What does leak detection cost?
Acoustic leak detection surveys can be conducted at the rate of about 2 miles of pipe main per day. The dollar cost will vary with local labor or consultant charges. For a California leak detection program, half the savings were achieved with survey cost of less than $100 per acre-foot and 80 percent of the water savings were achieved with survey cost of less than $200 per acre-foot. What do leak repairs cost? Answer: The cost of leak repair varies widely, from a few minutes by one person to tighten a nut on a leaky meter, to two days by a crew with heavy equipment to repair a deeply buried main. Scheduled maintenance for leak repairs is far cheaper than unscheduled overtime. Why do leaks produce noise? Answer: Leaks make noise because the pressurized water forced out through a leak loses energy to the pipe wall and to the surrounding soil area. This energy creates sound waves in the audible range, which can be sensed and amplified by electronic transducers, or in some cases, by simple
