Water escaping a pressurised pipe makes a constant hiss. Acoustic equipment listens for it through paving, concrete and soil, then narrows it to a point.
It is the first method tried on most jobs because it is fast and needs nothing opened. See Leak Detection Cape Town for the full service range.
Tell us the pipe material if you know it, and what surface covers the run.
Get an Acoustic Detection QuoteTwo Pieces of Equipment
- Ground microphone - a contact sensor swept across the surface. The loudest point is the leak. Best on shallow lines under hard surfaces.
- Correlator - two sensors clamped at either end of a run. It times the sound travelling to each and calculates the distance to the break. Best on long buried mains where sweeping is impractical.
Where Acoustics Struggle
Plastic pipe at low pressure transmits sound poorly, deep lines lose signal to the soil, and traffic or a running pool pump masks the noise. On those jobs the next step is tracer gas or a pressure test rather than more listening.
Acoustic Leak Detection Prices in Cape Town
| Job | Indicative range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustic detection, standard | R1,450 – R3,000 | Call-out plus first hour on site. |
| Correlator survey on a long main | R1,800 – R3,800 | Boundary-to-house or estate runs. |
| Additional hours | R400 – R900 per hour | Multiple leaks or difficult access. |
| Escalation to tracer gas | R4,750 – R6,000 | Plus gas at R1,400 – R1,800 per bottle. |
| After-hours acoustic work | R600 – R1,300 per hour | Quieter conditions, higher rate. |
| Marked-up plan and report | R650 – R1,800 | Position, depth estimate and photographs. |
These are indicative market ranges, not a quotation. They are compiled from published South African leak detection and plumbing pricing to give you a starting point for budgeting. They are not the rate card of any company on this platform.
Acoustic work is quieter and more accurate at night, which is why some detection on busy roads is deliberately booked after hours despite the rate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does acoustic detection work on plastic pipe?
Less well than on copper or galvanised. Plastic dampens the sound, so on a low-pressure plastic line a specialist will often move to tracer gas or pressure testing instead.
How deep can it detect?
Typically to around 1.5 metres in normal soil conditions. Deeper lines, very wet ground and heavy background noise all reduce the range.
Do I need to be home?
Someone needs to give access to the meter, the stopcock and the internal plumbing. Beyond that the work is external on most jobs.
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