Main Causes of Leaks in Slabs and Foundations
Slab and foundation leaks can be a homeowner's worst nightmare. Not only do they cause significant water damage to the property, but they can also lead to structural issues and compromise the overall integrity of the home.
Unfortunately, leaks in slabs and foundations are not uncommon and can be caused by a variety of factors. Some of the most common causes include:
- Settling/Shifting Slabs: Over time, slabs can shift or crack. This can lead to leaks in the pipes due to erosion, expanding soil, and other factors.
- Copper Pinhole Leaks: This cause often occurs due to low-quality copper pipes or adverse reactions to chemicals in the water supply.
- Pipe Abrasion: Any movement in your pipes or slab work will cause wear and tear over time. This problem is particularly common in copper piping.
- Old Plumbing: All plumbing systems have an expected life span. The older your plumbing, the more likely it will fail due to natural wear and tear. This is one of the most common causes of slab leaks in your foundation and will often require repiping.
For additional information about these causes, you can refer to our article on Slab Leak Causes.
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How Can I Tell If I Have a Slab Leak?
Detecting a slab leak can be tricky as the pipes are located beneath the foundation of the house, making the problem difficult to identify.
However, there are a few signs that homeowners can look out for to determine if they have a slab leak:
- Damp and Mold: Certain areas of the floor or carpet may be damp or discolored, which could be an indication of water seeping through the foundation.
- Increased Water Use: If your water bill seems unexpectedly high or your water meter increases when all your faucets and appliances are turned off, it's possible that you may have a slab leak. However, this method may not detect smaller leaks.
- The Sound of Running Water: Another sign to look out for is the sound of running water when there are no faucets or appliances in use. If the sound persists even after all the water sources are turned off, it could be a sign of a slab leak.
If you think you may have a slab leak, there are local detection companies that employ specially designed equipment to detect even the smallest of leaks.
Give us a call today and we may be able to recommend a local leak detection company.
Temporary Slab Leak Repair Options
If a slab leak has been detected in your foundation, there are no quick and easy fixes.
There are two options to consider when fixing a slab leak of your water pipes:
- Replace the damaged pipes within your foundation, or
- Completely repipe home for a permanent fix.
Option one involves opening up your concrete slab with a jackhammer to expose and access the leaking pipes. This method is both intrusive and expensive. We have seen some quotes that often exceed the cost of a full home repipe.
We call this a "temporary" solution, because whatever caused the slab leak once has a high likelihood of happening again in another part of the slab.
Slab Leak Permanent Fix: A Complete Repipe
To permanently fix a slab leak in your foundation, a complete home repipe is the most cost-effective method to ensure that you can avoid any future leaks.
We have many customers who saw their neighbors deal with expensive slab leak damage and chose to take preventive action before they were also struck by a slab leak nightmare.
Our repipes completely bypass cutting into concrete slab. We instead re-route all of your plumbing through walls, attics, and ceilings.
You can rest assured that you won't have to deal with another slab leak, as there won't be any water pipes embedded in the concrete slab anymore.
We have perfected our One Stop Repipe™ process and can normally complete a full home repipe in 1-2 days. All our repipes include a lifetime warranty to ensure your peace of mind.
How Much Will It Cost to Fix My Slab Leak?
Here at Repipe Specialists, most of our repipes fall somewhere between $4,500 for a two-bedroom, one-bath house, and up to $15,000 for a much larger, more complicated job.
We often find that customers have received quotes to replace sections of leaky pipes in slabs that far exceed the cost of our complete repipe quotes. You can find additional information on repiping costs in our How Much Should A Repipe Cost article.
To help ease the burden of unexpected repiping expenses, we also offer financing options for our clients. We offer nothing down zero interest for 12 months if paid in full.
A Repipe Specialists local estimator would be happy to explain all your options, either in person or in a remote consult session - schedule a free repipe quote.
Get a Quote for Repiping Your Home
Here at Repipe Specialists, we've fully replaced the plumbing in over 75,000 homes since 1991 using both copper piping and PEX tubing. We continually get positive customer feedback from customers about their overall home repipe experiences. We often exceed their expectations on:
- Speed: Our repipe crews typically complete a repipe in a day, returning on another day for wall patching.
- Convenience: Through our One-Stop Repipe™ process, we handle everything from permits, to wall patching, to inspections.
- Cleanliness: Our crews are trained to protect your home while working (we cover all surfaces with protective sheeting), and to clean up fully at the end of each day.
- Peace of Mind: Repipe Specialists is a fully licensed plumber in every state we operate in, and we back all of our repipes with a lifetime warranty.
- Financing programs: To help take the sting out of unplanned repipe expenses, we offer several financing programs.
- Price: As a specialist that performs hundreds of repipes a week, we can deliver high-quality repipes at a lower cost vs generalist plumbers. We have an article that covers repipe cost factors in detail.
Schedule a free in-home consult, and one of our local repipe consultants will explain all your repipe options and provide you with a written, fixed-price quote.