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Leak Detection

Chimney Flue Leak

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Does the home you’re purchasing have a chimney flue?

Did you look on the ceiling to determine if it’s leaking or not?

Below is an infrared photo of what a ‘hidden’ leak looks like in an NZ home. During a routine infrared moisture inspection today in Glen Eden, the thermal imaging camera instantly revealed moisture pooling on top of the gib board around where the flue penetrates the gib board ceiling. The ceiling itself was in perfect condition, leaving the leak going undetected to the human eye. Would your average building inspector have detected this ‘invisible’ leak? (Unlikely).

Although this type of water penetration isn’t a major concern to some investors, it’s still nice to know the leak is there before handing over your money. This infrared photo alone could certainly help your to negotiate the price down (Visual images like this are very powerful when negotiating). The interesting part about this home was the 4 other leaks we found… you couldn’t see any of them with the human eye. The roof itself had a slight pitch on it, but was still failing in multiple areas.

Even though we found several issues with this property, the buyer felt really good about herself in the end, because she had a clear picture of what she was actually buying.

NZ has a very wet climate as we all know, so shouldn’t it be logical to get your next property tested for moisture and leaks? Here’s a photo of why you should consider our unique leak detection service as part of your due diligence.

Can you see the leak around the top of the flue in the infraed image?

Large leak detected using our infrared camera
Large leak detected using infrared

 

Leaky Roof – Cracked Roof Tile

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Does the home you’re about to buy have a leaky roof?

Don’t be fooled by freshly painted or ‘neat & tidy’ ceilings when buying a home in NZ… we’ve found too many leaks with the infrared camera that certainly couldn’t be seen with the human eye.

If your building inspection report comes back saying “there is a cracked tile on the roof that needs to be repaired”, don’t forget about what damage might have been caused as a result of the issue!!!

Hidden Leak on Ceiling

This infrared image shows a leak found on the lounge room ceiling of a house in the Onehunga/Royal Oak area. This photo was taken on a hot sunny day… and the leak still appeared clear as crystal.

Here’s another important point to consider: How will a building inspector detect a flashing leak on a dry day? Our thermal imaging & moisture detection equipment allows us to find signs of moisture inside the building envelope well after the rain has gone.

Remember, the financial risk is 100% with you when purchasing a home. Take your time and do the correct research before handing over your savings, otherwise the house could end up draining your bank account with ‘unexpected’ repair work.

Plumbing Leak – Garage Ceiling Water Leak

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Buying a home without a leak detection inspection is very risky these days.

Recently in South Auckland I did a post purchase thermal imaging leak test on a home… what a result! (see photo below)

Why was it a ‘post’ purchase inspection, rather than a ‘pre’ purchase inspection? Can you believe the seller wouldn’t let the potential buyers inside to inspect the home prior to purchase… ‘because it was a mortgagee sale!’

This was a shambles… the price of the property was ‘to good to refuse’, so the buyer got emotional and went ahead and purchased the house anyway. 4 days later I get a call to come a check the house for leaks.

You can clearly see the leak in this image below because you’re looking at it through the eyes of an infrared camera…. but could the human eye see it? No.

Major Leak from Faulty Plumbing
Major Leak from Faulty Plumbing

There was a bathroom directly above this area which is the primary suspect. In this case, the plumber will most likely break the gib open on the garage ceiling and repair the leak(s) from underneath.

If you are prepared to buy a home in NZ without testing for leaks first, then you’re clearly taking a big risk. This one should be easy to fix… but, the sale price may have been lower had this issue been discovered prior to handing over the $$$.

Leaks Caused by Roof Pressure Wash & Water Blasting

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Have you had your roof pressure washed lately? This leak photo below may be of interest to you.

Does the water blasting company guarantee no leaks?

 Yesterday I inspected the home of an elderly lady who was in a panic about a leak that ‘suddenly appeared’ on her ceiling. She had just hired a company to pressure blast all the moss and dirt off her roof so she can get it painted.

Before you hire a company to clean your roof, you should ask them what happens if they blast water in the wrong direction and it ends up in your ceiling… just like it did to the lady above. Water blasted under flashings can do damage to your walls and ceiling (i.e. Water getting in and wetting the insulation, causing potential mould growth), so make sure you ask the right questions before agreeing to getting your house cleaned, like what are their guarantees and experience.

Take a look at this infrared photo…  the result of a roof water pressure clean: (Dark areas are water leaks on gib board ceiling that weren’t all visible to the human eye)

leak water pressure blast clean on roof

If you suspect leaks in your ceiling after a contractor has been on your roof, give me a call and i’ll thermal image the area. You will then receive a written report that you can present to the company who cleaned the roof 🙂

Ranch Slider Door Leak – Joinery Failure

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Do you have ranch slider(s) in your home, or the home you’re looking to buy? 

The 2 photos below demonstrate what a leak around a ranch slider door looks like… and the damage it can cause!

The first infrared photo below shows a leak I found, thanks to a failure in the joinery on the second floor ranch slider leading out to a deck. You can see the moisture content is quite high (dark area), and has spread both ways along the skirting… but… the leak didn’t stop there!

The second photo is a leak in the garage directly underneath the ranch slider door upstairs. The water had made its way into the garage wall below. Take a look at these two images… (neither could be seen with the human eye)

Ranch slider door leak

ranch slider door joinery leak

Leak in Garage Wall Below

garage wall leak

Got a leak you can’t find? What about the home you’re looking to purchase, has it got hidden leaks?

Aluminium Joinery Leak

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Aluminium joinery that isn’t straight can cause leaks… and you usually won’t know until it’s too late!

So how far has the leak extended?

Recently I was conducting infrared leak inspections in Picton, Nelson and Blenheim area. One of the home owners had smelt signs of moisture in one of the rooms, but couldn’t see any issues. Within 30 seconds, I had detected a huge leak (see infrared photo below). The aluminium joinery around the window turned out to be the problem. We found the leak entry point, and luckily for the home owner the gib board below the window was still ok and didn’t need to be replaced.

The insulation in this area will be very moist, and will not dry out for some time… so this specific area will be moisture tested again after winter.

Here’s a photo of what window joinery failure can create….

aluminium joinery leak

Suspect a joinery leak?

Atrium Leak

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It can be sometimes be difficult to pin point the entry point of atrium leaks, due to the vast amount of glass and joinery involved.

So is there a faster way to find these leaks?

 The infrared photo below shows a leak I recently found thanks to a perished window rubber higher up the glass. The main issue here was that the home owner noticed the leak ‘show itself’ at the skirting board at the bottom of the wall below the atrium, and had no idea where is was coming from. I quickly sorted it out with the thermal imaging camera without touching the wall.

Here a photo of the leak… (see dark area to the right of infrared photo)

atrium leak

Got a leak that you can’t find? We can help find it without putting holes in your wall.

Flat Roof Leak – Leak Appearing on Ceiling Below

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Do you have a flat roof leak in your home?

Has a leak appeared in a random place on the ceiling below?

There is nothing more confusing then a flat roof leak. Put simply, it could be coming from anywhere.

flat roof leak

So what can you do about a leak coming from the roof… tear down the ceiling and wait for the next lot of rain, or is there an easier way?

What normally happens with roofs leaks (and any other leak for that matter), is that water will follow the path of least resistance and pool in one spot. The photo to the left is a perfect example. Thermal imaging is usually the fastest way to follow the track of the leak, as the infrared camera isn’t detecting water, it’s detecting the minute temperature difference of where the water has recently been.

Some people are happy to chase their tail to find the leak, whilst others would prefer to remain sane and get the leak detected asap. When it comes to water pooling in the middle of your ceiling, the leak source is usually far away from where the water has actually pooled and penetrating through… that’s just the low point.

Thermal imaging leak detection is what we do, so don’t hesitate to call us for a free quote if your flat roof is leaking.

Water Leaking onto Carpet at the Bottom of a Wall

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Have you noticed water leaking onto your carpet at the bottom of a wall?

Water can travel sideways, so the leak isn’t always coming from the ‘obvious’ area…

Whilst doing a leak inspection with the thermal imaging camera at an office building recently, I came across a separate leak that the company had no idea was even there. As you can see in the lefthand photo below, the infrared camera picked up the leak on the carpet that wasn’t visible to the the human eye (righthand photo).

carpet leak

One of the reasons they didn’t know the water was on their carpet, was because the carpet was a dark blue colour… but regardless, the problem was still there. As you will see in the thermal image, the first area you would suspect the leak it tracking from is the window… but it turns out that wasn’t the case. The leak wasn’t coming down the walls, nor was it coming in from a deck directly outside. Is some cases, a builder may have popped a hole is the wall around the bottom of the window to see where the leak entry point may have been… which would have been a complete waste of time and money in this case. The tricky thing about water leak detection is that it normally isn’t tracking from where you think it might be.

In this case, there was a support pilon outside the building that had a ‘decorative’ plaster finish around it. At the top of the pilon was another ‘decorative’ parapet. This plaster finish was attached to the exterior wall right outside where the leak was entering the corner of the room. A roofer found the source of the leak in this case.

Gutter Leak Causes ‘Leaky Home’

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Don’t panic if your home has leaks… it doesn’t mean it’s a leaky home.

Here’s what a client ‘expressed concern’ about recently during a pre purchase infrared moisture inspection…

Whilst doing a pre purchase inspection for leaks in Glenfield recently, we came across a leak with the infrared camera that was quite a heavy one (see photo below). The potential buyer of the home hit the panic button and said to me “is this a leaky home?“.

leaking gutter

There is a BIG difference between a ‘home with leaks’ and a ‘leaky home’. For starters, the home was built in the 70’s, had weatherboard cladding and eves. The buyer wasn’t really aware of the basic ‘red flags’ for a leaky building, such as no eves, generally have plaster cladding, no cavity, untreated timber etc etc. This home was quite the opposite.

If you come across a leak in the building you live in, or a home you’re looking to buy, then in many cases it’s just that… a leak. The photo below is a heavy leak I found with the thermal imaging camera. The seller of the home investigated the exterior of the home directly above the suspect area, and it turned out to be a blocked gutter that was full of water and had overflowed back over the soffit and down into the walls.

Regardless, it’s lucky the home buyer knew about this leak for negotiation purposes. Don’t buy a home in NZ until you know what’s behind the walls!