Commercial & Multi-Family Leak Detection

A leak on a commercial or multi-family property is a different problem from a leak at a single house. The lines are bigger, the runs are longer, the water bill is paid by an HOA or a property manager who isn't on site, and a break can flood a common area that dozens of residents walk through. We've worked main breaks at condominium complexes in the middle of the night, slab leaks in commercial lower levels, and long-running mystery losses on HOA irrigation mains, and we're set up to handle the whole job from the first locate to the restored lawn.

On a commercial property we start the same way: confirm the loss at the meter, isolate what can be isolated, and trace the lines. Multi-family sites often have a private main feeding several buildings with no as-built drawing anyone can find, so tracing matters. Then we locate acoustically, with a correlator across the long runs, and mark the break. For property managers that means one excavation in one place rather than a landscape contractor guessing across the whole lawn.

We secure the site with caution tape, cones and plywood ground protection, we pump standing water so the area is workable, and we bring lights for after-hours work. Our mini excavator and crew do the excavation and the repair, and we restore the common area when it's done. You get a written description of what was found and fixed for the board, the owner or the insurer.

We work with the property management companies and HOA boards around Kitsap County on scheduled investigations as well as emergencies. If you manage a property with a water bill that doesn't make sense, call (206) 354-9906.

When you need commercial leak detection

• A flooded common area, parking lot edge or landscape bed
• A utility notice of continuous usage on a master meter
• Pressure complaints from several units at once
• A persistently wet hallway, utility room or slab
• An irrigation main that runs the master meter all night
• Sinkholes or settling in a drive aisle or lawn

How the job goes

1. Confirm and quantify. Master meter test with the buildings isolated where possible, to confirm the loss and get a number for it.
2. Trace the private mains. Locate the private distribution lines between the meter and the buildings.
3. Locate. Acoustic detection with a correlator across the long runs, then pinpointing at the break.
4. Secure the site. Tape, cones, plywood and lights. Residents and tenants kept safe and informed.
5. Excavate and repair. Mini excavator and crew open the ground at the break and make a buried-rated repair, or replace the failed run.
6. Restore and document. Backfill, compaction, landscape restoration and a written report for the board or owner.

Equipment and materials

• Acoustic ground microphone and correlator
• Pipe locator
• Submersible pumps
• Caution tape, cones, plywood ground protection, tripod lights
• HDPE and PEX with buried-rated fittings
• Mini excavator

What shapes the scope

Every property is different, and these are the things that decide whether a job is a quick morning or a full day. We'll tell you which it is before we start.

• Size and length of the private mains
• Whether site drawings exist
• Access and working hours, including after-hours requirements
• The amount of standing water to be managed
• Landscape and hardscape restoration scope