Direct Answer
AnyLeak provides leak and moisture detection services in British Columbia using non-invasive methods — acoustic correlation, tracer gas, thermal imaging, and moisture metering — to find leaks without digging or damage. Every inspection includes a written, insurance-ready report. Call (604) 269-5325 for a free phone consult.
🔄 Reviewed and maintained by the AnyLeak team — October 2026. Rated 5 stars by BC customers.
Some leaks are easier to hear than to see. Escaping water and turbulence produce high-frequency sound — well above the range of human hearing — and that signature is exactly what sonar and ultrasonic equipment is built to capture. AnyLeak.ca has used sound-based detection across British Columbia since 1999 to find leaks in places a visual inspection never could: underwater, inside pressurized pipe, and behind solid structure.
How sonar and ultrasonic detection work
When pressurized water escapes through a crack or joint, it creates turbulence that radiates ultrasonic sound. Ultrasonic detectors and submersible hydrophones isolate that frequency band and filter out background noise, so a technician can move toward the loudest point and pinpoint the source. On submerged structures — pools, tanks, water features — a hydrophone “listens” underwater for the distinctive sound of water leaving the vessel.
Because the method keys on sound rather than temperature or moisture, it is particularly effective on quiet plastic (PE/poly, PVC) pipe and on fittings that other methods struggle with. It pairs naturally with acoustic leak detection and electronic detection.
Where sonar and ultrasonic detection are the right call
- Swimming pools, spas and water features — submerged listening plus line pressure testing. See sonar leak detection for pools and water features.
- Tanks, cisterns and reservoirs — locating a leak in a full vessel without draining it.
- Pressurized supply and mechanical lines — ultrasonic survey of pipe runs, valves and fittings.
- Quiet plastic service lines — where metallic methods give a weak signal.
By property type
Residential. Home pools, spa lines and pressurized plumbing where a slow loss is driving up the water bill. Strata and condo. Shared amenity pools, hot tubs and mechanical-room piping in multi-unit buildings, where a single leak affects the whole corporation. Commercial and institutional. Fountains, decorative water features, fire-line and domestic risers, and storage tanks in commercial buildings and public facilities. Industrial. Process-water tanks and pressurized lines where continuous loss is costly and downtime must be planned.
What to expect
Our leak detection process matches the method to the problem — sonar and ultrasonic are often combined with pressure testing and other techniques to confirm the exact source before any work begins. You receive a clear report that supports your insurance claim where applicable. This is one of several methods in our advanced detection toolkit.
Where we work
Sonar and ultrasonic leak detection is available across Metro Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan — see all service areas.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to drain the pool or tank? No — submerged listening locates many leaks while the vessel is full, which is often faster and more accurate.
Can you find a leak in plastic pipe? Yes. Plastic is quiet, which is exactly where ultrasonic and correlation techniques earn their place.
Is this different from acoustic detection? They are related — both listen for leaks — but sonar/ultrasonic focuses on the higher-frequency, submerged and pressurized cases.
To book sonar or ultrasonic leak detection anywhere in BC, call (604) 269-5325 or request an assessment.
A Closer Look at This Service
Water follows gravity, the path of least resistance, and the buried corridor it sits in, which is why the stain you see is almost never directly above the leak. Understanding where water travels is the entire basis of professional detection work.
A city’s building code, its typical construction era, and its soil behaviour all leave their fingerprints on the leaks it produces. Reading those fingerprints is what makes an investigation accurate on the first visit.
The technician works methodically through the checklist, explaining each step as it happens. Questions are welcome at every stage, and the approach is adjusted when the evidence points in a new direction.
How the Investigation Is Delivered
Every investigation follows the same disciplined sequence: consultation, survey, testing, cross-verification, marking, and documentation. The sequence is deliberate, and each step builds on the last.
- Step 1: Consultation to understand the situation and the history
- Step 2: Site survey and indicator mapping
- Step 3: Testing of the suspected systems with matched methods
- Step 4: Cross-verification of the finding
- Step 5: Marking and documentation
- Step 6: Written, dated report
The third mistake is assuming the leak is in the same room as the stain. Water travels along structure for surprising distances, and the visible stain is almost never the source. The investigation traces the path before any repair is planned.
What This Costs
The comparison that matters is not detection cost versus no cost; it is detection cost versus the cost of an undetected leak. One targeted repair, guided by an exact location, almost always costs less than exploratory work and repeated damage.
Every property is different, which is why pricing follows the investigation plan rather than a menu. The free consultation defines the scope, and the fixed quote follows it. What you are quoted is what you pay.
Insurance and Documentation
Insurance claims fail most often because of missing documentation. A dated, photographed, method-by-method report removes that failure point and gives the adjuster a professional document they can rely on.
For BC policyholders, the practical value is speed: the claim starts with the report already in hand, instead of weeks of back-and-forth while the insurer tries to establish what happened.
What the Report Includes
The written report is the deliverable that separates professional detection from a good guess. It includes the confirmed location, the depth where applicable, the readings, the photographs, the methods used, and an interpretation of the cause and contributing factors.
The written report is the deliverable that separates professional detection from a good guess. It includes the confirmed location, the depth where applicable, the readings, the photographs, the methods used, and an interpretation of the cause and contributing factors.
When to Call
Call when a repair contractor cannot find the source. Blind replacement of pipe, membrane, or roofing is expensive, and it fails when the true cause is elsewhere. The investigation answers the question the contractor could not.
Call when the indicator is persistent, when it repeats after a repair, or when it is accompanied by a second indicator. A single passing event can be a coincidence; a pattern is a leak.
How to Prepare the Property
The best preparation is information: when the issue started, what changed around that time, what the weather did, and what has already been tried. That history is often more valuable than any instrument.
If there is an active leak, the priority is containment: shut off the water at the fixture or main if it can be done safely, move valuables away, and photograph the scene. The technician can be guided by phone while en route.
Common Questions
Is this service non-invasive?
Yes. Every method used works from the surface and leaves no marks. Nothing is cut, dug, or permanently marked during the investigation.
How accurate is the location?
With cross-verified methods, locations are typically within a metre or less, and slab locations within inches.
Is the report useful for insurance?
Yes. The report documents the cause, the extent, the methods used, and the readings, structured for claims and engineering review.
How long does an investigation take?
Most property-level investigations complete within a day, and the written report follows within one to two business days.
Do you repair leaks?
No. Detection and documentation are the service. The report guides the repair contractor to the exact location.
What does this cost?
The quote is fixed before work begins, based on the scope defined in the free consultation. What you are quoted is what you pay.
Call (604) 269-5325 or email info@anyleak.ca for a free consultation. The report is dated, documented, and written to the standard insurers and engineers expect.
★★★★★
"We had a roof leak at our warehouse and they were great to work with. They came out quickly and found the problem."
Christo Sypsas
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