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When a large, standing pool of water blocked employees from entering a manufacturing facility in Kent, Washington, it created a real headache. Employees had to use an alternate entrance that was further away from their normal entrance into the building.
The source of the problem was obvious to the facility managers – a large water leak. Not only was that leak creating a nuisance for employees getting to work, it was costing the company money from the resulting non-revenue water loss. So, they did what any manager would do and checked the as-built records for their domestic water lines and fire loop to trace the source of the leak…
And that’s when they realized those as-builts were outdated and inaccurate.
To make matters worse, the business’ long-time facility manager had retired, taking all of his institutional knowledge with him. So, they hired a local leak detection contractor – two of them, actually – but both provided inaccurate information on the location of the leak.
The incorrect information from those attempted leak detection surveys led to unnecessary and costly concrete demolition and digging. The facility needed to find the leak, to stop losing money on water loss and restore employee access to the building.
So, they called GPRS for help.
GPRS Project Manager Derek Kauffman worked with the two facility managers to establish a plan to locate the suspected lines that were the source of the leak. Kauffman used electromagnetic (EM) locating and ground penetrating radar (GPR) scanning to locate the multiple water lines feeding the building. Once the lines were located, he planned to use acoustic leak detection equipment to pinpoint the leak.
“The facility manager showed me where the riser was in the building, which was close to where the water was coming up, so that gave me hope,” said Derek Kauffman.
What’s the difference between a domestic water system riser and a fire loop system riser?
A domestic water system riser, in this case, delivers potable (drinking) water to the building for uses such as sinks, toilets, showers, and other “domestic” uses. A fire loop riser delivers water specifically for the fire suppression system, and is independent of the domestic water system.
The GPRS team used an electromagnetic locator paired with GPR to accurately map the fire loop and domestic water lines. This precision locating helped clarify that the suspected fire riser was, in fact, a domestic water line.
To pinpoint the leak, Kauffman employed acoustic leak detection technology on the domestic water riser. Clear indications of a leak were detected, allowing GPRS to provide the client with an exact location.
“My investigation kept leading me to the riser, which made me think the leak was at the 90-degree leading up into the building. I put my microphone on that riser and it about blew my eardrums out,” Kauffman explained.
Because Kauffman started the project by locating all the possible water lines leading to the building and didn’t rely on previous site information, he was able to get a complete picture of the potential locations of the leak.
“I did the whole [area] locate, and it was difficult, but I wanted to give them more information about their water system. They told me I nailed it” said Kauffman.
Since the client was leery of more unnecessary digging after their previous potholing on the other leak detection companies’ data had failed, Kauffman offered to scan the concrete above the line location, so the client could core-drill and confirm the water line was there. The client readily agreed.
The client used the location information from GPRS to pothole and expose the leak at the 90-degree fitting where the pipe enters the building — precisely where GPRS had indicated.
Thanks to GPRS’s accurate mapping of the water system, and locating the precise area of the leak, the client avoided further unnecessary digging and costly repairs. The leak was fixed, restoring normal employee access and preventing continued water loss.
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GPRS combines leading-edge technology with experienced field expertise to deliver fast, reliable solutions — saving clients time, money, and most importantly, keeping jobsites safer.
Whether you need help locating water leaks, mapping underground utilities, or resolving complex infrastructure issues, GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® to keep your projects on time, on budget, and safe.
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