Acoustic vs Thermal vs GPR. Which technology finds your leak?

There's no single best — each excels at different problems. Acoustic is best for pressurised pipe leaks. Thermal is best for moisture mapping. GPR is best for non-water subsurface targets. Professional jobs typically combine two of the three; complex jobs use all three.

Sometimes — for clear-cut situations (obvious dripping ceiling = thermal alone often locates). For most hidden leaks, combining two technologies dramatically increases accuracy and confidence. Multi-tech confirmation reduces false positives and false negatives.

Thermal sees the temperature pattern on the surface of concrete, which is influenced by what's behind it. For a hot-water slab leak, the thermal pattern through 100–200 mm of concrete is usually clear. For cold-water slab leaks, contrast is lower and additional methods are typically needed.

GPR doesn't 'see water' directly — it sees density contrasts in subsurface materials. It locates the pipe (so you know where to look) and can sometimes see the disturbed soil zone around a leak. But it's not the primary 'find the leak' tool; it pairs with acoustic for that role.

Each technology has different physical principles, so they're not biased the same way. When two or three independent technologies all point to the same location, you have very high confidence. Example: thermal shows wet pattern + acoustic correlator confirms leak sound at that point + GPR confirms pipe runs through that point = leak is there.

Equipment cost varies: thermal cameras $5–20K, acoustic correlators $15–50K, GPR systems $25–100K+. For Leak.ca clients, all are included in the standard detection visit price — we deploy whichever the job calls for.

Drones currently do thermal very well (aerial thermal payload), acoustic essentially not at all (drones are too noisy), and GPR poorly (ground contact is needed for radar coupling). For drone-friendly inspections (façades, roofs, large properties), thermal is the workhorse.

GPR — most people don't know it exists or what it can do. The realisation that you can image 4 metres beneath your driveway non-invasively is genuinely surprising. We're often the first detection firm a client has worked with who has it.

Yes — tracer gas (hydrogen-nitrogen detection), video pipe inspection (CCTV/borescope), permanent acoustic monitoring, helium leak detection (for refrigerants), and electromagnetic utility location. The 'big three' (acoustic/thermal/GPR) cover most leak detection work; the others fill specialised niches.