Slab Leak Detection: ManSigns Of A Slab Leak | Mansfield, TX
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If you’re a fan of The Simpsons, you might remember an episode in the fourth season called “Marge Gets a Job”, which centers around the family matriarch getting a job in order to pay for foundation repair after Homer fails to perform any slab leak detection and the Simpson home sinks into the ground because of a cracked foundation.
It’s a funny episode, mainly because of Homer’s inept attempt to fix the foundation himself (and the subsequent revelation that if Homer had just bought a washer for a bolt for 50 cents, he could have prevented the foundation from cracking entirely). But there’s nothing funny about a cracked foundation in the real world at your home, especially when the damage gets out of control. Unlike the Simpsons, if you fail to perform slab leak detection on your foundation, your problems aren’t going to be fixed in 30 minutes.
Luckily, there are a few giveaway signs that you’ve got a slab leak at your home, or at least some kind of problem that requires the attention of a professional. If you spot any of these signs, it’s time to contact someone who knows how to fix your foundation — before your home meets the same fate as the Simpson house!
Carpet Mildew
Why is this a sign that you need slab leak detection? Simple: in order for mold to grow, three things always need to be present on or near a surface: moisture, oxygen and a source of food for mold spores. Even in the best of times, your carpet consistently provides two out of three. It’s obviously always surrounded by air, and unless nobody ever goes into the room, your carpet is going to pick up dust from footprints, the family pet and even skin flakes falling from your body during the course of your day. Unless you’re meticulously vacuuming the carpet on an hourly basis, you’re going to leave dust on it.
But item no. 3 is only going to be present if something has gone wrong. Moisture only finds its way to the carpet from people stepping on it or from underneath, so if you see spots of mildew and mold on the carpet, that’s a sure sign that something isn’t right. Be smart and call for detection; there’s a good chance that water is pooling into a crack in the foundation from a pipe beneath it.
High Water Bills
More often than not, getting a high water bill at your home in Mansfield, TX isn’t a sign of an issue with your foundation. Most times, a high water bill means that you’ve got an issue with your visible pipes, and if your water bill seems to be very high for that time of year, your first instinct should be to inspect your pipes with a qualified plumber.
But let’s say you call for a plumber and they find nothing wrong with your exposed pipes. In that case, it’s time for slab leak detection. That’s because many of your pipes run under your house, and if your visible pipes aren’t the problem, that means the issue is likely underneath your foundation, which could lead to a crack. Only a professional can tell for sure, so if the problem isn’t with your visible pipes, make sure to ask a plumber for detection right away.
Buckled Foundation
Obviously, if your foundation has already cracked, it’s time to get a professional on the job right away. But fixing the problem without actually treating the cause is only going to lead you to repeat the issue again down the road, and probably sooner than you think.
If you see anything wrong with your foundation, you need to call for slab leak detection and make sure that you understand exactly why your foundation buckled. Remember, you shouldn’t consider a foundation repair job complete until your foundation has been properly fixed and your repair team has informed you of exactly why the foundation cracked in the first place.
Wet Spots on the Floor
After a bad rainstorm, have you ever noticed a wet spot on your carpet that wasn’t there before? If something like this happens, it could be a problem with your pipes. This kind of problem doesn’t always mean that you need to opt for slab leak detection at your home, because in some homes, water can seep in from the outside during heavy rainstorms. But if your home doesn’t really have an obvious place for water to enter during a rainstorm, one of two possibilities are likely.
Either you’ve got a truly horrendous drain system (in which case, you’ll need to have a drain cleaning service take care of the issue), or you’ve got a problem with the pipes under your foundation. Given that drainage issues aren’t that common in a city that only gets average rainfall, this is a situation where you should assume that the issue is with the pipes underneath your foundation. It’s best for you to play it safe and call for slab leak detection as soon as possible.
Running Water
One of the surest signs that something is wrong somewhere inside your Mansfield, TX home is the sound of running water when you don’t have any faucets turned on. If you can hear water running at any time and nobody’s in either the bathroom or the kitchen, you’ve either got to call for a plumber or call for slab leak detection at your first opportunity. Ignoring either one could lead to serious foundation problems, burst pipes or worse.
At Slableak.com, we know the damage that a slab leak can do to a home, and we’re happy to offer slab leak detection services to help keep your home’s foundation from sinking, cracking or worse. If you think there’s an issue with water damage under the floors of your home, contact us to find the problem and fix the issue before things get worse!