Slab leak means water leaking from pipes beneath the concrete slab of our house. The pipes are mostly made of copper or galvanized. A slab leak is a very dangerous thing and it indicates that the water pipe has burst or started leaking and slab leaks need to be detected and repaired immediately. It is the reason for normal ground shifting.
Causes of a slab leak:
A slab leak is a major problem in your home. There are some reasons why a slab leak occurs:
- Poor installation is a reason for the slab leak. Sometimes during installation a pipe becomes dented, kinked, or bent. So it is a cause of leakage.
- The external pressure of water is a reason for the slab leak.
- Corrosion can create a leak.
- The pH level of water is important for a pipe. If the water pH level becomes more than 7 it becomes acidic and below 7 that becomes base. That harms a pipe too much and leaks occur.
- If you use a pipe for a long time and it faces problems like corrosion, abrasion, or pressure, slab leaking happens.
Symptoms of a slab leak:
So now you have to know how you detect if your slab leaks or not. Here are some symptoms by which you can come to know that:
- Abnormally high water bills
- Damp or wet floors or carpets
- The sound of running water
- Warm spots on the floor
- Warped or buckling floors
- Foul or musty odor
- Presence of mold
- Foundation movement
- Cracking walls
When you notice those problems you have to go for some tips. Here are some ideas by which you can repair your slab:
- Spot repair:
Sometimes pipes are not too damaged and before that, you can come to know about the leakage. Then you can use the spot repair system. In this process, you have to change the leak portion with a new fitting portion. The process is less time-consuming and Ideal for commercial buildings with minor issues. But this process is not more convenient.
- Pipe Rerouting or Re-piping:
If there is a small problem in the pipe you don’t have to dig altogether and reroute plumbing above ground. You can easily install new pipelines. Rerouting is easy and cost-effective and consumes less time.
Sometimes it happens that the pipes are in concrete and it is quite difficult to reach without destroying the slab and that you don’t want to break the slab. In this case, you can Re-piping the whole house. But this process is time-consuming. Plumbers should open holes in the walls, ceilings, and floors and the need to remediate those invasive openings. You can route a water supply line around the slab which becomes much easier to Change next time.
- Pipe Coating:
Pipe coating is one of the useful tricks. It helps to coat all the new leakage and become a new pipe. It is a faster process than others. It takes only a few hours and it makes the pipe strong and durable. You don’t have to break slabs and you don’t have to break your walls.
- Tunneling Beneath the Slab:
Tunneling beneath the slab is a very beneficial offer for an owner. Most of the time when slab repairing goes on you have to shift but with this process, you can stay at home during the working time. This is not too expensive and you don’t have to clean your house after repair because all the mess is kept outside of your house.
- Pipe Lining and Pipe Bursting:
Pipelining is a new technology that is too popular for 2021. You don’t have to trench and a little digging can help you to go to the problematic area. You can easily repair your broken pipe with the help of epoxy coating, in the lining process.
Pipe bursting is a process by which you can replace your damaged waterline with a new pipe. It is also a trenchless solution.
Conclusion:
A slab leak is a major problem and it happens when your plumbing lines are under your house. And for it, you may face the problems of faulty installation, weakened water lines.
