What Causes Slab Leaks?

What Causes Slab Leaks?

Slab leaks occur when the pipes running in or under a home's concrete slab foundation fail.

Leaks can happen in inbound pressurized fresh water lines as well as outbound sewer or drain pipes. In this article, we'll primarily focus on inbound fresh water pipes located in or under slab foundations.

General Causes of Pipe Leaks

Pipe leaks can occur anywhere in a home's plumbing system, including walls, attics, or slabs. When leaks happen in or under a concrete slab, they can be harder to detect and repair compared to other areas. Common causes of pipe leaks include:

• Aging pipes: Old copper pipes, corroded galvanized plumbing, and defective polybutylene piping can be prone to developing leaks under or in a slab. Likewise, aging drain and sewer pipes under slabs can cause slab leaks.



• Poor installation: Water lines and fittings that were improperly installed are more likely to develop leaks over time.
• High water pressure: Excessively high water pressure can strain water lines and can cause them to burst or leak.
• Pipe abrasion: Pipes that rub against surfaces like a concrete slab or other pipes can wear down over time and eventually leak.
• Water chemistry: Chemicals (like chlorine) and the PH of your water supply can affect your plumbing and increase the likelihood of leaks. Copper pinhole leaks and polybutylene leaks have often been attributed to water chemistry issues. For more details, check out our article on hard water and why it is bad for your plumbing.

Causes of Pipe Leaks Unique to Concrete Slabs

In addition to the general causes listed above, some plumbing leaks are specific to pipes installed in or under concrete slabs, often due to ground movement.

Shifting or Settling Soil Causing Slab Leaks

Expansive or swelling soils are a common cause of pipe leaks in or under slabs.

According to the Colorado Geological Survey, it is estimated that expansive soil causes infrastructure losses in excess of tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes combined. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that about 25% of homes in the U.S. experience damage from expansive soil during their lifetime.

There are two common causes of soil expansion and settling:

1. Expansive clay soils: Clay soil swells or shrinks as its moisture content changes. Learn more in our article on how expansive soil causes slab leaks in Dallas.
2. Pockets of subsurface organic matter: Trapped organic matter below the surface can oxidize or compact, causing the soil above to settle.

Clay soils are common throughout the USA, with particularly high rates in Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of California. Some areas of Florida have high levels of smectite clay (the most expansive type of clay) and high levels of subsurface organic matter in the remains of prior wetlands.

Earthquakes Causing Slab Leaks

In earthquake prone regions like California, Nevada, Washington State, and even Utah, earthquakes can significantly impact infrastructure and cause slab leaks.

Any ground movement can cause cracks and shift a concrete slab, damaging the plumbing beneath it and causing a slab leak. For more information, see our article on the role of repiping in earthquake proofing.

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How to Prevent a Slab Leak

The only way to prevent a slab leak, aside from not having a slab foundation in the first place, is to avoid placing fresh water lines in or under the concrete slab.

Our full home repiping service does just that. We cap off the fresh water lines that are already in or under your slab, leaving them in place. We then reroute all your new plumbing through walls, ceilings, and attics, avoiding the slab entirely and preventing future slab leaks.

Our whole-home repipes are generally much less disruptive than jackhammering through your slab to access and replace leaking pipes. With our One-Stop Repipe™ Process, we can complete a repipe of your entire home in just 1-2 days, handling everything from inspections to wall patching—and it's all backed by a lifetime warranty.

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How Much Does a Slab Leak Repair Cost?

The cost of fixing slab leaks by opening up the slab and replacing damaged pipes can vary significantly.

Here at Repipe Specialists, we only perform full home repipes.

We have heard from customers that in some cases, the cost of our whole home repiping services was lower than the cost of replacing a section of damaged pipe within a slab. This is particularly true for homeowners who've performed multiple in-slab repairs over time.

We consider an "in-slab" repair to be a temporary fix when compared to full home repiping. The underlying cause of the original leak is unlikely to be a one-time issue. You can read our article on the costs associated with both in-slab repairs and full home repipes.

Most of our full home repipes cost between $4,500 for smaller homes and $15,000 for larger properties with more complex requirements and longer pipe runs. We have another article that covers whole house repipe costs in greater detail. We also offer financing options to help you manage any unplanned repiping costs.

Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from never having to worry about slab leaks again. Contact us to receive a free fixed price repipe quote from one of our local repipe consultants.

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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. Fix slab leaks at the source, repipe now.

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