What Is Slab Leak and What Causes It?
A slab leak is nothing but water leak that happens below a concrete foundation of a building due to extreme temperature in the water line. These leaks can be in the form of a pinhole leak or one that is leaking large amount of water.
Either way, the leaks happen for multiple reasons. They include corrosion, improperly wrapped copper, faulty soldering, wear and tear of the pipes, bad water quality and damage from concrete.
How Do You Know If You Have a Slab Leak?
A typical sign that there is a slab leak is water seeping through your floor. If the hot water pipe is damaged and leaking, the flooring will feel hot. Other indicators of slab leaking include hardwood floors showing buckling signs, walls showing the presence of moisture or unexplained water bills. In the mean time, your water meter will continue spinning even though you have turned off everything - such as toilets, faucets or sprinkler in the property. In any case, you will have to hire a professional leak detection company who will arrive at your doorstep with the right equipments such as thermal imaging camera, leak detection device, moisture reader and air tanks to pinpoint the source and area of issue.
Locating slab leaks can be simple in homes that are small or medium and complicated in large building such as apartments and hotels. The cost of detecting these leaks range anywhere from $99 to $1,500. Slab leaks require careful listening to the equipments, direct access to pipe leaks and relevant solution to the problem. Typically, a section is cut on the floor and new pipes are installed in place of the leaking pipes. Sometimes, water flow is rerouted to a safe location and a new line is ran above the ground. Other times, the plumber will use epoxy relining technique to cure and fix the leaks.
How Long Does the Repair Take?
A simple slab repair takes around 2 days to complete whereas it could take two weeks to a month if the area is large depending on the flooring, finishes, repainting and other restoration work. There is also a lot that goes on when performing a finishing task. Special equipments may be needed to avoid possible asbestos contamination in older buildings. However, a professional plumber will take extra precautions to make the job safe and easy.
Don't let a Slab Leak take over your home! Call Plumb Level at (979) 200-6674 right away for the best services in the Bernham area.