Slab Leak Repair: How To Diagnose and Prevent Them In Homes | Mansfield, TX
Homeowners can face slab leaks in their houses if they have installed water lines under the concrete slab. If you don’t identify this problem on time, you may end up spending more on repairs.
Fortunately, slab leak repair experts can recognize the issue and recommend immediate repairs; to save your home from water damage and severe foundation problems like cracks.
The severity of the plumbing problems will depend on the extent of the leaking in the slab construction. In this blog post, you’ll learn what slab leaks are, the reason behind the leakage, and how to diagnose and prevent them.
What Is a Slab Leak?
The plumbing pipes beneath the slab can crack and start leaking. The cracks on the pipes will leak depending on the extent of the damage. If the opening in the water lines is small, the leakage will be minimal, taking a while for you to notice and call a slab leak repair professional.
But, if the crack bursts open, then your furniture, appliances, floor, and walls can sustain damages because of the outpouring water from the slab construction. Given the complexity of the problem, calling an expert for slab leak services as soon as possible is wise.
What Makes the Plumbing Pipes Underneath the Slab Foundation Crack?
Plumbing materials: one of the reasons behind cracked pipes is usually due to rusting. The water or drain lines might be cast iron or galvanized steel, which are vulnerable to corrosion in case of mineral or chemical build-up from hard water.
Faulty Installation
When you hire a quack plumber to install your plumbing pipes, you should be ready to experience problems that will need the urgent attention of slab leak repair experts.
Weak Water Line
If the pipes in your house running through the slab are weak, they are prone to burst faster than their intended lifespan in case of issues such as clogs or high water pressure.
Hard Water
Most homes experience plumbing problems because of the minerals in the hard water. The dissolved calcium and magnesium deposits accumulate over time and can cause a blockage in the pipes. Without regular cleaning of the pipes, the clog builds up, forcing water to look for alternative paths, causing the water or waste line to burst open, leading to a slab leak.
Expansive Soils
Shrinking and swelling soils are another reason behind slab leakages in most homes in Mansfield, TX. The construction soil shrinks when it is dry and swells when wet, causing soil shifting that can affect your foundation, causing extensive damages.
How to Diagnose a Slab Leak
The networking piping system that runs through the foundation and slab can start to leak, and you will not know until it magnifies to severe foundation or construction issues.
The pipes in the concrete slabs are not easily accessible, making it hard to detect leakages and call for slab leak repair services to salvage the structural integrity of your house. A professional has tools that can help them identify the leaking pipes in the foundation and slab easily.
However, a plumber is not a consistent visitor in your home and can only notice the problem when they come for maintenance or repairs. That is why you should know the signs of a slab leak to call your plumbing professional for prompt slab leak repair services. Some of the symptoms that help in diagnosing the leakages include:
Wet Parts on the Floor
It might not be easy to notice damp parts on your floor unless it is in an exposed area. But, when you find out that a section of your carpet is wet, you should first search your home to find out the source of the leak. Leakage from the foundation is a big problem that requires urgent slab leak repair services.
Mold Growth and Smell
When you hear the irritating odor of mold in your home, it is a sign of wetness resulting from leakage. Mold growth causes allergic reactions because of the allergens it produces that compromise the indoor air quality in your house.
The moment your kids or other inhabitants that are sensitive to dust and mold start complaining of health problems such as irritated skin, nose, throat, and eyes, and triggered asthmatic conditions, it is a sign of a leakage facilitating the mold to grow.
After noticing the mold on your floor or wall, you should call a plumbing expert to find the root cause of the leakage. After identifying the leaking pipes beneath the slab, the slab leak repair technician can decide to reroute the pipes.
Higher than Normal Water Bills
Another way to diagnose a slab leak is skyrocketing water bills. If you notice the cost of water is rapidly going up and it is typically lower, you should call for urgent inspections of your water pipes to detect the leaking pipes. After getting the leakage in the foundation or concrete slab, the plumbing professional removes the burst pipes and replaces them with advanced types but can install them on the walls or through the roof.
How to Prevent Slab Leaks in Your Home
Get Corrosion-Free Pipes
Since the piping materials are the top reason behind slab leaks, installing corrosion-resistant pipes beneath the slab is one way of preventing slab leaks in your Mansfield, TX home.
The qualified plumbing expert can select between plastic pipes and rigid or flexible copper pipes, which are resistant to rusting for installation to avoid late-night calls for slab leak repair services.
Expert Installation
You can prevent leaks in the foundation of your house by hiring an expert to install the pipes in your home. You have to get the best plumbers for slab leak repair services from a certified, bonded, and licensed company for the best installation services done right the first time.
Water Softeners
The softeners in your home remove the dissolved minerals in hard water. Eliminating the minerals prevents them from building up in the pipes, leading to bursting plumbing pipes.
Get Annual Inspections and Maintenance of Your Plumbing System
investing in tune-ups is crucial if you want your plumbing and piping system to last longer. It is something that many homeowners skip, leading to plumbing issues in the foundation that will need slab leak repair services.
Call For Professional Help!
If you identify any of the above signs on your floor or home, you should reach out to Slableak.com in Mansfield, TX. Our contractors use state-of-the-art equipment to detect, track, identify and diagnose the leakage in the foundation. We are available 24/7 for emergency services.