Excellent service and knowledgeable engineers
They were polite, efficient, extremely knowledgeable and kept me updated as the detection progressed.
ColinReview excerpt
Read full reviewLeak detection for listed buildings in Buckinghamshire
For listed homes and historic buildings anywhere from Olney in the north to Taplow and Iver in the south. Tell the office where water or damp is showing, what you know about the listing and which original finishes need care.
Discuss your building0333 567 2631Office: Mon–Fri, 7:30am–6:30pm
Weekends closed
Leak detection services in Buckinghamshire
Water in an older building rarely shows itself where it starts. These are common starting points for an enquiry, before anyone decides what, if anything, needs opening up.
Water behind a wall
or beneath a floor
Pipework can run under boards, behind panelling or inside fitted joinery, and older alterations may have moved it. Say which finishes are original before anything is lifted.
A water bill that keeps
rising, with nothing showing
A meter that moves with everything turned off suggests water is escaping from the supply. Isolating sections of pipework helps narrow down where.
How an investigation is arranged
Much of the planning happens before anyone arrives, because the building, its finishes and any permissions shape what can be done.
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Call with the building details
Give the postcode, where water or damp is showing and what you know about the listing, plans and earlier investigations. The office discusses suitability before a visit is booked.
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Agree the scope and access
Settle what will be investigated, which areas can be reached and who else needs to be involved. Request the booking terms before confirming.
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The investigation on site
The engineer carries out the agreed investigation, using methods suited to the system and the fabric. Any further opening-up is discussed before it happens.
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Written findings
The engineer prepares written findings to share with your advisers. A suspected location can still need further access before it is confirmed.
Leak detection methods and equipment
Methods are chosen for the system, the materials and the access available. Each has limits, so the findings are read together.
How methods are chosen- Thermal imaging
- Shows surface temperature patterns that can help follow hot water and heating routes. It does not see inside a wall.
- Moisture measurements
- Compare readings across floors and walls. Salts and changes of material in older masonry can affect a meter, so readings are read alongside everything else.
- Acoustic listening
- Listens for sounds associated with water escaping from pressurised pipework. Site conditions affect how useful it is.
- Tracer gas
- Can assist on suitable systems by introducing gas to the pipework and detecting where it comes through.
- Inspection cameras
- Look into voids where suitable access already exists. Making a new opening is discussed first.
Areas we cover in Buckinghamshire
ADI provides leak detection across England, Scotland and Wales. The places below are examples, grouped into Milton Keynes and the four former district areas that now make up Buckinghamshire Council. The list is not complete, so call with the full postcode wherever the building is.
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Milton Keynes
- Towns
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- Central Milton Keynes
- Bletchley and Fenny Stratford
- Wolverton and Greenleys
- Stony Stratford
- Newport Pagnell
- Olney
- Woburn Sands
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Aylesbury Vale
- Towns
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- Aylesbury
- Buckingham
- Winslow
- Other places
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- Wendover
- Haddenham
- Stoke Mandeville
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Chiltern
- Towns
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- Amersham
- Chesham
- Other places
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- Chalfont St Peter
- Chalfont St Giles
- Little Chalfont
- Great Missenden
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South Bucks
- Towns
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- Beaconsfield
- Gerrards Cross
- Other places
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- Burnham
- Denham
- Farnham Common
- Iver
- Stoke Poges
- Taplow
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Wycombe
- Towns
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- High Wycombe
- Marlow
- Princes Risborough
- Other places
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- Bourne End
- Hazlemere
- Flackwell Heath
- Stokenchurch
Consent and local information
Tracing a leak and changing historic fabric are separate decisions. Whether the work that follows needs consent is a question for the council.
Read the consent guidance- Who handles listed building consent
- Buckinghamshire Council, for most of the county. It replaced the county council and the Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe district councils in April 2020, so older consents and plans may carry a former district name. In Milton Keynes, it is Milton Keynes City Council.
- Work that needs consent in Buckinghamshire
- The council’s guidance covers internal as well as external alterations, introducing new materials, and changing materials, giving a switch from metal to plastic pipes as an example. Read the council’s guidance.
- If you are unsure
- Buckinghamshire Council recommends its paid heritage advice service for finding out whether a piece of work needs consent. Read the council’s advice.
- In Milton Keynes
- Milton Keynes City Council says works affecting the character of a listed building need consent, inside as well as out, and that carrying them out without consent is a criminal offence. Read the city council’s page.
- Checking whether a building is listed
- Historic England’s National Heritage List for England is the official register of listed buildings. A place on Milton Keynes City Council’s MK New Town Heritage Register is locally significant, but that local list does not bring the extra consent controls of national listing.
- Water supply
- Thames Water, Anglian Water and Affinity Water each supply parts of the county. For a question about the supply pipe, go by the company named on the water bill.
ADI Leak Detection reviews
Selected Trustpilot reviews of ADI’s wider service.
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Hamaad from ADI was great
He was very thorough with his work and communicated everything very clearly.
JohnReview excerpt
Read full review -
Hamaad a fantastic engineer
Hammad found the source after conducting a series of checks.
JamieReview excerpt
Read full review
Questions about Buckinghamshire
Is Milton Keynes included?
Yes. Milton Keynes is part of ceremonial Buckinghamshire, but it has its own city council, so consent questions there go to Milton Keynes City Council rather than Buckinghamshire Council.
Our address has a Slough or Maidenhead post town. Is that covered?
If the building is in Burnham, Farnham Common or Taplow, yes. Those Buckinghamshire places use a Slough or Maidenhead post town. Coverage is checked against the full postcode either way.
Could replacing old pipework need consent here?
It can. Buckinghamshire Council lists changing materials, for example from metal pipes to plastic pipes, among the work that needs listed building consent. Check a proposed repair with the council before it goes ahead. Read the council’s guidance.
Do you cover places that are not named here?
The places on this page are examples. Call with the full postcode and a short description of the building, and the office will check suitability and appointment availability.
How soon can an engineer attend?
That depends on the postcode, the building and the appointments available. Office hours are not a promise of engineer attendance, so ask about arrangements for your visit when you call.
Will floors or finishes have to be opened up?
Not every investigation needs it, but it cannot be ruled out in advance. Tell the office about original finishes and restricted areas, and settle any further access, and the permissions it may need, before work affecting the fabric goes ahead.
Who decides whether work needs listed building consent?
The local planning authority, usually through its conservation or heritage officers. A leak investigation does not replace that advice. Read the consent guidance.
Talk to ADI about a leak
in your building
Tell ADI where the water is showing, what has changed and what you know about the building.
Discuss your building0333 567 2631Office: Mon–Fri, 7:30am–6:30pm
Weekends closed