Responsible homeowners keep track of damage around the house. They replace leaky faucets, repaint discolored walls, and fix loose flooring immediately to ensure their house is always in good condition.
Unfortunately, not all the damage in your house is visible. A lot of the times, things are happening beneath the surface that you aren’t aware of so they can’t be addressed. When such issues remain undetected, they can grow into serious damage that can set you back hundreds of dollars.
Slab leaks are one of those problems that you won’t see right away, but leaving them unaddressed can lead to major damage.
Here’s everything you need to know about slab leaks:
Slab Leaks—Where do they come from?
Many houses in Texas have a slab foundation, which is made up of multiple layers of concrete that are poured over a gravel or soil surface.
The term “slab leak” doesn’t imply that there’s something wrong with the foundation of your house; it means that the plumbing that lies beneath the slab has a leak.
Causes of a Slab Leak
There are 3 main causes of slab leaks that include:
- Abrasion
- Excess Pressure
- Corrosion
In Texas, slab leaks are very common during the winter. Texas gets a lot of heavy rainfall during the colder months. The concrete in the foundation of houses absorbs rainwater; the excess water pools around the plumbing and causes slab leaks, which makes them so difficult to detect.
Such leaks are most prominent in northern areas of Texas because they have poor quality soil that gets incredibly dry in the warm months and extremely wet during the rainy season.
Signs of Slab Leaks
Because slab leaks happen beneath the foundation, you won’t see visible signs, however, there are things you’ll notice from both in and outside of your house.
The following are signs of slab leaks that you need to look out for in Texas:
- Pools of water in and outside your home
- Moldy carpets
- A warm floor
- Sounds of water even when the water isn’t running in the house
- Cracks in the flooring, walls or foundation
- Higher water bills than usual
There could be other reasons behind these signs too, but there’s a good chance you have a slab leak.
How Slab Leak Repair Services Help
No, there’s no need to hammer a hole in your foundation to see if there are puddles of water around your pipes. Experienced slab leak repair companies use sonic equipment to detect the sounds of water.
Sonic equipment consists of a combination of ground mics and acoustic systems that pick up vibrations and sounds coming from the foundation of your house.
Slab Leak Repair Options
If you have a slab leak, you will be given three options for repair that include repair, reroute or re-pipe.
- Minor leaks can be repaired. The plumbers find the damaged section and will probably fix it using epoxy pipelining.
- When you’re dealing with old pipes, it doesn’t make sense to repair the damaged section because you’ll probably find another leak later. It’s more cost-effective to reroute the plumbing.
- In old houses, your plumber may suggest that your entire system be replaced to prevent leakage and water damage in the future.
Slab Leaks and Insurance
Slab leaks are classified as major home repairs and they aren’t usually part of homeowner’s insurance. For simple repairs, you may be able to get coverage through a tear-out provision, but for rerouting and re-piping, you’ll probably have to cover everything yourself.
In some cases, your insurance company may look at how rerouting and re-piping may reduce the chances of leaks in the future and reduce your rate.
Think you may have a slab leak? At Pro Serve Plumbing, we offer reliable slab leak repair services in Fort Worth. In addition, we also provide services like garbage disposal repair, water heater repair, and installation, plumbing services and much more. Call +1-817-244-0614 to book a service.
