Slab Leaks: What Causes Them & How To Repair Them?
If you are one of those people who take slab leak problems for granted, it’s time for you to change that. Slab leaks can seriously damage your house and push you back financially. Hire professional for slab leak detection services to save yourself from such mishaps.
Introduction
Slab leaks are a sad reality of areas with unstable soil and land. The foundation of homes is made on concrete slabs because the pressure of the shifting soils can often crack and break basement walls. Many reasons might lead to severe slab leaks, especially if you live in and around Southern California. The land there is tilted and often leads to undetectable slab leaks in multiple places. Keep reading if you are looking for relevant information that will provide everything you need to know about repairing slab leaks.
A slab leak is a leak in the water or sewer pipes underneath the foundation of your home. Slab leaks are terrible because they can damage your house to a great extent. Depending on the intensity of the leak, you may have to experience critical water damage to flooring, furniture, walls, commodities, and more. It can cause mold to form inside your house and insect manifestation as the wood becomes rotten. If slab leaks are kept unchecked for long, they can even make the entire foundation of your house collapse.
Slab leaks are difficult to detect in the first phase. That is the reason you need to hire professional services for slab leak repair in Orange County. Let us take a look at what causes slab leaks.
What Causes Slab Leaks?
Slab leaks are caused by various factors, including errors in the initial installation of pipes, foundation shifting in areas due to heavy earthquakes, pipe corrosion and rotting, and even pipe burst due to constant friction of underground pipes, gravel, concrete, or other pipes. Let us take a deeper look at what leads to the causes behind a slab leak.
First, let us talk about the piping materials that can lead to slab leaks. Most of the plumbing materials used for the foundation of homes are mainly obsolete nowadays. As a result, as time evolves, they fail to maintain their effectiveness.Sometimes, it is not the age of the pipe but the material itself that causes the pipes to burst, encouraging slab leaks. Let us look at the various types of pipes that can be used for slab leak repair.
Cast Iron Pipes
These are classic and used popularly at all houses made around the 60s. These are highly durable than today’s plastic pipes. Cast iron pipes are less susceptible to corrosion, burning in case of fire, and they are also very quiet, which enables you not to hear the sound of running water. But, if these cast iron pipes are not properly coated with a protective layer, the underground minerals, and salts, water will rust them. Therefore, cast iron pipes need to be sheathed with protective material properly before they are placed beneath the house’s foundation.
Copper Pipes
Nowadays, copper pipes are a widely used choice. Copper has higher durability and is corrosion resistant. It is also beneficial with hot water and cold-water lines. Copper pipes differ in thickness. When getting copper pipes for the foundation piping, make sure to get thick pipes; otherwise, even a small dent on the pipe can lead to heavy water damage.
Galvanized Steel Pipes
Though strong, galvanized steel pipes are not corrosion-resistant. These are vulnerable to salts and minerals found in water and earth. The only downfall of steel pipes is that they can easily lead to mineral clog, degrading the quality of water supplied, and also, their lifespan is not more than 30 years. So, if you are looking for something more long-lasting, this might not be your ideal choice.
Plastic Pipes
If you are looking for long-lasting, foolproof corrosion-resistant piping material, this is the best choice for you. Plastic is corrosion resistant and very easy to work with compared to other piping materials. The different types of plastic pipes used are ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride pipe), CPVC (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride pipe), PEX (cross-linked polyethylene). However, one critical problem most people face with plastic pipes is abrasion. Extreme temperatures, freezing can lead these to burst.
When you hire the services of Slab leak repair in Orange County, you get suggestions from some of the most qualified experts. As a result, your plumbing system stays of unmatched quality and passes you a lifetime.
Now, the second cause that leads to slab leaks is most prevalent in places with slab leaks. While a pipe can easily corrode, leading to slab leaks, the most common cause is shifting the soil underneath house foundations. Expansive soils contain water-absorbing minerals, which causes the minerals to expand. As the soil moves, it bends by large proportions damaging the underground piping and connections.
Slab leaks that have been left undetected for long periods enable water to slowly kill the strength of the ground on which the house is built. It makes the soil expand, even more, leading to substantial damage. There is a buildup of extreme pressure under the slab, which has to be released somewhere. Upward pressure eventually finds its way through the tiniest cracks and weaknesses on the slab. In early cases, wet spots start to show up on hardwood floors and carpets. The worst-case scenario causes the floor to erupt like a geyser causing the house to flood.
These were the most prevalent causes of slab leaks. If not detected correctly, slab leaks can lead to enormous damage to property, lifestyle, and finances. If you don’t hire a slab leak detection company at the right time, you might have to face the worst nightmare. If you suspect a slab leak in your house, don’t delay anymore and get in touch with the services of professional Slab leak repair in Orange County.
How Will You Know If There Is A Slab Leak In Our House?
Slab leaks at their initial phases are insanely difficult to find, especially without the help of professional slab leak detection services. Slab leaks do not happen overnight. The damage made over the years ultimately shows its existence one day. If you are not familiar with the signs of slab leaks, look for these symptoms in your house:
Unexplainable Water Bills – If you were paying an unsound amount of water bill for the past few years without using that much water, there are high chances that you have slab leaks. The water constantly runs without your knowledge, therefore, hiking your water bills.
Sound Of Gushing Water – Have you noticed the constant sound of running water even though all the taps of your house were closed? If your piping is done with plastic pipes, the water sound will be more explicit, making the search for slab leaks easy.
Discoloration And Damp floors – If you notice that the floors and walls of your house are discoloring, contact slab leak detection services as you might have slab leaks.
Water Buildup – If you have pools of water buildup on floors and carpets, the pipe leak reaches the worst level. Be urgent in getting slab leak detection services unless you want to face an emergency.
Bad Smell And Growth Of Mold And Mildew – Water leak leads to insect infestation, rot the flooring, and causes mold and germs. This can make the living environment unfit for living.
Some other signs might be visible, like soil shift around the structure of the house, uneven growth of plants in the lawn, lack of water pressure, etc.
If you notice these signs, don’t wait anymore to get professional services. The top Slab leak repair service provider in Orange County has some of the best slab detectors that will solve your slab leak problems in no time.
How To Repair Slab Leaks?
If you need to repair a slab leak, get services from slab leak repair experts in Orange County. The professionals are very well equipped with the correct tools to solve your leakage problems. By choosing the services of the best slab leak repair agency in Orange County, you will avail the top-notch services, including 24/7 emergency services provided by highly experienced professionals, so that you won’t have to worry about giving your house to untrustworthy hands. Moreover, these services are highly affordable, and you can even get other things like drain clogging, toilet repairing, and all plumbing emergencies by them.
Here is how professional slab leak detection companies repair slab leaks:
1. Repiping And Rerouting
Depending on the condition of the damage to the pipes, the underground piping system may have to be redone from the initial level. Repiping involves blocking the specific damaged area and reconstructing a new one around it. The pathways of the pipes are changed as well. This technique is less messy. In some cases, the floor has to be broken to access the pipes. Meanwhile, the waterworks in the initial piping remain intact while the new work gets conducted.
2. Breakthrough The Slab
In some cases, the easiest way to repair the slab leak is to reach the pipelines by breaking the slab and digging through it. This technique is more disruptive and highly expensive. Also, one might have to shift till the work is being done as the entire water supply gets blocked. Nevertheless, this method ensures no further damage for a long time.
3. Tunneling
In a lot of cases, the process of tunneling beneath the slab is followed. This process is highly advantageous and is used by most service providers of slab repair in Orange County. You can stay in your home without any disruption; it is not very messy and is the least expensive. If you have costly floors, tunneling is the best option you can go for. Only a small portion of the floor will be broken to form the tunnels.
4. Trenchless Pipe Burst
If your pipe doesn’t have the structural buildup for lining, it needs to be changed as the force of the water might damage it. Trenchless pipe burst allows reconstruction of the pipeline without breaking your walls.
There are few other ways to repair slabs, but these are the most commonly used ones.
Conclusion
A slab leak is not minor that you can ignore because the consequences of going terrible are highly severe. If you suspect a slab leak, worry not, and immediately get the prompt slab leak detection services. Before things go out of hand, companies can save you with quick and efficient slab leak repair services in Orange County. Don’t wait for something small to turn into an emergency. Contact us as soon as possible and get our guarantee-backed slab leak repair services today!
