How To Detect Leaks In Any Construction Situation

Construction & Contractors Blog

Leak detection, as it applies to construction, has several applications and different approaches. You may need to detect for leaks in air compressor hoses, or the hydraulic cylinders on your trucks, or even the leaks in a poured concrete foundation. That said, the following information will supply you with the ability to test for all of these leaks and how to do it.

Checking for Leaks in Rubber Hoses of All Types

Leak detection in rubber hoses is rather easy.

1. If you can, detach the hose from whatever piece of equipment to which it is attached.
2. Next, submerge the entire hose in a bucket of water, except for the one end of the hose.
3. Pump air through the submerged hose. This can be done with a bike pump, air compressor or air mattress inflation pump. 
4. If there is a leak present, the air moving through the submerged hose will escape through the leak, leaving a trail of bubbles up to the surface of the water in the bucket.

Now that you know there's a leak in the rubber hose, you can either choose to replace the hose entirely, or use a repair kit to patch the leak. Then reinstall the hose on your equipment.

Checking for Leaks in Your Hydraulic Cylinders

Checking for leaks in hydraulic cylinders is a slightly different process. Because it is not leaking air that causes the problem in these components, but rather leaking piston oil and/or hydraulic fluid, you have to check for these kinds of leaks by checking the amount of fluid that is available. Usually, that entails filling the hydraulic fluid and/or piston oil, marking the date and time that you filled either of these fluids, and then waiting and watching what happens. If there is significant leakage of the fluid on the machine or the ground, and/or the hydraulic cylinder begins to slide or "drift" again, you have a definitive leak in the mechanisms of the cylinder. You will need to replace the cylinder completely and recycle the cylinder by sending it to a reconditioning factory or metal scrap plant.

Checking for Leaks in Poured Concrete Foundations

If the leak detection you need is meant to find leaks and cracks in a recently-poured concrete foundation, this approach uses just water to find the leaks. 

1. Section off the area you want to check for leaks. Usually wedging a couple of thick boards into the ground in such a way that the boards are both perpendicular to the wall being tested and vertical to prevent water flow to other sections of the concrete wall.
2. Now that you have this section of wall boxed off, use a watering hose to flood the area. Make sure the hose is as close to the concrete wall as you can get it before turning the water on full blast. 
3. Run the water for several minutes. Generally, the same amount of time it takes for a rainstorm to pass through is the same amount of time you should run the water.
4. Now check the basement floor and opposite side of the wall. If there is a leak, the water will trickle down the wall and run across the floor.

Repairing the wall as you normally would is recommended, but you can also rip the wall out and re-pour it in severe cases. For more information on leak detection, contact a company like First Class Plumbing of Florida Inc.

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27 July 2016