Leak detection equipment question

[jrsaltz]

Does anyone have or use leak detection equipment? I am looking to get into this and I was considering the Gen-Ear system.

Any thoughts or info would be great.

[westcoastplumber]

I found a really good system, I will be purchasing this

http://www.goldak.com/inner/waterleakdetecter/4360(sm).shtml

this will do it all and for an excellent cost.

goldak makes excellent equipment and has been time tested.

[ToUtahNow]

I found a really good system, I will be purchasing this

http://www.goldak.com/inner/waterleakdetecter/4360(sm).shtml

this will do it all and for an excellent cost.

goldak makes excellent equipment and has been time tested.

I go way back with Goldak as my first equipment was bought in the early 70s. The equipment in the link you posted is the equipment I was using in the 80s. It is not bad equipment but it is old school and there is a bit of a learning curve before you can locate without reservation. Before you go to Goldak to buy equipment come borrow my MetroTech and my NaviTrack stuff for a test drive.

Mark

[PLUMBER RICK]

mark, that was the same garbage they sold me back in the early 80's.

even goldak will tell you it sucked. i still give them a hard time when i see them. they do admit it was a poor microphone.

i still have their old locator. i guess it was ok at the time as there wasn't a locator for cast back then. that was the days that you needed to know how to locate. needed to use triangulation. no bells and whistles.

rick.

[ToUtahNow]

I'm not sure I would say it sucked but to today standards it is way behind. When I bought my first locator (LC-6) I went down to pick it up and they told me it wasn't a very good unit. At the time it was what I could afford and I got it to work pretty good. Then in about 1980 I went back and bought a PB-44 pipe locator (replaced by the 5600) and a 777A leak locator. I had research this stuff for a while and thought for sure it was the best you could buy. First thing Goldak told me when I went to pick it up was that the microphone was junk and even they won't use it. However, for an extra fee I could replace the mic with a Shure mic.

The truth is with a lot of work you can get pretty good with this equipment but you will never be able to be as accurate as you can with more modern equipment. If you do buy this equipment I would advise you ask them about a training session or two. Back in the day they had classes at their shop every Monday morning.

Mark

[ovruigo]

I need some info on this myself. I just purchased the Gen-ear system but have not gotten it out of the case yet. If there is better leak detection equipment I'd like to know cause I can still return the Gen-ear if I decide to go with a different piece of equipment.