Electronic Leak Detection in BC

What is electronic leak detection?

Electronic leak detection — also called tracer gas leak detection — uses a sensitive electronic sensor to find leaks by detecting trace amounts of a specially-introduced gas escaping through them. The gas is a non-flammable, non-toxic mixture of 5% hydrogen and 95% nitrogen. Hydrogen is the smallest molecule in the universe, so it diffuses through any opening big enough for water to pass through — and many openings water won’t even reach. Once introduced to a pressurized line, hydrogen escapes through any breach. The detector picks it up at parts-per-million concentrations and tells the tech exactly where to look.

It’s the method we reach for when acoustic won’t work — depressurized lines, radiant heat embedded in concrete, roof membranes where thermal differential isn’t reliable — or as a confirmation method when we want certainty on a difficult find. Tracer gas works in conditions where every other method fails, which is why it’s the leak detection industry’s most versatile tool.

AnyLeak has used electronic detection across BC for over two decades. We’ve used it on heritage homes with embedded copper, on industrial radiant systems, on commercial flat roofs, and on countless residential pool and spa systems. The gas, the detectors, and the procedures are standardized across the industry; the diagnostic experience that turns readings into accurate locations is what makes the method work in practice.

How tracer gas detection works

The gas: 5% hydrogen, 95% nitrogen, completely safe

The gas we use is a 5% hydrogen / 95% nitrogen mixture, the international standard for utility leak surveys. Hydrogen needs to reach about 4% concentration in open air before it’s flammable; in a leak detection scenario, the actual concentration released through a leak is parts-per-million. That’s thousands of times below the flammability threshold. The gas is also odourless, colourless, non-toxic, and dissipates into the atmosphere within minutes of being released.

For comparison, household gas (natural gas) is flammable at about 5% concentration and is used at much higher concentrations indoors than anything we ever release during leak detection.

The procedure: pressurize, then scan

We isolate the suspected line and drain its water. Then we connect a regulated supply of the H2/N2 mixture to the line and pressurize it to system operating pressure (or sometimes slightly above, depending on application). Gas now occupies the line. Any opening in the line lets gas escape into the surrounding environment — into the concrete slab above a radiant tube, through a roof membrane, into the soil around a buried pipe, into the wall cavity around a domestic supply line.

The tech then walks the suspected area with a sensitive electronic detector. The detector contains a hydrogen-specific sensor that registers concentrations in the parts-per-million range and provides an audible signal (a beep or tone that changes pitch with concentration) plus a numerical reading. Wherever gas is escaping, the reading jumps. The leak is directly beneath or behind the highest reading.

Why hydrogen specifically?

Three reasons hydrogen is the gas of choice. First: smallest molecule, so it escapes through any breach the system could leak water through. Second: not naturally present in significant concentrations in the atmosphere, so the detector isn’t fooled by background noise. Third: completely benign — no environmental impact, no residue, no chemistry to clean up afterward.

When electronic detection is the right call

Electronic is the lead method or critical complement for these scenarios:

• Radiant in-floor heat leak in concrete. Embedded PEX or copper tubing under a slab. Acoustic struggles because the line is depressurized when the system isn’t running and the signal is muffled by concrete. Tracer gas finds it.
• Roof membrane leak on a flat or low-slope roof. Pressurize the space between membrane and substrate; scan the membrane from above. Works in any weather, day or night, regardless of sun exposure.
• Pool, spa, or hot tub leak. Pressurize the suction or return line with tracer gas; scan the surrounding deck, ground, or equipment pad.
• Domestic supply line leak in a wall or ceiling cavity. When access to listen acoustically isn’t great, tracer gas can find it from outside the wall.
• Underground service line leak. Pressurize the line; walk the surface above with the detector. Works where acoustic is defeated by ambient noise or soil characteristics.
• Multi-zone industrial or commercial systems. Isolate one zone at a time; gas-test each. The leak is in the zone that won’t hold pressure.
• Diagnostic confirmation. When another method has suggested a location but we want certainty before recommending demolition.

It’s not the right call when the system can’t be drained and isolated — sometimes that’s the case in actively-occupied commercial systems with no shut-off valves. In those rare cases we work with the building engineer or pivot to non-invasive methods.

Real-world examples from BC properties

Radiant heat slab leak in a Coquitlam home

A homeowner reported their boiler kept losing pressure and needed daily make-up water. The system fed a radiant in-floor loop across the main floor. We tried acoustic first; the signal was inconclusive through the polished concrete. We drained the loop, charged it with tracer gas at 15 psi, and walked the floor with the detector. The reading peaked sharply in a hallway between the kitchen and dining room. A contractor opened a 20×20 cm section of concrete, found a failed PEX-to-copper coupling, repaired in place, repoured. System has held pressure since.

Flat roof leak on a Richmond office building

Property management reported intermittent drips into the second-floor offices during heavy rain. Visual inspection of the 800 m² built-up roof showed no obvious damage. Thermal scans had been inconclusive due to several consecutive cloudy days. We sealed off the roof edges and pressurized the space under the membrane with tracer gas. Within 90 minutes we’d walked the surface and identified two distinct leak zones at the membrane — one near a parapet flashing, one at a vent boot. Both were patched the following week; the next heavy rain produced no drips.

Pool return line leak at a Vancouver Island resort

Resort operations reported their pool was losing about 10 cm of water per week beyond evaporation. The plumbing fed through a poured concrete deck. Trenching the deck would have shut the pool for the summer. We isolated the return line, drained it, pressurized with tracer gas, and walked the deck with the detector. The reading peaked in a 30 cm radius near the equipment pad. A contractor opened that small section, found a fractured 1.5″ PVC return line at an elbow, repaired and re-poured. Pool was back in service within a day of the repair.

Our process, step by step

1. Free phone consult. (604) 269-5325. We confirm electronic detection is the right method for your situation. If we’d start with another method first, we’ll tell you.
2. System isolation and drain. We isolate the suspected line and remove water. Depending on the system, this can take 15 minutes to an hour.
3. Tracer gas charging. Connect the regulated gas supply; pressurize the line to operating pressure or slightly above. Gas now fills the line.
4. Surface scan. The tech walks the suspected area with the electronic detector. Audible signal and numerical reading guide them to the highest concentration.
5. Triangulation and marking. For larger areas, multiple sensor passes confirm the source. The location gets a temporary mark.
6. Gas purge. The line is purged of tracer gas. Once complete, the system can be returned to normal water service or held empty for repair.
7. Reporting. Insurance-ready documentation: photos, methodology, equipment, location markers, narrative interpretation.
8. Handoff. Marked location shared with repair contractor.

Equipment and gas mixture

• Regulated H2/N2 gas supply cylinders (5% hydrogen / 95% nitrogen industry-standard mixture).
• Pressure regulator and supply lines for controlled introduction to the suspected system.
• Hydrogen-specific electronic detectors — sensitive to ppm-level concentrations, audible and numerical output.
• Sensor probes for surface scanning, including extension wands for hard-to-reach areas.
• Pressure gauges for system pressure monitoring before, during, after.
• Documentation gear — photo, measurement, sketch tools for the report.

Cost & our “no detection, no charge” policy

Electronic detection typically costs more per visit than acoustic because of setup, gas supply, and longer scan times. It costs less than the alternative on systems it’s good for: opening up concrete slabs, ripping up roof membranes, or digging up pool decks to find leaks by sight.

The no-detection-no-charge policy applies: if we can’t find the leak, you don’t pay for the visit. Call (604) 269-5325 for a free phone consult and a transparent quote on your situation.

Service areas across BC

We provide this service across British Columbia. Priority booking across Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley — Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Kamloops, and the rest of our BC service area.

Frequently asked questions about electronic leak detection

Related detection methods

Electronic detection often pairs with another method to confirm a difficult find:

• Acoustic detection — pressurized water leaks by sound.
• Thermal imaging — temperature anomalies from moisture.
• Underground detection — GPR and correlation for buried mainlines.
• Drone inspection — aerial thermal for large commercial roofs.
• Pressure & tracer gas — combined method for complex multi-zone systems.