Leaks in faucets, appliances and pipes can cause serious damage to your home and are breeding grounds for the growth of fungus and mold which can negatively affect your health and that of your family. It's in your best interest to attack leaks quickly to avoid these problems.
Common Causes of leaks:
Kinks or dents in copper piping (especially during installation) is a major cause of leaks because the pipe weakens over time and develops pin-hole leaks. Hard water (high mineral count) can also corrode a pipe and cause a slab leak -- or a leak beneath your foundation. If the home is piped with galvanized lines, the lines are prone to breakage and rotting. The diameter of a galvanized line also shrinks over time causing rust type debris in the water system. As with water, high amounts of chemicals in the soil or acidic soil (hot soil) can also corrode a pipe and lead to a slab leak. Copper being a natural conductor of electricity, when not ground properly, copper piping can cause the line to begin to corrode. Corrosion of any kind will eventually cause the pipe to leak.
Common Signs of a leak:
You may see some obvious signs of a leak such as ceiling, wall or floor saturation or moistness. You may also hear running water when there is no water in use. There may be warm spots that are felt while walking across the floor; this could be a big indication of a hot water slab leak. A high water bill is also an indication of a water leak, and with a hot water leak, there might be a high gas bill due to the gas waterheater working overtime.
Leak Detection:
There are a few different ways to detect a leak. Testing for pressure loss on the piping system is one way to detect a leak. Turn off all fixtures in the home, and check for movement at the water meter. If the water meter has movement, and there is no water running in the home, this is a strong indication of a leak. Another way to test the piping system is with a pressure gauge; loss of pressure is an indication of a leak. For slab leaks, leak detection equipment is recommended to pinpoint the spot of the leak. When using leak detection equipment, the leak is detected by audible sounds underground, the stronger the sound the closer the leak. We can provide you with clab leak detection services.
Repairing a Slab Leak or Repiping a Home:
When repairing a slab leak, the homeowner has a couple of choices. One of which is a “spot repair.” A spot repair for a slab leak is done by first detecting where the leak is coming from, and then opening the slab at the exact spot of the leak, cutting out the bad piece of pipe and installing a new piece. Backfilling and concrete patching finish the job. Alternatives to a spot repair are a line reroute or a house repipe. A line reroute abandons an existing line and a new water line is run through the walls and overhead. A house repipe is much like a reroute but is done throughout the house. It requires a plumber to abandon the existing plumbing lines in the home, and run new plumbing lines (hot, cold or both) to all water supplied fixtures. If a house has a galvanized piping system – a repipe is normally recommended to reduce the chance of future leaks. Galvanized lines have a tendency to rust and accumulate build up in the lines, which could cause loss of water volume. Repipes can be done in either copper piping or Pex tubing. Pex tubing is more flexible and does not require the pipes to be soldered in the walls. It will keep a 1200 degree torch out of your walls. Pex pipe is usually the more cost effective way to repipe a home.
If you have questions or concerns regarding a slab leak, leak detection, or a house repipe, please feel free to call us at any of the numbers listed below or our toll free number 800-680-3240, and one of our professionals will be happy to answer your questions.
