Thankfully, like water damage, a slab leak is not a very common problem, but when it occurs, it is a pretty costly affair to deal with. According to experts in slab leak detection, fixing the issue of a slab leak is not at all complex, but the real issue is getting to the slab leak. There are various reasons for slab leaks due to which the foundation of your home starts leaking.
According to the reports, around 20 to 50% of North America’s water supply is wasted because of slab leaks. That’s why homeowners need to go for regular inspections to deal with any types of leaks in their property.
What is a slab leak?
Basically, a slab leak is one type of leak that gets developed in the water pipes under the concrete foundation of the home. This problem mainly occurs in copper pipes. However, every home these days is built on a concrete slab, and the waterline of your home is located under the slab; in most cases, the water lines are embedded in the slab.
If you ignore the problem of a slab leak, it will become a severe issue that can offer significant damage to your home, including cracks in the foundation and walls, a foul smell will come from your home, the water pressure will be low, uneven floor, and many more which you cannot expect. However, if you want to prevent this issue, then go for a regular plumbing inspection once a year so that you will not face such issues.
Causes of a slab leak
- Corrosion of pipes
If your home or office are old, corrosion can cause slab leak as your property has copper pipes. With time, when copper pipes come in contact with soil, various types of sediments, and also metals, they start degrading, and leakage occurs. This process generates pinholes in the pipes, creating havoc in the home’s foundation and causing a slab leak.
- Poor installation
Sometimes during the installation process, some of the pipes are dented, bent, or kinked, and with the time when water rush through these pipes, they wear and tear and create pinhole leak. In the beginning, this pinhole leak will not cause any issue, but over time the poor installation causes the problem of a slab leak.
- Abrasion
The quality of water is another cause that can cause the issue of slab leak as pipe corrodes. If your home is getting excessive hard water having high mineral content or very excessive soft water, then the pipes will corrode before time. If the water of your home is below seven pH, then it is acidic, and if it is above seven pH, then it is considered alkaline.
- Incorrect water pressure
If you are getting very high water pressure, the underground pipes can generate cracks which over time cause leaks. Due to this issue, the ground which is under the foundation shifts from its place, which puts high pressure on the slabs and also on pipes.
Moreover, if the water pressure is high, the pipes will vibrate too much, because of which they rub against hard surfaces or pipes, rebar, and gravel and generate pinhole leaks.
Various signs of slab leak issue
Some of the signs of detecting slab leaks in your home. They are: –
- The smell of mold or mildew or is visible
In case of a slab leak, if leaked water has made its way to your home flooring, then mold and prevalent mildew issues can occur. However, if the signs of mold or mildew are not visible in warped flooring, damp carpet spots, etc., then you can smell mold or mildew.
Moreover, if the leakage is excess, the mold can also cause your home walls. So, if your home is smelling bad, inspect the source of the smell and if you are not able to detect that smell, call a professional plumber to do the needful.
- Water spots or pooling water on your home floor
This is another indication that shows your home has leakage, which is causing water to pool. If you are noticing puddles of water on your floor or some spots which have dried that are active symptoms of a slab leak and which must be attended to on time.
- Decreased water pressure
If the water in your home taps is slow, it is an obvious sign of a slab leak. When water is leaking somewhere, and it is going inside the foundation of your home under the concrete foundation, the water pressure will be low in the home’s taps. This less water pressure is a sign of slab leak and can be repaired by calling detect slab leak professionals.
- Higher water bills
If you notice high water bills compared to before, which is inconvenient according to your monthly budget, it is a sure sign of a slab leak in your home. In this case, sometimes your home slab is not affected, but the water bill is high, which indicates that there is leakage that is not able to be seen with the naked eye.
What can we do to eliminate slab leaks?
Well, according to detect slab leak professionals, this task is not do-it-yourself work as detecting and fixing a slab leak issue needs expertise. That means if you try to fix this problem yourself after watching some DIY videos, you can cause more damage to your home foundation.
So, for the best result, always call professionals as they have the right tools for the work to get inside the foundation of the home. Apart from that, the professionals have experience and the proper training to do the work efficiently without any mistakes. After fixing a leak, they also clean the area, which helps in reducing moisture, mold, and foul odor.
The bottom line
These are some of the essential things which every homeowner must know so that they can easily prevent the issue of a slab leak. But ensure not to fix the issue yourself as you don’t have enough knowledge about the work.
Author Bio:- Aimee Grace
Aimee is a marketing manager at EZ Plumbing & Restoration. She is very passionate in writing about discrete plumbing services and leakage detection as well as repair solutions. Her vision is to educate people about the consequences of water and slab leaks at home or office and what they should do to repair them to avoid further water damage as well as property damage.
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