This development of 3 blocks of apartments in London was built during 2022/2023 and handed over to the client in Q4 2023 with a 2 year contractor defects period.
Leaksafe were asked to supply leak detection equipment for each of the 490 apartments to cover all the high-risk areas in the apartments i.e., the utility cupboard, kitchen and ensuites/bathrooms.
We recommended the installation of our WaterHub system designed for new build and major refurbishment projects.
The cost of installing a leak detection system during construction is significantly less than that of retrofitting a leak detection system once leaks become evident, and on this project the M&E contractor installed the equipment, so they had full control of the installation schedule as the building progressed.
A shut off valve was installed on the incoming supply to each apartment and up to 6 zones of leak detection tape laid in the agreed risk locations, cabled back to a WaterHub control panel in the utility cupboard.
If any of the tapes get wet, WaterHub closes the valve on the incoming and immediately sends a message to the building managers with the exact location of the leak so that they can investigate before any damage is done.
In the first 3 months of occupation, the system identified two construction defects that could have led to damage throughout the building.
The first highlighted that shower riser wall brackets had not been properly sealed when being fixed to the wall, allowing water to seep through behind the wall and to the floor. Eventually this would lead to the bathroom tiles lifting and damage to the floor/apartment below.
The second defect related to the installation of basin taps that again had not been correctly sealed and allowed water to seep into the basin void that would eventually damage the walls and floor of the apartment and the ceiling of the apartment below.
In both instances the main contractor was able to instruct sub-contractors to remedy the defects long before any damage was evident, saving both time, cost and disruption to the occupiers.
