and the experience to use it. Why would I want to spend my time trying to locate it when they will do it for a flat fee regardless of how long it takes? Then there is also the expense of maintaining the devices. To me it does not make sense unless you are going into leak detection full time, but then you would not have time to repair the leaks you find.
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Author:
PlumerDan (CA)
we use a couple of different companies. both have vans full of several thousands of dollars worth of eqip from sonic wands to vibration earphones to equipment to charge the line with high pressure nirtogen ect. what i'm trying to say is if this is not a very much used adventure then you'll be mucho bucks in the red for a few leaks...call the boys already in hock and let them find the leaks quickly ...then you look good by being in the know...they might even kick you a finders fee...
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Author:
MobileHomePlumberinNC (NC)
That makes sense, however, the leak detector plumbers in our area closed up shop and left town to graze in better pastures. (They went to the nearest bigger city)
I was primarily asking just because of that. With them gone there is a potential for someone to take over that market in our area.
I'm guessing if you could make the financial investment that it has to be a profitable venture.
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Author:
dlh (TX)
you should easily and quickly recover you equipment expenses if there is enough work in your area
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PLUMBERS "Protecting The Health Of The Nation"
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Author:
hj
I would NEVER use a "leak detecting plumber" as a locator. I use a leak detecting company, which does ONLY that. They have ALL the equipment to find the leak, and since that is all they do, they also have the experience to use it. It would not pay for me to invest the MANY THOUSANDS of dollars the equipment costs, (the light gas helium detector costs a few grand by itself), unless I were doing many leak detections every day. And if I did that, I would not have time to repair the leaks I found.
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Author:
sum (FL)
Down in south Florida, most leak detection companies are for swimming pools. I opened the yellow book, Leak King, Leak Be Gone, The Leak Stops Here...those companies are all specialized pool plumbing companies, they don't do bathrooms or landscape irrigation, but they will plumb your pool lines, install pumps, filters, detect and repair leaks in lines.
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Author:
hj
Did you look under "pipe locating" and/or "leak detection"? The ones here ONLY do that, they do not do plumbing, pools, or anything else. There are plumbers who do "leak detection", but their results have been much less than stellar, especially considering their charges.
Edited 1 times.
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