You may have heard friends discussing a slab leak that’s occurred in their house but not understood what it is. This is perhaps one of the most serious plumbing issues you can have. Slab leaks are common in those parts of the country that suffer earthquakes, but they can happen anywhere, even in Florida. The slab of your home is actually the concrete foundation that your house sits on. Beneath this surface is a network of copper pipes. These pipes can fail over time in hot or cold water lines, or in drain lines from any household
appliance that requires water or draining.
Slab leaks utilize a specific leak detection process. Even if your house is new, it can still benefit from leak detection so that you can quickly have damage fixed.
Why Is a Slab Leak a Concern?
A slab leak affects the copper water lines that run beneath the concrete foundation of your house. When leaks occur above ground, in the walls or the ceilings of your home, they are known as pinhole leaks. Both types of leaks can be caused by long-term corrosion of copper pipes. Leaks can damage the structure of your home over time. While anything can be repaired, failing to fix slab leaks in a timely manner can be extremely expensive. If you fail to detect slab leaks over time, your foundation can collapse.
Where Do Slab Leaks Cause Problems?
Slab leak detection devices will check on the pressure side or the drainage side of your house’s foundation. If the leak is discovered on the pressure side of your drains, then it can be fixed before it causes a lot of damage. When leaks are on the drainage side they can be considerably harder to detect. Since they’re trickier to spot, the untrained person may miss them. These leaks can happen for years, even without any external indicators.
Why Do Slab Leaks Occur?
Besides the regular corrosion of pipes, some of the damage may have been caused during installation in your home. They may also have been incorrectly installed, which can cause issues when the entire house is sitting on them.
Over time, the ground and the foundation can shift. This places pressure on your pipes. If they’re high quality, then they can withstand a lot of pressure. If pipes don’t have enough room for expansion, then they can rub against each other, or the gravel or concrete, and wear down over time.
What Is the Best Preventative?
These types of leaks are not visible. Often they can develop and worsen over time. Besides the potential for foundation collapse, termites can move into your house, or molds can develop and damage your house.
To prevent damage to your foundation, which can lead to your house collapsing, it’s important to hire plumbers who have experience with leak detection. Whether you suspect you have a slab leak in your home, or your house is over thirty years old, please book a slab leak detection visit with us today.
