"Rick" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 10:49:29 +0100, Sue Zooki
wrote:

I have a leak from the main drain from the house, which unfortunately
runs under my garage base. I have a pit, 5'6" deep, in the garage, and
the water is seeping into the pit. Getting the job done is no problem,
but I want, if possible, to find exactly where the break or fracture is
to cut down on guesswork, and the amount of digging of course.

I toyed with the idea of using a webcam on the end of drain rods to take
a look for the break, but as it's at least 20 feet from the manhole, and
the maximum length for a USB 1.1 cable is only around 10 feet, that idea
was kicked into touch. Getting someone in with specialist camera gear is
out of the question due to cost.

Anyone have any other suggestions other than, "Get digging matey"?


I found a leak in my 4" ID salt glazed clay sewer pipe the other day, by
indirect
methods. I opened the inspection cover on the pit that the sewer pipe runs
through
as it exits my property, then bunged up the sewer pipe on the house side,
with an
outsize cotton-bud type thing I made from a pole, rags and clingfilm.

I then filled up the sewer by running the outside tap in my gully ( my soil
pipe and
my grey/rainwater all empty into the same pipe ), though if you have
separate
waste systems you'll have to fill the one in question appropriately. I
turned off the tap
when the gully started to fill up.

I was then able to watch the water level in my gully rapidly dropping, down
to a certain
level. That gave me an idea of the size of leak, it gave me its height, and
fortuitously,
since the leak had carved a cubic foot hole away from under the pipe over
the years,
I could actually hear a splashing gurgling sound where the leak was
underground,
though it as to be said the pipe was only a few inches down at that point,
under a thin
layer of cement.

As an aid to hearing the leak, a stick held to the ear and the ground can
help. This technique
is only helpful where there is a void in the ground though, so there is a
free water surface
that can make a splashing sound.

Andy.