Water leaks are a prevalent issue in mobile home parks, primarily due to their extensive piping systems and aging infrastructure. Mobile home parks span wider areas, for each unit, requiring a large network of pipes to deliver water to each unit. Many of these parks were established decades ago still have unreliable pipe materials like galvanized steel and grey poly, which are known to develop leaks over time.

Get Information on Your Water System

Having access to a detailed map of the park's water system is invaluable when searching for leaks. They can help you narrow down potential leak locations efficiently. If you don't have a water map, finding a leak will be hard. Contact previous owners, banks, lenders, architect firms, building department, agencies supervising water system, etc to see if they have something.

You can get a general idea of the water system layout by locating valves and risers. You can also do some exploratory digging to locate pipes.

Talking to plumbers and utility department can provide some insights as well. 

Look for Signs of Water Leak

Walking through the park to inspect for visible signs of leaks. Indicators include puddles, unusually wet or lush areas, and erosion, especially in regions that are typically dry.

Utilizing Leak Detectors

Water leaks produce a high-pictched noise as water squeezes through a hole. Leak detectors are specialized devices designed to identify leaks by detecting such sound.

Connect detector to each riser—the vertical pipes supplying water to individual homes—and listen for anomalies. A pronounced sound may indicate a leak either in the underground pipes or within a home. If a potential leak is detected near a specific unit, it's essential to inspect both under and inside the home for signs of water damage.

Leak detection equipment companies can often provide training to maintenance staff.

Using Leak Detection Service

There are companies who specialize in detecting water leaks. We have not had good experience in two mobile home parks where we had major leaks. The reason was because both parks were old and did not have the water system map. Without a map, detection company gave a bid of thousand dollars or more a day without specifying number of days. I would love to hear of other park owners experience with leak detection company. 

Challenges in Leak Detection

Several challenges can complicate leak detection in mobile home parks:

Deeply Buried Pipes: In colder regions, pipes are often installed deep underground to prevent freezing. Leaks at such depths may not produce visible surface signs, and the sound of escaping water may not travel effectively to the surface, making detection more difficult.

Unknown Pipe Locations: In older or larger parks, especially those lacking updated maps, the exact routing of pipes may be unknown. This uncertainty complicates the process of pinpointing leaks and can lead to increased labor and excavation costs.

Conclusion

Finding and fixing water leak is an important part of mobile home park operation. It is often a difficult challenge, but with investment and consistent effort, it can greatly help your park business. Contact us if you need more information on finding leaks.