Finding Water Leaks Under Slab

When the pipe breaks water seeps into the ground and your home s foundation.

Finding water leaks under slab.

Slab leaks can occur in either water or sewer lines. Water bills that are suddenly higher than normal this can be accompanied by higher gas electric bills if the leak is in a hot water pipe sudden presence of mold mildew in walls or under carpet areas of the floor that are suddenly warm if you have pets they may suddenly prefer to sit in these warm spots. If the water meter test indicates a leak inside your home check the cabinets under the kitchen laundry and bathroom sinks to make sure they re dry. Slab leaks cause costly damage so early detection is important.

We do not recommend tunneling for a fresh water leak for a couple of reasons. After the water is turned off air is pumped into the lines to force out remaining water. If your hot water heater is running most if not all of the time it may indicate that you have a hot water leak under your concrete. A slab leak is a break in a pipe that runs beneath the concrete foundation of your home.

Before beginning the repairs on a section of pipe beneath a concrete slab consideration should be given to re piping rather than using a temporary fix. Actually that is a bit of a misstatement because they aren t usually an emergency at all although they are often thought of as one. For an under slab fresh water leak many companies suggest tunneling from the outside. If there are no other signs of a slab leak look for indications that the water heater itself is broken such.

Because hot water is constantly escaping your heater is working overtime to warm up the new water. Because this happens under a slab of concrete it s trickier for plumbers to find. Finding the leak costs 280 on average with most homeowners paying between 150 and 400. The most common type of pipe used for water lines under slab foundations is copper.

Unfortunately as copper pipes age they are prone to wearing thin and springing leaks. Saturated soil as we mentioned above because a fresh water system always has water pumping through it a leak is like leaving the water running constantly. A slab leak can be one of the more frightening experiences a homeowner has to deal with when it comes to emergency plumbing problems. Hard to find slab leaks require the use of specialized listening devices.

Investigate appliances and fixtures.