How Ferret Works
The Ferret Head acts like a valve that can be moved along the pipe to pinpoint the leak. It has three operating states; Deflated, Inflated and Moving.
When the Head is deflated it is like an open valve. The water in the pipe can get past it to supply the leak.
The leak flow is shown on the Flow Meter. The pressure in the leaking pipe and the Ferret Head are shown on the pressure gauges.
Deflated
Inflated
When the Ferret Head is inflated it is like a closed valve. The Ferret Head blocks the pipe so the water in the pipe can’t get past to supply the leak.
The Ferret Head should be inflated at least 10 to 15 units higher than the pipe pressure. When the flow is turned on it should drop to zero, which shows that the Ferret Head has sealed the pipe.
When the Ferret Head is deflated so that the pressure inside it is almost the same as in the pipe it will start to move towards the leak.
The pressure in the pipe will push the Ferret Head down the pipe towards the leak. The Flow Meter will show the flow of water pushing the Ferret Head along the pipe.
When the Ferret Head passes a leak the pressure in the pipe, which was pushing it, drops so the Ferret Head stops moving along the pipe.
The Ferret Head will stop automatically because the pressure inside it will now be higher than in the pipe, as in the INFLATED state. The Flow Meter shows the size of the leak.