Are you feeling warm spots under your floors, or maybe seeing some hardwood floors discoloring?
Here in Tallahassee, Florida, as well as most Southern states, homes are built on slabs of concrete. As such, plumbing lines are first laid in the ground before the concrete is poured for the foundation. The result is that these lines are buried and become invisible and vulnerable to shifting soils and foundations. This shift can harm those plumbing lines that are not easily accessible. Over time, foundations and slabs can begin to move, which in some cases can cause the plumbing lines to break or leak. The leak can be in a drain line or a water supply line. The soil around the leaking line begins to move causing more stress on the broken or cracked leaking pipe. Erosion of the surrounding land can cause additional slab movement and damage to the plumbing lines as well as the overall foundation of the home or building.
Plumbing lines are installed in the ground under the slab or foundation to keep installation costs at a reasonable level. Lines installed above ground through an attic require more material, plus drilling, strapping and protection. Some of the disadvantages to overhead lines is the noise they make as water passes through, and water pipes installed in an attic area in Southern states are exposed to extremely high temperatures in spring and summer.
Some of the signs that you have a leak in your “in slab” plumbing lines are:
- Cracks in your foundation.
- Hot or cold spots somewhere on your floor.
- Discoloration of hardwood floors.
- Visible cracks in the slab or foundation.
- You hear water running yet all the taps are turned off.
- Visible cracks in walls are indicating a shift in the slab or foundation.
Ok so now you suspect that you have a slab leak, what needs to be done?
The first call should be to Lance Maxwell Plumbing, the professionals who know how to handle this situation. The first step is to locate the exact location of the leak and determine if the broken line is a sewer line or a water supply line. After locating the point of the leak, a Lance Maxwell Plumbing technician will discuss with you what will be required to repair the problem. You will have all the options explained and will be given adequate information to allow you to make some reasonable decisions.
Slab leak detection and foundation repair are essential measures to keeping your foundation stable and in proper repair. It is much easier to fix the problem at an early stage as procrastination can be expensive. Call Lance Maxwell Plumbing, the specialists, at the first signs as we are willing and able to resolve this problem. Remember delays can be costly!