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Brief Charlie by phone
Tell him what has been found and by whom, whether the house is occupied, who holds the key and whether the boiler or meter has been checked. A cleaner or manager can give most of this.
Leak detection in Southwold
Southwold is a long drive from Charlie's base in Haverhill, so each visit is planned to test, trace and mark the leak in one go, with the report sent the same day.
No find, no fee
Keyholder access arranged
Insurance ready written report
Three quick steps. No find, no fee, and Charlie gets back to you with a straight answer.
No find, no fee
24/7 enquiries
Non-invasive methods
Reports for insurance claims
A lot of Southwold's houses are second homes or holiday lets, and that is the problem. A leak that would be spotted in a day in a lived in house can run for weeks between visits, and the first anyone knows is a damp smell at changeover or a neighbour reporting water. Charlie works with owners who are hours away, taking access from a keyholder.
The housing is mostly Georgian and Victorian brick around the greens, Market Place and the High Street, with later houses and bungalows on the Reydon side. Salt air is hard on external pipework and fittings, and older houses often have supply pipes of unknown material under small paved yards. All of that can be traced from the surface.
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Tell him what has been found and by whom, whether the house is occupied, who holds the key and whether the boiler or meter has been checked. A cleaner or manager can give most of this.
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Meter and pressure tests say which system is losing water. Thermal imaging then follows the pipes through the house and shows the area where something is wrong.
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Acoustic listening or tracer gas brings it down to inches. Charlie marks the spot, photographs it, and emails the written report so the owner can instruct a repair from wherever they are.
In a Victorian brick house the camera shows pipe runs behind plaster and the cold spread of a leak under boards. In a newer bungalow it maps the heating loop in the floor and finds the leaking section.
Pressurised water escaping under a yard, path or lawn makes a sound the ground microphone tracks. Charlie follows the pipe from the stop tap and marks where the reading peaks.
On a drained heating system a safe hydrogen mix is introduced and the detector finds where it surfaces. It works through solid floors, tiles and timber, and it does not harm the pipework.
Honestly, this stretch of coast is new ground for the diary. We have one job in the Southwold, Wrentham and Wangford and Westleton ward so far, in January 2026, and more just inland in Halesworth and Blything, Bungay and Wainford and Kelsale and Yoxford. The rest of our East Suffolk work has been around Felixstowe and the Deben. The kit does not know how far it has travelled.
Halesworth is the nearest town inland, Beccles and Lowestoft are north along the coast road, and Saxmundham and Aldeburgh are south. Charlie pairs a Southwold job with one of these where he can.
Trace and access cover usually applies to holiday homes and lets as it does to a main residence, as long as the policy suits a property left empty. Charlie's report sets out the method, the thermal images, the test readings and the exact leak position, written so a claims handler can approve the work from it alone.
Yes. Charlie needs someone to open the door, which can be a cleaner, agent or neighbour. He does the testing and tracing, marks the leak, phones you from the house and emails the report.
It may be, and a pressure test on the heating or a meter check on the supply will say so quickly. If both hold, the stain is more likely rain or condensation, and Charlie will tell you that rather than hunt for a leak.
Normally within 24 to 48 hours of the call, sometimes sooner if Charlie is already on the coast. It is a long drive from Haverhill, so he will give you a firm day and a rough arrival time.
It wears outside fittings, stop taps and exposed pipework faster than inland, so corroded joints at the boundary or on an outside tap are more common here. Charlie checks those first because they are quick to rule in or out.
Nothing. The no find, no fee rule holds on the coast exactly as it does in Haverhill. If the pipes are sound, you get a clear answer and no bill for the detection.
Call 07897 020 680 from wherever you are and Charlie will arrange access.
Landline 01440 840 772. Email hello@completeleakdetection.co.uk.