Re: Leak finding - perhaps a stethoscope?
Posted by Dan Oliver on January 14, 19100 at 12:37:36:
In response to Re: Leak finding - perhaps a stethoscope?
: : : : : I have a leak in a hot-water line inside one of my walls (I can hear it running very faintly). I'd like to pinpoint the location of the leak without having to break several holes in the wall. It occurred to me that a stethoscope might be useful for this - has anyone ever tried this?

: : : : Dan,
: : : : Sounds like a good idea. There are people out there making a living using the electronic eavsdroppers to find leaks. Terry

: : : I'll give it a try this evening and let you know if I have any luck. I picked up a stethoscope for a whopping $16, so my investment isn't too huge (well, yet).

: : : DanO

: : Well, the stethoscope trick isolated the problem, but didn't find it. It did narrow my "exploratory surgery" to two holes in the sheetrock, but unfortunately the leak seems to be somewhere under the foundation.

: : Terry, I noticed something weird with my hot water line as it enters the foundation...there's a 3/8" line teed off of the main hot water line about a foot above the floor, and then both lines (the main one and this new 3/8" one) enter the foundation. Any idea what that small line might be for?

: Dan,
: could be a recirc line back to the water heater, or it could be to another fixture. Hard to say.

Well, I'm getting closer. I finally noticed that the ground was a bit damp outside the wall where I thought the leak was. I dug a hole to just below the foundation/footer, then turned on the water and watched. I get a small trickle at the base of the foundation, and then after several minutes water starts seeping over the top of the foundation and runs down the outside (thankfully).
I just had a plumber stop by, and he thinks there's a "manifold" inside there. Any idea what that might be?

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