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         about slab leaks and underground leaks

Frequently asked questions about Slab leak location and detection of underground leaks

HOT WATER SLAB LEAK

  How do you know if you have a hot water slab leak? Often you will have a warm or hot spot on the floor. It may not appear to a casual observer that there is a leak, because often there is no visible water or water damage.

  Copper water lines under the slab are often subject to what most plumbers will call electrolysis. Electrolysis is what happens when copper touches a dissimilar metal. The other metal will start to attack the copper water lines. This can cause the pipes in the entire system to get thin, and to get pits in the piping.

  How can this be prevented? Current codes require that a suitable die electric union be used to keep the copper water lines from being directly connected to the water heater, which is made using a dissimilar metal. A standard die electric union will often have a rubber gasket and a plastic sleeving washer that keep the two different types of metal from touching each other. This can also happen if the pipe is touching metal anywhere in the system. This can be a nail in the wall or rebar under the concrete. It is impossible to foresee every single instance where this can happen, but the most obvious is at the water heater connection.

 How do you repair a hot water slab leak? A hot water leak under the slab will often need to be repaired by jackhammering a hole in the floor. Then you cut out a section of the pipe and replace it with new pipe. Sometimes, however, the condition of the pipe is very poor due to years of damage caused by electrolysis eating away at the pipes. In these situations, it may be advisable to replace the entire line completely. Often this is not done due to the increase for the cost of repairs. Please keep in mind that, while you may save money in the short term by only making a small repair if the conditions of the piping are very bad, you will most likely end up making more repairs in the future. This can lead to frustration on the part of everyone involved, as you can easily have another leak just inches away from the previous repair, and it can be quite soon thereafter. In the instance of a hot water leak slab, it is oftentimes better to take the big hit and have the more expensive procedure done the first time.

COLD WATER SLAB LEAK

HOW DO YOU FIND A COLD WATER SLAB LEAK?

 Sensitive listening devices are used to locate the leak under the concrete. If the leak is not found with this device, it is necessary to force air into the lines. With the additional noise this causes it can make it possible to locate the leak. However, locating a leak is not always exact, because sound can travel and cause the locator to be thrown off of the exact area of the leak.

UNDERGROUND LEAKS

How do you find a leak underground?

 Often because of ground movement, the expansion and contraction of the soil can cause pipes to snap or to be literally pulled apart, which can obviously cause underground leaks. You can sometimes tell where they are simply by looking at the lay of the land. For example, if the wet spot is on a higher elevation and then extends down to a lower elevation you can rely on gravity to tell you where the leak is. Gravity tells us that water flows down hill, and that if there is a wet spot up high then the leak is almost always going to be at the highest point.