Articles
How to Report a Leak to Scottish Water (And What Happens Next)
A plain-English walkthrough of how to report a water leak to Scottish Water, how they decide if it’s their pipe or yours, and what happens if a leak on your side of the boundary gets left unfixed.
Tenement Water Leaks: Who Pays for Common Repairs?
Working out who pays for a tenement water leak starts with one question: is the pipe sole-use or shared? This guide covers title deeds, the Tenement Management Scheme, block insurance for common pipes, and the practical steps owners in Glasgow and Edinburgh tenements can take when a leak won’t wait for a factor meeting.
Radiator Leaking? Causes, Quick Fixes and When to Call for Help
A leaking radiator is usually a valve, gland or weep hole letting go, or pinhole corrosion working through the metal. This guide covers how to tell the difference, the towel-and-bowl steps to limit damage right now, and when a persistent leak signals wider corrosion across the whole heating system.
How to Use a Water Meter to Check for Leaks
Most Scottish homes pay for water through council tax, not a meter, so this overnight test mainly suits metered businesses and the smaller number of homes with a water meter fitted. This guide walks through the method, how to isolate internal and external pipework, and what the readings actually tell you.
Detecting Central Heating Leaks: Signs, Tools and When to Call
A central heating leak usually shows up as pressure that keeps dropping, not a puddle on the floor. This guide covers the warning signs, why microbore pipes and corrosion make leaks hard to spot, and how thermal imaging and tracer gas find the fault without lifting every floorboard in the house.
How Acoustic Leak Detection Works
Acoustic leak detection uses sensitive ground microphones to listen for the sound a pressurised leak makes as it escapes a pipe. This guide explains how the hiss travels through pipework and soil, why quiet-hours surveys matter, and when acoustic methods work best alongside thermal imaging and tracer gas.
Water Leak from the Flat Above: Your Rights in Scotland
Water coming through your ceiling from the flat above? This guide explains your rights in Scotland, from title deeds and the Tenement Management Scheme to insurance and Environmental Health. It also shows how professional leak detection proves exactly where the water started.
Trace and Access Cover: What Your Insurance Actually Pays For
Trace and access cover pays to find a hidden leak and open up the property to reach it, but not to repair the pipe itself. Here is what most Scottish buildings insurance policies include, what they exclude, and why an insurance-ready report from a leak detection specialist speeds up the claim.
Condensation or a Leak? How to Tell the Difference
Condensation and a hidden leak can look almost identical on a wall or window reveal, but the pattern, location and season usually give it away. This guide covers the checks you can do yourself, including the foil test, and when it is worth booking a proper survey.
How to Repressurise a Boiler (Step by Step)
Repressurising a boiler is usually a five-minute job using the filling loop, and most people can do it safely themselves. This guide walks through the process step by step and explains when repeated repressurising is actually a sign of a hidden leak.
Who Is Responsible for Water Pipes in Scotland?
Scottish Water owns the mains up to your property boundary; everything from the boundary into your home is yours. This guide sets out the boundary rule, how shared supply pipes in tenements work, and what happens if a leak is left unrepaired.
Damp Patch on Your Ceiling? What It Means and What to Do
A damp patch on the ceiling almost always started before you could see it, since staining lags behind the actual leak. This guide explains the likely causes, what to check yourself, and how a non-invasive survey finds the source without opening up the ceiling.
Boiler Pressure Too High? Causes and Fixes
A boiler gauge reading above 2 bar usually means overfilling, a filling loop left open, or a failed expansion vessel. This guide walks through safe checks you can do yourself and explains when high pressure is actually a symptom of a hidden leak.
How Thermal Imaging Finds Hidden Water Leaks
Thermal imaging cameras read surface temperature, not water itself, so a trained eye is needed to tell a leak from a cold bridge or draught. Here is how the method works, what it can and can’t do, and when it gets paired with acoustic or tracer gas testing.
Burst Pipe? What to Do in the First 10 Minutes
The first ten minutes after a pipe bursts decide how much damage you end up dealing with. This guide runs through the exact order of steps, stopcock, taps, electrics, insurer, so you’re not improvising while water spreads across the floor.
Leaving a Property Empty? How to Prevent Water Leaks
An empty property is one of the riskiest places for a leak to go unnoticed for weeks. This guide covers what to do before you go, whether that’s a Christmas trip, a long-term let sitting vacant, or a second home in rural Scotland, so you don’t come back to a disaster.
Frozen Pipes? How to Thaw Them Safely
A frozen pipe can split long before you spot any water. This guide covers how to thaw frozen pipes safely, the mistakes that burst them, and what to check once the water is moving again. Written for Scottish homes by Scotland Leak Detection.
What Is Trace and Access? A Plain-English Guide
Trace and access cover shows up on your insurance schedule but rarely gets explained properly. This guide sets out what it pays for, what it doesn’t, and why an insurance-approved detection report makes the whole claims process faster.
Where Is My Stopcock? How to Find and Use It
Every home has a stopcock, and most people don’t know where theirs is until water is already on the floor. This guide covers the usual hiding places, including shared stopcocks in Scottish tenement closes, and why finding yours now is worth five minutes of your time.
Boiler Keeps Losing Pressure? Causes and What to Do
A boiler that keeps dropping pressure is trying to tell you something. This guide explains what normal pressure looks like, the usual causes from a stuck filling loop to a hidden leak in the heating circuit, and when repeated top-ups mean it’s time to call in a specialist.
10 Signs of a Hidden Water Leak in Your Home
Hidden water leaks rarely announce themselves with a bang. This guide covers the ten signs worth checking for, from musty smells to warm patches on the floor, and explains why Scottish homes often miss the early warnings that homes in England get through their water bill.
How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Scotland This Winter
Scotland recorded around 3,100 burst pipes in winter 2023/24, and many of them happened on customer property. This guide works through Scottish Water’s heat, insulate and protect advice so your home gets through winter dry. Practical steps for tenements, cottages and empty properties.
Why Is My Boiler Leaking Water?
A boiler leaking water is more than just an inconvenience—it can signal pressure problems, worn components, or internal corrosion that needs addressing quickly. Below, we explain the most common causes of boiler leaks, how to safely diagnose the problem, and when to call a Gas Safe registered engineer.