Identifying the Most Common Slab Leak Symptoms: Stay Informed!
Many homeowners don’t know the signs of slab leaks, which can lead to more damage in the home. A slab leak occurs when there’s water coming up through the flooring in your home or office, but it’s not coming from a faucet or showerhead. When there’s structural damage underneath the concrete floor of your building, you can get slab leaks that are often overlooked by most people responsible for maintaining the structure.
A slab leak may be one of the most difficult plumbing issues to diagnose and fix. While some leaks can be heard or seen, such as dripping faucets, slab leaks are generally silent and hidden from sight, making them extremely difficult to find. Once they’re found, fixing slab leaks isn’t always easy either, which is why it’s best to call the professionals if you suspect that you have a slab leak in your home or business.
This article will walk you through everything you need to know about spotting and fixing leaks in your home or business property! Read on to learn more about the strategies you should use when trying to locate troublesome leaks!
What Is A Slab Leak?
Put simply, certain leaks can be difficult to detect, especially if you are new to plumbing or don’t possess any basic DIY skills. When a pipe beneath a home’s slab structure leaks, most people may not discover for a long time that there is an issue. Water seeps into the foundation and the base of the wall due to a broken pipe. The leak can harm the slab and degrade the soil surrounding it, in addition to wasted water. This can cause cracks or shift the foundation over time, breaking the flooring and walls of the house. It can even cause parts of the building to collapse in severe circumstances.
How Common Are Slab Leaks?
Slab leaks occur at varying levels of intensity across the world. They are especially common in earthquake-prone places, where the ground exerts enormous pressure on pipelines, making them more liable to shear or break. Due to eroding copper pipes or decaying sewer lines, older properties are also more subject to slab leaks.
Water leakage in a concrete slab may go undiscovered by many households until they receive a utility invoice with a significantly higher than normal water rate. Most people will then examine all of the usual suspects in water leak concerns, such as taps, bathrooms, showers, and lines in and around the house, to see if they can find the leak. Throughout and after this examination, the terrible slab leak will frequently go unnoticed by the homeowner.
What Makes Slab Leaks Dangerous?
Unlike normal leaks, which typically occur in obvious places, slab leaks happen beneath the concrete slab that makes up your home’s foundation. Because these leaks are difficult to locate, they can be hard to diagnose.
The structure is supported by compacted sand and gravel beneath the concrete slab. If water leaks into this gap, the sediment will dissolve, causing significant structural property damage. Timing is crucial since, if the slab leak progresses to this stage, expensive foundation damage repair, in addition to slab leak repair in Mission Viejo, may be required.
Warning Signs Of A Slab Leak
If you believe you have a leak beneath your home’s concrete slab, there are some signs that indicate the leak.
Low Water Pressure
Once you have a leakage of any kind, including a slab leak, the volume of water that can flow through the pipes to where you would need is reduced. This is due to water leaking from the pipe where it really should not. A slab leak not only raises your water consumption cost but also lowers your water flow. It could be a slab leak if you abruptly observe a drop in water pressure while no other faucets are in operation at the same time.
Warm Spots On the Floor
If your home’s hot water pipe is leaking, you might be able to locate it by looking for unusual warm places on the floor. This can be pretty simple if you have a carpet floor or very thin tile flooring. Unless the leak is large enough to allow water to run into the area between the glue and the tiles, this can be extremely difficult on a tile floor. In this case, you may see various indicators of water damages in your floor tiles. But if you have hardwood floors, identifying a warm spot in the floor can be more challenging.
The “Dome” Foundation Or Floor
You may detect destruction to your floor in the shape of warps in the pattern of the floor if a leak is serious enough and lasts long enough. The creation of a “dome” or raised region in the floor is a frequent thing after severe water damage. While the existence of a dome in the house floor can help you pinpoint the origin of a leakage, it also indicates that your home’s foundations are suffering serious damage.
The Sound Of Flowing Water
If you detect the sound of flowing water but do not have any running water in your house, it is time to get involved. Switch off all of the lights and appliances in your house, including the heating system. Pay special attention to the floor on the lowest point of your house. Even if all of your water is turned off, the sound of water flowing may indicate that you do have a slab leakage and that it is time to call for slab leak repair services.
Foundation Heaving
If the foundation and slab swell to an extreme extent, it can cause the building to tilt somewhat. Heaving is the term used to define this event. If your property has heaved due to a leak beneath the concrete slab, it is vital that you get professional help in repairing it.
A rapid, considerable movement in the foundation of a building can cause serious, often irreversible damage, to the structure. Cracks might appear on the inner and exterior walls and the slab directly as a result of this damage. Because settling in the foundation wall can also create these indicators of deterioration, it is crucial to seek the advice of a skilled water leak detection and repair professional who can distinguish between the two.
Hike In Water Bill
If you see a significant increase in your water bill without a rise in the basic level of services or your family’s water usage, it is likely that you have a severe leak.
Unpleasant Smell
Other problems will begin to emerge when water leaks into the floorboards. Mold spores might form under your floors or in your carpet as a result of the moisture. Some of that wetness may be taken into the walls, resulting in mold development in the drywall. Mold and mildew development may not be visible, but your breath will definitely notice it. If you smell a filthy odor from walls and floors, it is time to look for other indicators of a slab leak in the house.
Slab Leak Detection Equipment
If you cannot find a leak using the previous methods, it could be wise to invest in specialized leak detection equipment. To find leaks, professional plumbers frequently remove the water from a house’s water lines and then put in air. To pinpoint the exact site of a leak, the plumber will normally use specific sound equipment. However, it is advised that you hire an experienced plumber instead of doing it yourself or getting services from local plumbers.
Repairing A Slab Leak
How do you approach fixing a slab leak now that you have discovered it? This will be a hard, messy, and frequently expensive process for the typical person. It is strongly advised that you hire a professional plumbing company for slab leak detection and repair in Mission Viejo since many variables may develop during the repairs that the typical DIY homeowner is unprepared to address.
Make Certain The Location Of Leak
Before you even think of tearing up your concrete floor, you need to be certain where the leak is coming from. If you are even slightly unsure, do not start wrecking your house by trying to fix the leak. Whenever you start tearing up your floor, make sure you know exactly where the leak is.
Prepare For The Worst-Case Scenario.
Before you begin repiping up your flooring, make sure the room is free of all furniture. This entails moving all of the room’s furnishings, artwork, rugs, gadgets, and collectibles. During this operation, there will be a lot of dust drifting throughout the room, therefore the greatest security you can give your belongings is to relocate them from the place where you will be performing repairs.
Wearing gloves, glasses, a respiratory mask, heavy-duty clothing, and steel-toe boots is also recommended. If at all feasible, get help from another person who is also equipped with safety equipment.
Make Use Of The Right Tools
If you can get a jackhammer, you should utilize it to help you reach the space under the slabs so you can make the repair. Do not attempt to use this extremely dangerous heavy-duty power instrument if you lack knowledge and qualifications in its use. A jackhammer in the hands of an inexperienced operator can inflict grievous physical injury to the operator as well as innocent bystanders. During slab foundation excavation, you may also end up causing unwanted additional damage to the home’s foundation or plumbing. As a result, it is critical to enlist the help of a professional during the excavation procedure.
You can start repairing the leak once you have successfully excavated your under-the-slab pipe work and identified the cause of the leak. If the leakage is coming from a drainpipe, however, you will need to hire a professional to handle the possibly dangerous waste products included in sewage and repair.
Time To Seek Expert Help
If you require more assistance in detecting, servicing, and cleaning after a significant leak in your house, do not hesitate to contact a plumbing professional. However, it is preferable to trust an expert for the job from the start. We have years of work experience with water leaks in slabs and other residential or commercial plumbing issues. Whether we are cleaning a clogged sink or rebuilding a sewage line under your home’s basement, our team of professionals is committed to providing great service to its customers. For a free quote, contact us today.
How To Hire A Reliable Slab Leak Detection Expert
Detecting a slab leak may be challenging. The fastest and simplest method to identify leaks and get them fixed in a timely manner is to hire a professional. It is critical to employ the right expert for the task. So, you need somebody who is qualified, licensed and has the necessary skills to deal with slab leaks.
Consult Your Friends And Family
When it comes to finding professional plumbers, your family and friends are a good resource. Most people have experienced a plumbing issue and are eager to share their story with others. However, our slab leak detection and repair specialists have helped many homeowners in Mission Viejo in restoring their property.
Visit Our Website
Once you have discovered a slab leak detection expert, go to our website and look around. We offer all kinds of professional plumbing solutions instantly across Mission Viejo at affordable rates. Moreover, our services are backed with guarantee. All you have to do is make a call. Your one call does it all.
Inquire About References
When you contact us to schedule an appointment, you can check the testimonials of our happy customers. You can even compare prices with other professional slab leak repair companies. Certainly, you will find that our prices are quite reasonable and at the same time we offer same-day plumbing services without compromising on quality.
Just you need to call and share your problem, rest all will be taken care of by us. We will offer end-to-end service, so you don’t have to worry about the related issues or damages.
Get Professional Slab Leak Detection And Repair Services From All Star Plumbing & Restoration
All Star Plumbing & Restoration provides complete slab leak repair services to minimize damage and restore your house to a safe living environment as quickly as possible. We understand what to hunt for and how to repair slab issues quickly and effectively because of our expertise working in this field. When you choose All Star Plumbing & Restoration, you will get the greatest value out of your time and resources along with additional features like competitive rates, free estimates, a one-stop solution, and a hundred percent satisfaction guarantee.
It is critical to respond immediately if you detect any of these slab leak signs. If you think you may have a slab leak, call All Star Plumbing & Restoration right away. We are here to help you 24×7!
