Plumbing problems are always the worst nightmares for many homeowners. Hiring a plumber for your household plumbing repairs may prove to be a costly affair. As a result, most of the homeowners have switched to making the repairs on their own. With the availability of numerous tutorial videos and plumbing toolkits, everyone has become a plumber and started addressing their plumbing repairs.
While these DIY home plumbing projects come handy for many homeowners to make repairs, it is often advisable to leave plumbing work to the experts. If you are not an expert plumber then it is best that you stay away from repairing a slab leak DIY style. Your efforts to save money by handling the plumbing repairs on your own might actually end you up spending more in the long run.
What is a Slab Leak?
Most of the homes are built on the foundation of concrete slabs. There are several water lines that run beneath the concrete slabs either of your basement or of the main floor in your house. Slab leak occurs when any of these water lines starts to leak. This is one of the worst plumbing problems one can encounter.
Since the problem is underground, it is often difficult to notice and address them for an ordinary house owner. Slab leak should never be taken lightly. If not noticed in an early stage, the slab leak would cause severe damage to the foundation of your home, forcing you to pay more for the repairs. Along with this, there are several health concerns that follow the leak if it is uncared for. The main health concern is the growth of molds due to constant water leak. Molds cause serious respiratory illnesses.
There are instances where some house owners tried to solve the issue of slab leak on their own. They dug into the concrete floors to go searching for the leaky pipe that is causing the problem. Due to the lack of expertise and proper tools, this process never ended well. Often they missed the mark and dug up the wrong part of the floor. And if they did find the leaky pipe they didn’t have an idea on how to fix it. So, it is always best to leave the slab leak repair to the experts.
Causes of a Slab leak
Slab leaks occur because of numerous reasons. But one of the most common reasons for slab leak is clay below the foundation. The shifting of soils underneath the slab puts a large amount of pressure on the slab causing the concrete to ultimately crack under pressure. Apart from this slab leak occurs when there is reaction between your copper pipes and drinking water. These reactions can be categorized into four groups- electrolysis; vibrations, contractions and expansion from water flow; high water pressure and construction issues.
You are lucky if you detect the leak in its early stage. You can have slab repair performed on your property and restore the situation back to normal. But knowing how to detect a slab leak is half the battle. Once you detect the problem, you need to have professionals to work on it. Finding a plumber to address your slab leak issue is not an easy job.
Signs indicating a slab leak
There are several signs of slab leak that will help you in early detection, resulting in a successful repair.
Rising water bills
Water leaks and high water bills go hand in hand. If you receive a water bill higher than normal, this might be an indicator of possible leak in your plumbing. Leak in your plumbing typically means that water is running 24X7 without you turning it on or off. Compare your past month’s water bills and see when the hike began kicking in. If you don’t have any possible explanations for high water consumption, then there is a higher probability of leak in your plumbing.
Water puddles in unusual places
Slab leaks generally lead to water accumulation underneath the foundation. Look out for water that looks like it is coming out of your home. Try finding its source. If you fail to find a credible source for the water, then it is likely that there is a problem of leaking slab.
Damp indoors
Slab leaks can show signs in the interiors of your home. Water from leaky pipes in your slab will accumulate upwards, eventually reaching your floor, causing visible damage and dampness in affected areas. If you notice any damp walls or flooring, it is an indicator of slab leak.
Mold growth
One of the biggest problems of a slab leak is the growth of mold. Mold growth is dangerous as it may cause some life threatening problems. Mold growth is rapid in damp areas. So, if there is a slab leak, you will find mold and mildew making its way under your carpet and other home interiors. You can detect the mold growth by the smell. If you notice a musty smell coming from your walls, it is advisable for you to look out for other signs of slab leaks.
Decrease in water pressure
With water leaking out of your pipes, there will be a possible decrease in water flow from taps. If you notice a decrease in water pressure, especially when there are no fixtures, then a leaky slab could be the problem.
Some of the above mentioned signs can be seen in minor plumbing leaks as well. It is always best to get an expert to diagnose your problem when you feel that something is wrong.
Detecting a slab leak
You need professional help and equipment to find and fix the slab leak. You will end up aggravating the problem if you try fixing it on your own. Professional plumbers use equipment that is only available through a plumbing license. Plumbers use electronic amplification equipment and electromagnetic pipeline locators to determine the exact location of the leak instead of digging up the whole place. It gets very difficult to pinpoint the cause of leak in absence of modern plumbing equipment. Once your plumber finds the leak, he will immediately act upon and solve the problem as soon as possible.
The plumber you hire will start by understanding the layout of your house. There are two ways in which a slab leak is approached- one is slab penetration, the other is tunneling. Once the plumber locates the leak, he will remove the damaged section of the pipe and replace it with a new one. He will run a test to check if the job was successful. Before leaving, most of the plumbers clean the plumbing mess that has been created while working on the problem.
If you notice any signs of slab leak, it is best to call the experts rather than attempting a DIY fix.
Author Bio:- Jacqueline Lewis
Jacqueline is a content marketing manager who formerly worked at Cali’s Choice Plumbing & Restoration. She is a writer, editor, and content strategist for plumbing services. Making her knowledge and skills a power, she amplifies the readers’ knowledge about the ways of water leak and slab leak detection and their reciprocation.
Through her articles, she shares the most successful tactics and strategies of slab leak repair, mitigating blockages through Hydro Jetting, and AC & heater installation tips to the audience.
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