NO FIND, NO FEE — ON CONFIRMED LEAKS

Domestic water leak detection — A domestic water leak is confirmed when all taps, toilets, appliances and other water points are closed and one of the following occurs:

• The municipal water meter continues to move, confirming that water is escaping from the pressurised water supply system; or
• The plumbing system is pressure-tested and shows a measurable and confirmed drop in pressure.

If a leak is confirmed and our technicians are unable to pinpoint the source using our available detection equipment and methods, the “No Find, No Fee” guarantee applies.

The “No Find, No Fee” guarantee applies specifically to confirmed leaks within pressurised water supply systems and validly testable pool plumbing. The following are outside the scope of this guarantee and are payable in full where identified or confirmed.

If testing or inspection confirms that the problem is coming from a waste pipe, a drain, a trap, an overflow, or another non-pressurised drainage component, the service is payable in full.

Detection limitations: Full detection fees apply where a waste-pipe leak is confirmed but cannot be precisely pinpointed. Galvanised pipes may temporarily seal themselves, leaving no active leak to locate. If the leak reappears, an additional call-out fee will apply for further testing. These systems are not pressurised water-supply pipes and are therefore not covered by our standard “No Find, No Fee” guarantee.

The guarantee does not cover water ingress or problems originating from: roofs, gutters, balconies, waterproofing, building structures, rising damp, groundwater, external water ingress, or other sources that do not form part of the pressurised plumbing system.

Where our investigation confirms or indicates that the source is one of the above, full payment for the attendance and investigation is required. These are different types of water-related problems and require different testing methods from standard pressurised-pipe leak detection.

For a valid pool leak investigation, the pool must meet the required testing conditions:

• Pool water must be at its normal full operating level — approximately halfway up the weir/skimmer opening.
• Water must be sufficiently clear for dye testing.
• Pump and selector/multiport valve must be fully functional where required.
• Suitable access must be available to the relevant pool pipework and components.
• Relevant inlets, outlets and pipe connections must be capable of being isolated or blanked off with suitable testing equipment.

A pool plumbing leak is confirmed when a valid pressure test on the relevant pool circuit shows a measurable and confirmed pressure drop.

Dye testing is limited to areas within approximately 800 mm of the pool coping. If the suspected leak is deeper than 800 mm below the coping, or is located in an area that cannot be effectively tested using our available methods, the “No Find, No Fee” guarantee does not apply. If a leak is subsequently established in an area outside the valid testing range, full payment for the leak-detection service remains payable.

We can blank off standard round-diameter pool pipes ranging from approximately 12 mm to 63 mm, where the pipe and fitting allow standard testing equipment to be used. Non-standard components may prevent a valid pressure test from being completed. These may include: non-standard inlets or outlets, water features, fountains, spouts, breather ports, bottom drains, or other components that cannot be properly isolated or blanked off.

Where these components prevent a valid pressure test from being completed, the test may be inconclusive and no confirmation reading can be obtained. In these circumstances, the “No Find, No Fee” guarantee does not apply and the applicable call-out or investigation fee remains payable.

Where pipework needs to be cut to allow testing, isolation or repair, cutting and repairing fittings is charged at R65 per fitting where accepted and authorised by the client.

Where we successfully confirm a leak through a valid water-meter test or pressure test, and our technicians cannot pinpoint the source of that confirmed leak using our available leak-detection equipment and methods, you qualify for a full refund of the applicable leak-detection fee.

The guarantee applies only to: a leak that has been confirmed; a system that can be validly tested; a confirmed leak that we have been unable to pinpoint.

If the leak cannot be confirmed, the guarantee cannot be triggered. If the problem is found to be a waste pipe, roof, balcony, rising damp, waterproofing issue, structural water ingress or another source outside the pressurised plumbing system, it falls outside the “No Find, No Fee” guarantee and full payment is required.

Our aim is to be fair and transparent. We will always explain what has been tested, what has been confirmed and, where possible, what we believe the next step should be.