Are you noticing wet spots on your home floor? Have you been quite irritated by low water pressure in the taps? If yes, then you have reached the right place where you will get to know everything about slab leakage.
Under your home foundation, there are a number of sewer pipes that help you in receiving water and throwing out wastewater. Most of these pipes are connected to the municipality’s water lines and also to the sewage system. But the pipe under the slab foundation offers water to your home fixtures. With time these pipes corrode or crack as the home gets older.
What is a slab leak?
Basically, these days every home is built on a solid concrete foundation called a slab. Due to some issues, a leak emerged in the copper water lines, which run beneath the home foundation and is referred to as a slab leak. There are many reasons for this slab leak which you will read in the later post.
Due to the slab leak, the surrounding soil of the slab will quickly start absorbing water which causes the ground to be unsettled. When the soil becomes too wet under the house, the slab foundation starts cracking. However, if the leak is not fixed on time, the foundation will start moving, because of which the walls and floor of the home will form cracks.
Causes of a slab leak
- Soil expansion or contraction
One of the top culprits of leaking slab foundations is an expansion of the soil. The soil starts swelling and shrinking when the condition of the soil changes from dry to wet or vice versa. Most homes in the USA are prone to this issue because the water pipes under the foundation of the house are damaged.
- Age of the home
Another cause of slab leak is how old is the structure of the home? That means homes built in the early days have metal pipes or wrought iron pipes. These pipes are quite vulnerable as when force and strain come on the pipes, they leak. But if you want to maintain your plumbing system, then regular inspection of the home plumbing system is vital from a reputed professional.
- Abrasion
When the water pipes beneath your home foundation offer water to taps and various electrical appliances, the movement of water causes pipes to rub against the concrete slab. Moreover, when there are one or more pipes together, they brush against each other and also with Gravel, dirt, etc. Once this process starts, the water pipes will form a leak former or later as the friction increases and damages the exterior of the pipes.
In case the exterior of the water pipes becomes thin, water leaks will surely form under the slab foundation.
- Chemical reaction
Most of the water pipes under the slab foundation are made of copper. When this metal reacts with other soil components, like minerals, it will indeed cause decomposition with time. This process is called electrolysis.
Moreover, the pipes which carry hot water corrode quickly from the outside as compared to cold water pipes. Due to this process, the water will start leaking from the pipes inside the slab foundation.
- High water pressure
Another cause of slab leak is high water pressure which causes pipes to crack or collapse over time. Some signs of high water pressure are rattling noises and dripping faucets. So, for this, you have to check the water pressure of your home by buying a water pressure gauge. This device measures the water in pounds per square.
According to professionals, the average water pressure ranges from 40 to 80 pounds per square inch which wholly depend upon the suburb or city in which you are living. But if the water pressure of your home is high than the above range, it will indeed cause a slab leak.
- Improper construction or poor plumbing material
Due to improper construction of pipes, a slab leak can form. If the pipes installed under the slab are kented and bent while construction, the damaged area will get weak. Once the water starts passing through these pipes, they are prone to bursting due to varying water pressure.
In addition to that, if you have used poor quality plumbing material under the slab foundation, then also the pipes are prone to rust and clogging with time. So, for the best result, go for plastic pipes like PVC, CPVC, OR PEX as they are highly resistant to corrosion and work for a longer period of time.
How to fix a slab leak?
According to professionals, there are a number of methods that are used for slab leak repair in your home. That means which method is the best depends upon the leak’s location. Apart from that, the cost of the repair also varies, which goes up to thousands of dollars as the process is quite complicated and cannot be done without the help of a professional.
- Repiping
Repiping is one of the options for slab leak repair in which your home’s beautiful floors will not be removed. That means, to fix the leak, the professional will reroute brand new pipe outside the concrete foundation or in the home’s attic.
- Trenchless slab leak repair
This option needs minor demolition in which the professional will create access holes to fix the slab leak repair in Santa Ana. Moreover, the best part of this method is it is not at all a costly process.
After accessing holes in the foundation of the home, the professional will first do a camera inspection in which they come to know the extent of the damage. After that, they clean the pipe, insert proxy liners and then inflate it.
- Tunneling under the slab
Many homeowners don’t want to salvage their beautiful flooring because of this reason, and they choose the tunneling method for the repair. In this method, the team of professionals will keep all the mess out of the home so that you can live your life as usual.
That means the team will dig a tunnel under your home so that the structural integrity of the house will not be affected. After fixing the leak, the soil was placed in its place.
The bottom line
A slab leak is a widespread issue in most homes in the USA. If you ignore the signs of a slab leak, this issue will weaken the house’s foundation and structural integrity. So, for the best result, inspect your home regularly for any issues in order to prevent costly repairs, which will surely make a hole in your pocket.
Moreover, if you face such issues, ensure to call the L&S Turnkey professional to fix the problem; otherwise, all your money will go in vain if you hire any local plumbers for the work.
