Detecting and surveying hidden leaks with thermography

Do you suspect a hidden leak at home, in an office, a warehouse, a school, a nursery, a retail unit or a production hall? Don’t rush into expensive, destructive demolition. ProKanal EOOD offers fast, precise and 100% non-destructive detection and surveying of internal leaks in buildings of every type, in educational institutions and on industrial sites.

We are based in Sofia, but for our clients we travel and serve sites across the country.

At the heart of our success is modern non-destructive diagnostic equipment, combined with deep technical experience and expertise confirmed by a specialist certified in Germany. This balance between latest-generation instruments, proven European standards and years of practice lets us quickly unravel even the most complex hidden plumbing faults in buildings. We save you time, frustration and needless expenditure on major repairs.

How the thermal camera works, and how a survey runs

Behind thermography lies straightforward physics turned into a powerful diagnostic tool. Every object around us — walls, pipes, floors — emits infrared energy (heat) that is entirely invisible to the human eye. ProKanal’s thermal camera captures exactly that invisible radiation and turns it into a clear, readable image.

The operating principle of a thermal camera

• Capturing infrared radiation: Special lenses focus the infrared energy emitted by surfaces.
• Thermal sensors: An array of highly sensitive sensors converts heat energy into an electronic signal.
• Colour thermogram: The signal is displayed on screen, where each colour corresponds to a precise temperature.
• Rendering temperature differences: Warm zones are coloured red and yellow, cold ones blue and violet.
• Visualising moisture: Damp zones change the temperature of materials, which makes them appear as distinct patches on the screen.

Key benefits of non-destructive diagnosis, by property type

• For the home and office: We preserve the comfort, the finish and the cleanliness entirely — no needless dust, no smashed tiles, no building damage. We wear overshoes and work in gloves.
• For schools and nurseries: We guarantee maximum safety and a fast response. We locate leaks without interrupting lessons or after-school activities, preventing mould and an environment that is unsafe for children.
• For warehouses and production halls: We find internal leaks without halting the working, logistical or technological process.
• For retail premises: We work quickly and with complete discretion, so as not to disturb your customers, your staff or your footfall.

What we diagnose with a thermal camera

• Concealed plumbing risers: Locating leaks from supply and waste pipes inside walls and service shafts.
• Underfloor heating: Finding the exact breach in the pipework beneath screed and tiles.
• Roofs and terraces: Finding compromised waterproofing and the points where rainwater gets in.
• Internal building networks: Checking horizontal and vertical plumbing runs in residential and public buildings.
• Underground garages and basements: Finding compromised waterproofing and the points where damp enters.

Note: thermography is intended entirely for internal building inspections. For the detection and survey of leaks on external buried mains and water pipes, please visit our dedicated page on acoustic leak detection.

How a ProKanal survey proceeds

• Preparing the room: For optimal results we establish the necessary temperature difference between the inspected systems and the air.
• Inspecting the critical zones: The specialist sweeps every suspect run and surface in the property with the camera.
• Real-time analysis: Temperature anomalies are tracked on screen in order to distinguish an active leak from historic damp.
• Locating the source: The exact position of the defect is found, not merely the area where the water has collected.
• Producing the report: The recorded material becomes an official technical report for you or for the repair team.

How to prepare before our team arrives

• Central and underfloor heating: Switch them on at least 2–3 hours before the visit, so the pipes warm through properly.
• Dry surfaces: Do not wet or use the bathroom or the areas under observation for at least 2 hours before the inspection.
• Clear access: Provide easy access to the areas where the plumbing risers and distribution boxes run.
• Access to neighbours: Speak to your neighbours about providing access to their property.
• Terraces and flat roofs: For the measurement to be accurate and correct, there must be no standing water and no direct sunlight.

Why choose thermography from ProKanal EOOD?

We don’t guess — we measure and analyse to strict European methodologies. The combination of certified leak detection equipment (FLIR, moisture meters, CCTV, electro-acoustics), deep accumulated technical experience and the expert knowledge of a specialist certified in Germany allows us to resolve even the most tangled case in the residential, public, educational and industrial sectors.

Whether you are in Sofia or anywhere else in Bulgaria, and regardless of the scale of the building, we have the right people and the right equipment for non-destructive fault location. Put your trust in proven professionalism.

Professional equipment for leak detection and surveying

For inspections in flats, houses, offices, shopping centres, warehouses, educational establishments and production areas we use a comprehensive arsenal of highly specialised equipment. It allows our certified specialist to “see” behind walls and floors without leaving a single trace in the interior.

1. FLIR thermal cameras

We use professional thermal cameras from the world leader in infrared technology — FLIR. They capture even the smallest temperature anomalies and turn heat invisible to the human eye into a detailed colour image. Thermography shows precisely where the temperature difference caused by hidden damp and plumbing faults breaks through.

2. Mmoisture meters

Moisture meters is the benchmark in non-destructive moisture measurement. With our meters we check moisture levels precisely in building materials (concrete, plasterboard, screed, tiles, overlaid floor coverings) without drilling or damaging surfaces.

3. CCTV survey cameras

We have specialised flexible endoscopic and robotic cameras at high resolution. CCTV survey lets us reach deep inside drainage pipes, traps, vertical risers and narrow shafts to inspect their internal condition for cracks, fractures, displacement or settlement.

4. Electronic stethoscopes and highly sensitive electro-acoustic microphones

These ultra-sensitive acoustic instruments are purpose-built for internal building diagnosis. The electro-acoustic microphones filter out extraneous sound waves and let us hear the specific vibrations and micro-noises of water escaping under pressure inside boxing, walls and beneath floor coverings.

Why early diagnosis matters for health and for the property

Hidden leaks are not merely an aesthetic problem or a flooding risk — they are a silent threat to people’s health and to the security of the building. When water soaks imperceptibly into walls or beneath floor coverings, it creates the perfect conditions for harmful micro-organisms to develop.

• Preventing mould and mildew: Mould begins to develop just 24 to 48 hours after moisture appears. Its invisible spores spread through the air and are breathed in daily by the occupants.
• Protecting health (respiratory problems and allergies): Hidden damp and mould are principal causes of chronic coughing, worsening asthma, allergic reactions and skin irritation. Early diagnosis protects the most vulnerable — children in nurseries and schools, and people with weakened immunity at home or in the office.
• Providing a clean and healthy environment: Timely intervention by ProKanal EOOD guarantees dry, safe and clean air indoors, meeting strict sanitary requirements.
• Halting structural damage to the building: Prolonged exposure to damp weakens concrete, corrodes reinforcement and destroys plasterboard. Timely diagnosis saves the structural integrity of the property before it is too late.

Security and reliability for your property

• 100% safe technology: The thermal camera only captures heat and emits no harmful radiation.
• Health prevention: Timely intervention stops the development of mould and mildew that endanger health.
• Official report: You receive the thermographic record.
• Additional protection: We also detect faults in underfloor heating and overheating cables.
• Guaranteed verification: We check whether repair work already carried out was done properly.

Don’t let a hidden leak ruin your property. Put your trust in the experience and professional equipment of ProKanal EOOD!