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Potential Slab Leak Signs You Shouldn't Ignore

Pools of Water Around Your Home

As the leaked water finds its way through the concrete slabs and surfaces on the ground, it can end up creating pools around your home's exterior. Such pooling is often a telltale sign of a slab leak and indicates a breach in your plumbing system.

Addressing this issue may require slab leak repairs, involving techniques such as tunneling beneath the home's foundation to access and fix the damaged pipe. Timely intervention prevents further damage, preserving the structural integrity of the property.

Reduced Water Pressure

Low water pressure is another consequence of slab leaks. When a leaky pipe under the concrete slab allows water to escape, less water flows through the plumbing lines to your faucets and showers — resulting in reduced water pressure.

This situation suggests that the plumbing system is compromised, often due to old pipes or one that's broken. Repairing slab leaks to restore normal water pressure can involve replacing the damaged section with new pipes, such as corrosion-resistant chlorinated polyvinyl chloride pipe or cross-linked polyethylene, to prevent future leaks.

Your Floor Is Hot in Certain Areas

Did you know that slab leaks can also take the form of hot spots on your flooring? This happens when a hot water line under the slab leaks. The escaping hot water warms the concrete floor directly above the leak, creating these warm spots.

Repairing these leaks requires a professional plumber to use line tracing equipment or a water line video inspection to pinpoint the leak's location. Atlas Home Services utilizes methods like pipe lining and pipe rerouting to fix the issue without significant disruption to the slab.

Foundation Cracks

Furthermore, slab leaks undermine the foundation of your home by creating cracks in the concrete slab foundation. Water from plumbing leaks can erode the soil composition beneath the slab, which leads to an expansive soil shift that exerts uneven pressure on the concrete — cracking it.

This scenario not only requires leak repair but may also necessitate foundation repair to address the compromised structural integrity. Techniques such as concrete repair or slab replacement can be employed to restore stability to the foundation and prevent long-term damage.

Unexplained Water Bill Spikes

Slab leaks are notorious for causing unusually high water bills. This spike results from water continuously leaking from the plumbing system, even when no taps are running, leading to wastage that increases your water bill.

Detecting and repairing slab leaks involves a comprehensive inspection by a licensed plumber, who may recommend replacing badly damaged water lines with new plumbing materials like polyvinyl chloride pipes or plastic pipes. Addressing these leaks promptly can halt unnecessary water waste and bring your water bills back to normal levels.