Indications Of A Slab Leak In Your Home And How A Plumber Can Find Its Location
A slab leak is a serious problem that needs to be repaired fast, especially if the leak is a big one. Your water bill can escalate quickly when there's a damaged pipe in your home. But, even if the leak is small, it can cause water damage and mold in your home. The problem with a slab leak is the leaky pipe is buried under the ground and topped with a concrete slab. That makes it difficult to assess the situation. Here are some signs of a slab leak and how a detecting service can help you find it.
Indications Of A Slab Leak In Your Home
If the leak is big enough, you may hear the sound of water moving through your pipes when all the faucets in your home are shut off. If the leak is small, you may not hear it, but you might have signs of excess moisture in your home, such as an increase in bugs and a musty odor.
The water from a slab leak seeps up through the concrete slab, and it could make the back of your carpet damp and moldy. If you suspect you have a water leak somewhere, you can verify it by turning off all the water in your house and watching your meter. If the meter moves then you have a leak that needs to be found.
Ways To Detect A Slab Leak
A plumber has tools for identifying a slab leak and pinpointing the exact area of damage. One tool that might be used is a thermal camera to verify the leak since hot or cold water will show up as a color change against the floor. However, since water spreads out along the ground, a thermal camera may not be able to identify the source of the leak.
The plumber may use an electromagnetic pipeline detector to locate a pipe that's buried under the slab. Amplification equipment can then be used to listen to the pipe for changes in the sound as water rushes through it. The area where the pipe is leaking has a different pitch than elsewhere in the pipe so the exact spot of damage can be marked on the slab.
Finding a hidden leak under a slab could be slow and meticulous work, but it is well worth the effort. Without knowing exactly where to dig, the plumber would have to tear out the floor just to look around for the leak.
Thanks to the ability to find a leak that's buried under concrete, the plumber knows exactly where to bust up the foundation so disruption to your home is kept to a minimum when repairs are done. For more information, contact a plumber who offers slab leak detection services.