If you learn you have a slab leak, you may be unsure what to expect and how you are going to get through this rather challenging plumbing problem. Understanding what they are and how to fix a slab leak will allow you to make the best decisions to protect your home and foundation.
At Plumbing by Jake, our 24-hour emergency plumber in Bullhead City, AZ, we strongly encourage you to give us a call so we can offer options to help you with this very important task.
What Is a Slab Leak?
A slab leak is a much bigger problem than a leaking pipe, though some start as a result of this. A slab leak occurs when a water pipe that is under a concrete foundation breaks and suffers a leak. These water lines run throughout the foundation of your home or business, and while they are designed not to happen frequently, those pipes can break, leading to structural risks for your property if you do not take care of them.
One survey from the EPA found that as many as newly constructed single-family homes develop a leak under the slab. You may think that a water leak under a heavy, thick slab of concrete is no big deal, but it can be very dangerous. Over time, it will create erosion, which leads to a high risk of the concrete breaking.
To avoid this, you need to know how to spot a slab leak and how to fix it. If you have any reason to believe you have one, reach out to our team at Plumbing by Jake so we can offer a comprehensive inspection and repair process. Our technicians can pinpoint what is happening and offer solutions to fix it for you.
Causes of a Slab Leak
How could this occur in your home? Slab leaks occur for various reasons. In some areas, they are more common than others. The most common causes of slab leaks include:
- Soil expansion: Soil expansion or contraction will change the amount of pressure in any area. Swelling or shrinking of the soil can occur throughout the year due to how many dry or wet days you have. Any movement of the soil creates pressure on pipes that can lead to failures.
- Inferior plumbing processes or materials: If your home’s slab is not installed properly, the pipes are inferior in terms of quality and function, or there is any type of mistake made during the installation that can cause a problem to form as well, leading to serious damage.
- Abrasion: Outside pressures of any type from pipes or soil around the pipe can cause serious damage to the structural integrity of that pipe. Over time, abrasions will lead to damage and failure of the pipe.
Both new and old homes can suffer slab leaks. It can also happen in situations where there are changes to the surrounding area, such as due to construction or remodeling. In some situations, it may be old age that causes your pipes to break down and slab leaks to form.
Signs You Need to Fix a Slab Leak
How do you know there is a slab leak to fix? Take a walk around your home or business and look for some of the most common warning signs. Chances are good you will notice these one way or another.
- Water spots that develop in odd spaces. This often happens inside the home on the lowest level.
- There is a new crack in the foundation.
- Gaps are developing between the wall and the floor of your home that were not there before.
- The dogs and windows are harder to open and close than they used to be.
- There are soft spots in your home or around the exterior of your home.
- Your water pump is not working well, or your sump pump has burned out.
In these situations, it is best to contact our plumbing team to come out and handle the repairs. We will inspect the problem to pinpoint exactly where the concern is and then offer repair solutions. Once you learn where your slab leak is, you have several options for repairing it based on how serious the slab leak is.
How Can We Fix Your Slab Leak?
After providing a full inspection, our technicians will provide you with options for fixing your slab leak. This is not a do-it-yourself project because of the scale of the project and the amount of work to be done (as well as the overall risks of mistakes causing structural problems for your home). There are three typical options that we may recommend:
- Trenchless slab leak repair: Access holes are created to access the area and to create the repair. We use epoxy pipe liners to seal the broken pipe and use a camera to both find and complete the repair.
- Pipe repiping: In some cases, the problem is more significant and involves several pipes that need to be replaced. With re-piping, we install new pipes that eliminate the leaks for just a small area, or we can re-route the entire system to navigate around the problem for good.
- Tunneling: The most invasive method is to use tunneling, which means we will need to dig a tunnel under the property to access the area. At the same time, this must be done in such a way that it does not put the structural integrity of the property at risk.
All methods are available through our technicians. However, there is no one method that is right for every situation. Instead, you will need to create a customized solution that fits the specific risks (and the existing damage) to your home without putting it at any additional structural risk, and the range for slab leak repair costs between $630 and $4,400, with the national average coming in at $2,300.
Set Up an Estimate and Inspection with Our Team for Answers
You can learn how to fix a slab leak but you cannot know which method is right for you until you have a skilled technician out to your home. After an inspection, we can offer answers to you. Contact Plumbing by Jake to learn what your needs are.