Module 3 · Types of Damp in Detail
3.4 Plumbing Leaks & Building Services
7 min read
Leaks have no characteristic appearance. They simply produce damp wherever the water lands, which means they can imitate any other mechanism. What they cannot imitate is a relationship with the weather — and that is what puts them on or off your list.
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Identify the service types that commonly leak and where each one runs.
- Recognise the behavioural signature that distinguishes a leak.
- Use water-use correlation to test a leak hypothesis without invasive work.
- Recognise when a suspected leak needs escalating rather than diagnosing.
Key terms
- Supply pipework
- Pressurised incoming water. Leaks continuously and often increases metered consumption.
- Waste pipework
- Unpressurised drainage. Leaks only when the appliance above is used, producing an intermittent pattern.
- Heating circuit
- Pressurised flow and return, often buried in floors. Leaks may correlate with the heating running and with pressure loss.
- Escape of water
- The insurance term for damage from a leaking installation — relevant to how you word findings.
Free — enrol to continue
Read the rest of Types of Damp in Detail
Module 1 is open to everyone. The remaining six modules — building science, each damp mechanism in depth, meters and thermal imaging, the full inspection method, and report writing — are free too. We just ask for an email so you can pick up where you left off, and so we can send your certificate when you finish.