Chilled Water, Hydronic & Mechanical Piping Leak Detection
Closed mechanical loops — chilled water, condenser water, hydronic heating, glycol and snow-melt — lose pressure and require constant make-up water when they leak, driving energy waste and risking equipment and uptime. We locate leaks in mechanical-room headers and distribution piping, including insulated and in-slab runs, without draining the system or shutting the building down.
Why mechanical-system leaks are different
Unlike domestic water, mechanical loops are closed and often treated with glycol or inhibitors. A leak shows up as falling system pressure, rising make-up water consumption, and air ingress — not always as visible water. Locating these leaks requires methods suited to insulated, pressurised, temperature-active piping.
Systems we investigate
We cover the full range of building mechanical piping:
Chilled & condenser water
Distribution loops serving air handlers, cooling towers and process cooling.
Hydronic heating
Hot-water heating loops, baseboard and fan-coil distribution.
Glycol & snow-melt
Glycol loops, snow-melt slabs and freeze-protected systems.
Boiler & mechanical-room headers
Dense header piping where leaks are hard to isolate visually.
Detection methods for insulated & in-slab piping
We select methods that see through insulation and concrete:
Detection methods we use
Acoustic
Detects pressurised leaks in mechanical-room and concealed distribution piping.
Tracer gas
Pinpoints leaks in insulated, buried or in-slab loops where acoustic signal is limited.
Thermal imaging
Reveals temperature anomalies from hot/chilled leaks behind insulation and finishes.
In-slab GPR
Maps embedded piping before any cut so the repair is targeted.
Where this applies
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities (occupied, critical)
- Data centres and mission-critical cooling
- Universities and campus energy plants
- Office towers, industrial plants and warehouses
What you receive
- Located leak with marked position and depth
- Identification of the affected loop/system
- Make-up water loss context where measurable
- Report for facility, mechanical and engineering teams
Mechanical Piping Leak Detection across Metro Vancouver & BC
We serve building operators and clients throughout British Columbia — Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Interior.
Frequently asked questions
Can you find a chilled water leak without draining the loop?
Yes. Acoustic and tracer-gas methods locate the leak on the pressurised system without draining it, minimising downtime.
How do you locate glycol leaks?
Tracer gas and thermal imaging are highly effective on glycol loops, including buried snow-melt and in-slab runs.
Do you work in occupied data centres and hospitals?
Yes. Our methods are non-invasive and we schedule around critical operations and infection-control requirements.
Can you detect leaks in insulated piping?
Yes — tracer gas and thermal imaging are specifically suited to insulated and concealed mechanical piping.
How do you find an in-slab hydronic leak?
We run the system to warm the loop, use thermal imaging to trace the circuit, and tracer gas plus GPR to pinpoint the leak and map the pipe before any cut.
Protect uptime — locate the mechanical leak without shutting down.
LeakInspections.ca — a division of Anyleak.ca and the Leak.ca family. Professional, non-invasive leak detection across British Columbia since 1999. Call 604-239-9934.