Jointguard An Analog Leak Dedection System

JointGuard is a passive proof-of-concept system designed to make hidden drinking  water pipe joint leakage visible by guiding leaked water through a tube to an absorbent  indicator. This project addresses the problem of non-revenue water and the limitations  of existing leak detection methods, which often depend on electronics, acoustic  equipment, or pressure monitoring. A simplified laboratory prototype was built using a plastic pipe section, a 2 L bottle leak capture collar, hot glue, tape, cotton, food colouring, and reusable drinking straws. Our prototype was tested at indicator heights  of 10 cm, 15 cm, and 20 cm, with three repeated trials at each height. Mean response  time increased from 89.0 seconds at 10 cm to 113.8 seconds at 15cm and finally 134.2 seconds at 20 cm, showing that the greater vertical transport height slowed the  detection time, although a visible indicator was achieved at all tested heights. These
results provide preliminary evidence that pressure-driven transport can be used to
move leaked water from a pipe joint to an accessible visual indicator under controlled laboratory conditions.