Case Study
Mains Water Leak Beneath a Kitchen Floor in Didcot
Bowing Kitchen Subfloor After Water Exposure
Visual Inspection, Pressure Testing, Moisture Mapping, Thermal Imaging and Tracer Gas were used to investigate the symptoms and confirm the cause: pinhole leak found in copper mains pipe.
Google Reviews ★★★★★ 5.0 Rating 70+ Reviews Read Reviews- ✓ Leak Located
- ✓ Mains Water Investigation
- ✓ Copper Pipe Pinhole
- ✓ Repair Completed
The Challenge
Bowing Kitchen Subfloor After Water Exposure
The kitchen subfloor had started bowing upwards after the timber was exposed to water beneath the floor. An engineer appointed by the customer's insurer had already visited, but the source remained unresolved. The visible floor movement showed that moisture had affected the floor build-up, while the concealed origin still needed to be established before repair work could be directed accurately.
- ✓ The kitchen subfloor was bowing upwards
- ✓ Timber beneath the floor had been exposed to water
- ✓ The source remained unresolved after an earlier visit
- ✓ A concealed mains water pipe leak was suspected beneath the floor
Investigation
Investigation Evidence
Selected photos and videos from the investigation sequence showing the evidence-led approach used on site.
Investigation
Building Evidence Before Focused Access
The investigation combined visual inspection, moisture mapping and thermal imaging with pressure testing and tracer gas. The surface checks helped assess the affected kitchen floor and focus attention on the concealed area, while the pipework tests investigated whether the pressurised mains supply was losing water and helped narrow the likely escape point. The recorded evidence was considered together rather than relying on one method in isolation.
Visual, Moisture And Thermal Assessment
The bowing subfloor showed that water had affected the floor build-up, but surface movement alone could not identify which concealed pipe had failed.
Visual inspection, moisture mapping and thermal imaging were used around the affected kitchen floor.
These checks helped define the affected area and provided context for the controlled pipework tests that followed.
MethodPressure Testing
The suspected source was a concealed pressurised mains water pipe beneath the floor.
Pressure testing formed part of the investigation into the hidden supply pipework.
The pipework evidence supported continued investigation of the concealed mains route rather than treating the floor distortion as a surface-only issue.
MethodTracer Gas Investigation
The pipe was hidden beneath the floor and the leak position needed to be narrowed before access.
Tracer gas was used alongside the other recorded investigation methods.
The combined evidence guided focused access to the copper mains pipe beneath the kitchen floor.
Findings
Pinhole Leak Found In Copper Mains Pipe
A small pinhole leak was found in the copper mains water pipe beneath the kitchen floor. Water escaping from this concealed defect had reached the timber floor build-up, explaining why the subfloor had absorbed moisture and bowed upwards. Because the pipe was hidden below the finished floor, the visible distortion identified a consequence of the leak rather than its precise source.
- A small pinhole was confirmed in the copper mains water pipe
- The failed pipe was concealed beneath the kitchen floor
- Escaped water had affected the timber floor build-up
- The confirmed defect explained the bowing subfloor
Outcome
Leak Located, Repaired And Documented
- ✓ Leak Located
- ✓ Mains Water Investigation
- ✓ Copper Pipe Pinhole
- ✓ Repair Completed
The pinhole leak was located and repaired. A written report was then supplied to document the investigation findings for the customer's insurance claim.
Investigation Insights
What This Investigation Shows
- ✓Bowing timber flooring can show that water has affected the floor build-up, but it does not identify the exact source on its own.
- ✓A small pinhole in concealed copper pipework can cause significant moisture effects before the defect is visible.
- ✓Surface assessment and controlled pipework tests can be combined to narrow a hidden leak before focused access.
- ✓A written investigation report can record the confirmed cause and outcome for an insurance claim without determining the insurer's decision.
Local Coverage
Leak Detection In Didcot
This investigation was completed in Didcot, Oxfordshire.
We regularly carry out leak detection investigations across Didcot and surrounding areas.
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