Slab Leaks

Slab Leaks

Slab leaks may not become apparent immediately, but do have signs homeowners will begin noticing that indicate there is a problem. If you start to notice moisture or mildew under your carpet or see cracks in your tile floors or bubbles in your linoleum floors, there is most likely a leak. As the water collects from the leak, it begins to go up into the carpets and flooring because it has nowhere else to go. If you walking barefoot and feel a “hot spot” under your feet, that is a sign of a hot water line leaking from under your slab.

A hissing or splashing sound of running water is another sign of a slab leak; so, if you’re walking around the house and hear this, don’t worry, you’re not “hearing things”. It’s probably a sign of plumbing trouble. Your slab is one single piece that’s made of steel and concrete and doesn’t give at all. Therefore, if you see cracks in your baseboards and walls, it could be a sign of a slab leak. A leak in your slab can cause the whole foundation to shift, impacting your entire home- even floors and walls that are not even near the leak. Low water pressure and an increase in your monthly water bill should raise a red flag as well. In fact, the damage from a leaking slab can leak out more than 10,000 gallons of water in just one month! The best way to check for a leak is to check your water meter. If you turn all sources of water off in your home, including faucets, toilets, making sure the dishwasher and washing machine aren’t on, and go check your water meter and the dial is still going, you most likely have a leak and need to call a licensed plumber quickly.

Dealing with a leak in your slab is a serious situation, it is not recommended that homeowners try and fix this on their own. It is very dangerous to try a DIY plumbing repair on a leaking slab, and you could also end up causing worse damage, which could have easily been prevented by calling in a licensed plumber who is trained and has extensive knowledge with slab leaks. Repairing a slab leak can be an extremely difficult and expensive process that can require extensive trench digging down to the pipe along with specialized equipment. With modern breakthroughs, it is now possible to perform trenchless plumbing repair, cutting down the time and cost of traditional repair methods.