Slab Leak Repair 101: Everything Homeowners Should Know | Mansfield, TX
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On average, about 10,000 gallons of water go to waste every year per household across the United States, including Texas. This happens in the form of leakages, with the most common types consisting of running toilets, dripping faucets, and leaky valves along with the plumbing network. These types of leakages are easier to detect compared to slab leaks.
Slab leaks occur when the pipes running beneath the floor of your house develop cracks and burst. They cause a big headache to homeowners due to the cost implications associated with their restoration, given that the repair works take place in the foundation of your house. These pipes usually convey potable water, or they could be sewer drains.
Slab leaks can corrode the flooring, walls, and valuable home furnishings, causing immense property damage. It’s thus imperative that as a homeowner in Mansfield, TX, be alert for any signs of slab leaks and seek the services of a slab leak repair service provider to help you identify probable causes to minimize the future occurrence.
Signs that you need slab leak repair in your house
As pointed out earlier, slab leaks can be hard to detect and, if left to run for a long time, could cause damage to the foundation of your house, including total collapsing. Not to worry, though. There are a few pointers that something is not right regarding the pipe connections underneath your floor.
- Mold growth
The presence of mold and mildew on walls and floors could indicate a slab leak. If the water pipes running beneath your floor burst open, they create a conducive environment for the mold to thrive, and you could detect their presence via foul smell and discolorations. Slab leak repair is inevitable to avoid further damage to your house and to avert possible health concerns.
- Warm flooring
At times, when walking barefoot in your house, you could notice that some portions of your floor are warmer than others. This is possibly due to leaks in water pipes conveying warm water to various user points in your house. It is easier to detect this on a wooden floor or one with tiles and no carpet covering.
- Damp carpets and hard flooring
Water originating from a slab leak in your house may pressure your flooring, causing it to curve upwards. In other instances, the water may seep out and find its way into your carpet, rendering it damp. If you notice these signs, do not hesitate to contact a professional repair company to fix the leak and restore normalcy in your premises.
- High water bills
As a responsible homeowner in Mansfield, TX, you probably have an estimate of your water consumption costs in a month based on previous bills. Slight deviations are bound to occur; however, if there’s a sudden surge in your bills, it could most likely be attributed to a leak in your plumbing system.
You could perform a full house inspection with taps closed at all user points, including the kitchen, toilet, shower, and laundry machine, to identify the leak. If you happen to miss any form of leakage and your water meter is constantly turning, it’s probably concealed underneath your floor. You could also listen for continual running water when taps are closed. Be sure to seek slab leak repair services to avoid further costs.
- Fractures in the foundation
A slab leak is the main culprit when you notice cracks in the bricks or material constituting your house’s foundation. As leaks continuously build over time, the water erodes the soil and stresses the foundation, causing it to weaken and eventually crack.
- Reduced water pressure
Low water pressure is commonly attributed to water escaping from holes and cracks that may develop in pipes, causing leakages.
Causes of a slab leak
- Failure in the plumbing system
A slab leak could occur, especially in older homes, where faulty piping materials are used. Copper pipes are prone to bending or developing dents, whereas galvanized steel is susceptible to corrosion through rusting. It’s important to know the type of material used for the water and sewer drain pipes installed underneath your floor and upgrade to plastic pipes, commonly used in contemporary house plumbing designs. This will reduce the frequency of your need for slab leak repair. Poor installation of pipes could lead to slab leaks due to the constant friction between the pipes and the concrete that causes wear and tear.
- Soil shift
The soil on which your house’s foundation is laid may slide or shift in position due to earth tremors, floods, and hurricanes. Soils contain minerals that absorb water, causing it to expand, and as it moves, it tends to bend and weaken the water lines under the slab.
Other factors that could necessitate slab leak repair include rodents crawling into the pipes, soil corrosion, encroachment by tree roots, and excessive water pressure.
Slab leak repair and maintenance
After noticing some of the signs above, you could always hire slab leak repair professionals to run diagnostic tests and fix the plumbing errors. They are well-versed in advanced modern technology that entails using high-definition imaging equipment to navigate the plumbing network and carry out pressure leak, hydrostatic drain, and slab leak testing.
The certified professionals also help you devise a suitable maintenance schedule that could help you identify your system’s problems early enough to avoid costly repairs in the future.
Depending on the leakage’s nature, the repair process could entail pipe rerouting, breaking and tunneling through the slab, pipe splitting, and epoxy coating to do away with the problem of rusting.
Why you should hire Slableak.com
As a homeowner contact the slab leak repair professionals at slableak.com to handle all your slab repair services. Our certified professionals use drain augers, digital camera probes, line tracing equipment, scanners, and outfitted trucks to provide slab, water heater, and general plumbing repair services.
We are experienced in handling hot water slab leaks, hydro jet drain cleaning, gas leak detection, and video camera drain lines. Not only do we offer quality repair services, but we also go a step further to guide you on carrying out routine maintenance and observing safety measures. Call us at Benjamin Franklin’s Slableak.com to enjoy reliable, prompt, and affordable slab repair services with minimum disruptions in your daily activities.