Is a leak sealer ever a suitable solution for a new system?

[darriusdax]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Satisfied it was not due to ice, started before frost and building well insulated.

Followed your guidance. Leak in radiator pipe work.

I tried to find leak with a laser thermometer but as expected it was not sensitive enough to defect a leak.

Would you expect all plumbers to have a thermal camera?

A few years ago a plumber found a leak under my son‘s concrete floor with a sound detection device.

Once concrete floor was dug up in a tiny area he fixed it in 10 seconds. Previous plumber from 5 years earlier did not tighten one of several plastic joints.

thanks ColinK

 

[darriusdax]

you probably sorted this by now, but as a leak detection engineer i can tell you that infra red cameras only work in specific circumstances - you need heat transfer to the surface you are inspecting, so if there is any kind of cavity or complex layering between the leak and the surface you are surveying then you will struggle to pick up a heat bloom, and meanwhile you are potentially causing more damage - the best method is draining the system and running a tracer gas survey - sometimes you can actually hear the gas and water spitting out of the leak without using the gas analyser - If money is tight and you cant afford professional leak detection... and if the leak is big enough, putting your ear to the floors can let your hear it, or adding some cheap perfume to the water ( a lot of perfume ) giving it a few days and trying to smell it has worked for some people but not something i would do.