Go To Slableak.com For Great Slab Leak Repair Services | Mansfield, TX
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In many areas with unstable soil, slab leaks are somewhat inevitable. This is because shifting soils can cause the walls of basements to break and crack. Houses are often built on top of concrete slabs or using pier and beam construction. Slab construction became particularly common after World War II because it was faster and less expensive than many methods that were commonly used at the time.
On occasion, pipes will crack underneath a slab, or plumbing joints will leak. When this happens, you have a slab leak, which is a very serious problem. When water runs under your home, it will erode the soil. This will take away any support that the slab has and put more strain on it. Then, there can be cracked within the slab that can end up giving water a clear path into your home that can cause water damage.
If this happens, you can be in serious need of slab leak repair. There are many options in Mansfield, TX that you can consult with when this happens, and one would be Slableak.com.
Potential Signs of a Slab Leak
A lot of people aren’t very familiar with slab leaks, and all of the terminology that is related to this problem. Because of this, many people don’t really notice the signs of a slab leak when they show up. A lot of the time, these leaks can actually keep going for years before someone even knows that there is a problem. The changes can be so insidious that they are not noticed for this long of a time. If you notice any of the following signs of slab leaks, you might need to contact a slab leak repair professional:
- Higher water bills when you’re not using more water
- The sound of running water when you don’t have any taps open
- Cracks in the foundation
- Damp or discolored floor coverings
- Damp or warm places on the floors
- Bad smells coming from the walls or floors
- Uneven growth within foundation plants or on the lawn
- Visible shifts in soil that surround the structure of your home
If you have one or more of these issues in your home, you should make contact with a plumber or slab leak repair professional right away. This individual will be able to give you a professional opinion. Also, these professionals have all sorts of schools that will help locate water leaks within metal and plastic plumbing lines. They are also capable of doing visual inspections that use fiber optic cameras that they put within the plumbing lines.
Causes of Slab Leaks
There are a few different reasons why slabs may leak, causing you to be in need of slab leak repair services.
Plumbing Materials
A lot of the time, a slab leak can be the result of a failure within the plumbing system in a home. This could be caused by weak and water lines, faulty installation, chemical reactions between the metals in the plumbing system and metals in the soil with which the metal is in contact, or soil that actually moves around and signs beneath the slab.
Sometimes, the plumbing materials are the problem. Before the 1960s, cast iron pipe was what was used for the majority of homes. There are few advantages to cast iron, including that it is quieter and vibrates less than plastic, so you won’t hear water running through the pipes as much. However, if you have unprotected cast iron underground, it can be corroded by minerals and water within the soil. This is why many cast iron pipes today have sheaths that are made of protective material, making them superior to what was used in the 1960s.
Galvanized steel pipes were also common throughout the 1950s. Similar to cast iron, galvanized steel is quite strong, but vulnerable to corrosion. It is also more prone to problems such as clogging. The coating that is inside the pipes at the beginning will eventually wear off, which will leave the pipes susceptible to mineral buildup and rust.
Copper pipes are very often used as well. There is rigid copper pipe and flexible copper pipe. Copper is typically corrosion-resistant endurable, and these pipes come with different thicknesses in the walls. If you have underground lines, they should be run using the copper pipe that have the thickest possible walls. They should also be very carefully installed since dents in the water lines could eventually cause that region of the line to wear very thin and eventually create a hole in the pipe.
Plastic pipes are also resistant to corrosion and are relatively user-friendly. There are many different types of plastic pipes.
Expansive Soil Shifting
If you have a slab leak repair that needs to be done because of expansive soil shifting, this is extremely common. In fact, expansive soil shift is the most common cause of slab leaks. Essentially, the soil on which homes are built can shift. This can cause a great financial loss to the homeowner, which is why slab leak repair can be very important here. These soils contain minerals that will absorb water, causing the soil to expand, move, and then cause plumbing pipes and connections to bend and weaken.
A slow leak will continue to inject water into the ground underneath the home. This will just create an even larger amount of soil expansion, which can maximize the damage. Build-up of hydraulic pressure located underneath the slab is going to be released at some point, and in many cases, this is just going to result in extreme damage to the home that will be very expensive without slab leak repair that is performed earlier.
Conclusion
There are many things that are worth knowing about slab leak repair. However, no matter how much you learn, you probably will not be able to know everything you need to know without consulting with a slab leak repair professional. If you live in the city of Mansfield, TX, you can find a slab leak professional at Slableak.com.