Water leak detection is not one product, it is four different types of technology, and choosing the wrong one is one of the most common (and expensive) mistakes property managers make. Flow monitoring, distance measuring, sensor based detection and water management systems all solve a different problem, and most buildings only need one or two of them. This guide compares all four so you can work out which combination is right for your property, before you get a quote.
Flow monitoring (flow based leak detection)
A flow based leak detection system sits on the incoming water supply and watches how much water is passing through the pipe and for how long. If the flow pattern looks like a burst pipe, a split hose, or a tap left running, the system closes an automatic valve and shuts the water off, usually within seconds. Because it monitors the whole supply rather than individual rooms, it protects the entire property from a single point.
De AquaGuard Dual is Aqualeak’s flow monitoring system, and its “holiday mode” is particularly useful for anyone who wants extra protection while a property is unoccupied, since it can be set to shut off automatically at the smallest sign of a leak rather than waiting for a larger flow event.
Meest geschikt voor: whole property protection where you cannot monitor every room individually, including woningen, landlords, and student accommodation and new build apartment blocks.
Distance measuring (cable based leak detection)
Distance measuring leak detection uses a single sensing cable run along a route such as a raised floor, a plant room or a cable tray. If water touches the cable anywhere along its length, the panel doesn’t just raise an alarm, it tells you how far along the cable the water is, typically to within ±1 metre. That is the key difference from every other technology on this list: it pinpoints location, not just presence.
Aqualeak’s LD5200 master panel can cover cable runs of up to 3,000m and can support up to 127 outstation panels, so a single system can protect a very large site from one control point.
Meest geschikt voor: environments where knowing exactly where a leak is matters as much as knowing that one exists, such as data centres and server rooms, large commercial offices, and high value residential properties.
Sensor based (spot) leak detection
Sensor based, or spot, leak detection takes the opposite approach to distance measuring: rather than monitoring a continuous run, it places discrete sensors at specific high risk points, such as under a server rack or beside a water tank. The moment standing water reaches one of those sensors, the panel raises a zoned alarm so you know exactly which point has been triggered.
Aqualeak’s sensor range scales with the size of the site. The EMS-01 covers a single zone with up to 100m of sensing cable, while the EMS-5 and EMS-10 monitor five or ten zones from one panel. For larger sites, the EMS-5x and EMS-10x variants extend that to as many as 625 zones.
Meest geschikt voor: targeted risk points rather than whole buildings, such as archive rooms, comms rooms, plant rooms, and office fit-outs.
Waterbeheersystemen
Waterbeheersystemen go a step further than leak detection alone. They still detect leaks, but they also give you ongoing visibility of water use across a building, so you can spot waste, track consumption against sustainability targets, and catch problems like a stuck valve or a running toilet long before they show up on a water bill.
Aqualeak’s sonisch system uses an ultrasonic sensor combined with AI to build a picture of normal usage, so it can flag unusual patterns automatically and, where required, shut the water off remotely through its metgezel app.
Meest geschikt voor: commercial, hospitality and retail sites with sustainability or BREEAM commitments, and multi occupancy buildings where usage data helps recharge costs fairly.
Comparing the four at a glance
| Technologie | Wat het meet | Standaard dekking | Best voor | Voorbeeld |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroombewaking | Volume and duration of flow through the supply pipe | Whole property, single point of protection | Homes, landlords, apartment blocks | AquaGuard Dual |
| Afstand meten | Presence and exact location of water along a cable run | Up to 3,000m per panel, 127 outstations | Data centres, large offices, high value residential | LD5200 |
| Sensor based (spot) | Standing water at discrete, fixed points | 1 to 625 zones depending on model | Archive rooms, comms rooms, plant rooms | EMS-01 / EMS-5 / EMS-10 |
| Waterbeheer | Usage patterns as well as leaks | Whole property, with usage analytics | Commercial, hospitality, sustainability targets | sonisch |
Welke heb je nu echt nodig?
For most single occupancy homes and small apartments, flow monitoring alone is enough. For sites with a specific high value risk, such as a server room, plant room or archive, a sensor based system focused on that one area is usually more cost effective than trying to protect the whole building. Larger and more complex sites often combine two technologies rather than choosing just one: a hospital, an onderwijssiteOf een grote bouwproject might use distance measuring to protect a plant room or riser, alongside flow monitoring or a water management system covering the wider building.
If you are also being asked to report on water use or hit sustainability targets, that is usually the point at which a water management system earns its place alongside whichever detection technology suits the physical risk.
A note on approval
Not every leak detection product on the market carries independent approval, so it is worth checking before you buy. Aqualeak’s AquaGuard Dual and Sonic systems are both WRAS goedgekeurd, meaning they have been independently tested against the water regulations that apply in the UK.
Veelgestelde vragen
What is the difference between flow based and sensor based leak detection?
Flow based detection monitors the rate and duration of water moving through your supply pipe and shuts off the whole system if it sees a leak pattern. Sensor based detection instead places physical sensors at specific points and only alarms if water actually reaches one of them. Flow monitoring protects a whole property from one point; sensor detection protects specific high risk locations.
Is distance measuring more accurate than sensor based detection?
They measure different things, so “more accurate” depends on what you need. Distance measuring tells you how far along a cable run a leak is, typically to within ±1 metre, which is useful when the leak could be anywhere along a long route. Sensor based detection tells you which specific, pre-defined zone has been triggered, which is often more useful when you already know exactly where the risk points are.
What is the difference between a water management system and a normal leak detection system?
A standard leak detection system is built to catch and respond to leaks. A water management system does that too, but it also gives you ongoing data on how much water your building is using, so you can spot waste, support sustainability reporting, and catch slow problems, such as a dripping valve, that a leak alarm alone would never flag.
Can I combine more than one of these technologies in the same building?
Yes, and for larger or higher risk sites it is common to do so. A typical combination is a flow monitoring or water management system covering the whole property, with a distance measuring or sensor based system focused on one or two high value areas, such as a server room, archive or plant room.
Which system is right for you?
Contact Aqualeak today to talk through which combination of flow monitoring, distance measuring, sensor detection and water management suits your building.