Frequently Asked
Questions,
answered straight.
Everything people usually ask before booking — how detection works, what it costs, and what happens afterwards.
How It Works
The process
We combine acoustic listening equipment, thermal imaging, moisture meters and pressure testing. Each method rules areas in or out — acoustic gear hears water escaping under pressure, thermal imaging shows where it's travelling, moisture readings trace the wettest path, and pressure testing confirms which line is at fault. By the time we mark a spot, several independent methods agree on it.
If you suspect a hidden water leak, have an unexplained high water bill or think you may have an underground leak, a licensed plumber with specialist leak detection experience can help locate the source. Aquila Water Leak Detection services the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads. A licensed plumber in both Queensland and New South Wales specialing in Leak Detection Gold Coast and Tweek. Using specialist equipment, Aquila can accurately locate underground, concealed and under-slab water leaks.
Detection itself is non-invasive — that's the entire point. The repair that follows may need access, but because we pinpoint the location first, that access is small and targeted rather than exploratory. The difference is usually one neat cut instead of a trench.
Most residential inspections are done in a single visit. Larger properties, buried water mains and complex slab leaks can take longer. We'll give you a realistic time frame when you book rather than an optimistic one.
Ideally yes, at least at the start — you know the property and what you've been noticing, and that context genuinely helps. If you can't be there, we can arrange access with an agent or tenant and walk you through the findings afterwards.
Sometimes the answer is that there isn't a leak — the moisture is condensation, ground water, or a roof and guttering issue rather than plumbing. We'll tell you that plainly. Ruling a leak out with evidence is a legitimate result, and it's a lot cheaper than a plumber opening walls on a hunch.
Money
Pricing & insurance
It depends on the property and what's involved — a single bathroom is a different job to a buried main across an acreage block. We quote up front, before we come out, so you know the cost before committing. No hidden extras added afterwards.
Yes. We provide detailed written reports with photos, thermal images and a cause-of-damage assessment, prepared for insurers, real estate agents and body corporates. Tell us it's for a claim when you book so we document everything the assessor will want.
Many home policies include cover for locating a leak as part of a water damage claim, but it varies by policy and insurer. Check your PDS or ask your insurer directly before booking — we can't tell you what your policy covers, but we can give you the documentation to claim it.
Our specialty is detection. We locate the leak precisely and hand you and your plumber everything needed to fix it properly — including talking them through the findings if that helps. Keeping detection separate also means we've got no incentive to find a leak that isn't there.
Your Property
Leaks & warning signs
Turn off every tap and water-using appliance, then watch your water meter. If the dial still moves, water is escaping somewhere. Other common signs: an unexplained bill spike, damp patches or bubbling paint, mould returning after cleaning, the sound of running water with everything off, warm spots on the floor, or pooling water outside when it hasn't rained.
It's a leak in the plumbing running beneath a concrete slab. It matters because the water has nowhere obvious to go, so it saturates the ground under your foundation and works its way up through the slab. Left long enough it causes movement, cracking and floor damage — and the water bill climbs the whole time.
Usually not, at least not to diagnose it. We test the shower base, the waste and the supply lines separately to identify which one is failing. Sometimes the fix is regrouting or resealing; sometimes it's the waterproofing membrane. Knowing which before anyone starts demolishing is what saves the money.
Yes — this is one of the most common jobs we do. In stacked apartments the wet ceiling is rarely below the failing pipe. We can establish where the water is actually coming from and provide an independent written report, which is usually what settles the question with the body corporate.
If water is actively flowing and causing damage, yes — shut off at the meter and call a plumber for the emergency. For a slow hidden leak, leave it on. We need the system pressurised to find it, and turning it off for days beforehand doesn't help us.
Logistics
Booking & coverage
We take bookings Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm. Send an enquiry through the form any time and we'll come back to you on the next business day.
Forty suburbs across the Gold Coast and the Tweed, from Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island in the north down to Pottsville, plus Nerang, Mudgeeraba, Terranora and Murwillumbah inland. The coverage map lets you search your suburb or postcode. If you're just outside it, call anyway — it's our standard coverage, not a hard boundary.
It varies week to week, but we don't leave people waiting a fortnight. Call and we'll tell you the earliest realistic slot.
Yes. We carry public liability and professional indemnity cover, and hold the licensing required in both Queensland and New South Wales — our service area crosses the border, so both matter.
Regularly. Plumbers call us in for the detection and get on with the repair; property managers and strata committees use us for independent findings when there's a dispute about where a leak is coming from.
Still got a question?
Call and describe what you're seeing. We'll tell you what it's likely to be before you've committed to anything.