Repairing a slab leak

In Costa Mesa, it is common for the houses to be built on slab foundations. Slab leaks are one of the biggest enemies of your home. Detecting them is hard as the homeowner might not even notice them for months. Plumbing underneath the floor of the house develops a leak which then results in a slab leak. It can be dangerous if it remains undetected and unrepaired. It weakens the foundation of your home. But considering a slab leak repair in Costa Mesa without first requesting slab leak detection is a bad idea! Before solving a problem, you need to detect the root issues first.

WHAT IS A SLAB LEAK?

It can be a tiny hole or a huge break. Slab leak repair in Costa Mesa is not the tough part, the bigger issue is gaining access to the slab leak.

WHAT CAUSES SLAB LEAKS?

Slab leak improvement has some of contributing factors. The maximum essential ones are:

  • Too much pressure on the water lines results in the development of cracks   due to poor construction.
  • The movement of water in the pipe can cause the pipe to rub against other nearby materials. Leaks and cracks develop due to friction and result in a slab leak.
  • Corrosion is another factor that can damage pipes. Chemical reaction between water, soil and pipe causes corrosion of pipe. This results in more slab leaks. The material that is most vulnerable to corrosion is copper and it was commonly used in older homes for water liners.

HOW CAN YOU DETECT A SLAB LEAK?

Compared to other types of plumbing leaks, slab leaks are difficult to detect. But there are still some important signs that a homeowner must keep in mind that can help them detect slab leaks.

Signs of a slab leak:

  • Even though your taps and plumbing appliances are off, you can still hear water running under your floors.
  • You often find that your carpets are wet but can’t find a logical explanation of what might have caused it.
  • You smell general mustiness in your home.
  • Presence of warm spots on your floor.
  • There is a decrease in water pressure.
  • Without any obvious source, you see water pooling up on your floor.
  • An increase in your water bill.

Apart from all these signs, you can also use a water meter to detect a slab leak. Watch your water meter for 15 to 20 minutes after turning off all your plumbing appliances. If the water meter still registers that water was used during that time, this might be a good sign that you have a slab leak.

HOW TO REPAIR A SLAB LEAK?

Slab leak repair in Costa Mesa is not a simple task. As hard as it is to detect a slab leak, it is even more difficult to fix it. This is because to access the slab leak, you have to first dig into the concrete slab. Fixing a slab leak involves removing the flooring, digging into concrete slab, finding the broken pipe and fixing it. The repair process is complicated and it is best to hire a professional to repair a slab leak for you.

Professional plumbers deal with various factors before fixing a slab leak. Condition of the pipe and severity of the slab leak are one of the most important factors the plumber considers first.

When the pipe is only damaged in a certain area, it is more practical to just replace that affected part. So, your plumber will only replace the damaged part which is the least invasive strategy.

Sometimes the pipes are beyond repair as they get damaged by passing time. And even if it is repaired, it can result in a leak somewhere else in the pipe. In that case, rerouting the pipe is the best solution available. Rerouting doesn’t involve digging into the slab so it will result in less damage to your home. It is also a cheaper alternative and a much faster process.

If the house you live in is too old, then chances are your entire pipe system might have been damaged. In those cases, the only way a plumber can fix a slab leak is by re-piping. This would prevent future leaks. But re-piping is synonymous to a nightmare for a house owner as it is an invasive process that requires cutting the floor and the slab.

A less invasive technique is pipe relining. Access holes can be made by the plumber in the leaking pipe. Then the plumber can press a new liner which results in covering and resealing of leaks.

NOTICING SIGNS OF SLAB LEAK? HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!

The minute you see signs of a slab leak, you should hire a plumber and get it checked. If you allow the pipe to keep leaking for longer periods of time, it will cause more and more damage to your property with each passing day. When the problem is this serious, it will be best not to delay the repair process and get it fixed as soon as possible.

Slab leak repair in Costa Mesa should ensure that the repair doesn’t damage the property foundation. Following is a list of most trusted slab leak repair services in Costa Mesa:

  • Tweedy Plumbing & Restoration
  • Parzival Plumbing
  • SOS Plumbing Rooter

These teams provide plumbers who are experts in fixing slab leaks. As soon as they detect the slab leaks, they will inform you and start the repair process.

CONCLUSION

Slab leaks are a common problem faced by people living in Costa Mesa. The house owner needs to keep in mind that before they start the repair process, they must first detect the leaks. Repairing a slab leak without detecting the exact location of the damage can result in a disaster and more damage to the property.

Apart from this if you are interested to know more about Slab Leakage: What Are The Causes And How To Fix Them?then visit our HOME APPLIANCES category.