A landmark multi-tower condominium development in downtown Toronto—each tower rising over 70 floors—relies on an extensive network of vertical risers to deliver heating, cooling, and domestic water to thousands of residents. With district-energy integration and deep-lake-water cooling forming part of the site’s mechanical strategy, the reliability of every riser system is essential to overall building performance, efficiency, and lifecycle sustainability.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
During construction, installers completed the hot-water riser (HWR) and cold-water riser (CWR) piping systems and required precise integrity verification before system commissioning. Traditional pressure tests can indicate whether a system is losing pressure but do not identify the exact location of a leak—an especially challenging issue in high-rise applications, where risers run vertically through multiple enclosed, limited-access shafts.
To solve this, a specialized pinpointing method was deployed using advanced detection equipment typically used for underground utility work. Adapted for indoor high-rise use, the system enabled technicians to systematically trace and isolate small leaks within confined vertical compartments without invasive demolition or exploratory opening of shafts. This approach allowed the team to locate stress-concentration leak points—often at new joints—quickly and accurately.
Leak Detection Downtown
PROJECT IMPACT
The adapted detection method enabled rapid pinpointing of riser leaks, reducing troubleshooting time and avoiding unnecessary demolition within the towers. This approach improved commissioning certainty, strengthened long-term system reliability, and minimized the risk of future failures by ensuring defects were identified and corrected early. It also enhanced overall safety, quality assurance, and compliance for the building’s mechanical
