So You Think You Have A Slab Leak?
For the past few years, slab leaks have been running rampant in and around Orange County; odds are, you have either encountered a slab leak yourself, or you know someone who experienced one in their home. There are numerous causes of slab leaks, most of which are near impossible to foresee or to 100% determine if they were the specific cause. What we want for our customers is to be informed of what is happening, and to know that although it is a terrible situation, you now have more options than ever before.
Causes of a Slab Leak
PIPE DETERIORATION – Just like the Colorado River has carved the Grand Canyon, the pipes under your slab and in your walls are in a constant state of erosion. Inevitably, those pipes are going to wear down to a tipping point and begin to leak. That deterioration can occur anywhere that there is water, if it happens underneath your slab, you will eventually notice a slab leak.
CLEANER WATER – As the world is improving around us each and every day, one of those improvements has been the increased purification of water. While that is a great advancement for our health, it is not so great for the health of our pipes. With the increased number of sediments constantly being removed, that is increasing the strength of the water flowing through your pipes. That increased water strength leads to faster deterioration of your pipes.
EARTHQUAKES – Because of the great state that we have decided to live in, we are all quite familiar with earthquakes and the inconvenience they can impose. As the ground is in a continuous state of movement, that means shifting can occur in the structure of your home, including the pipes. If pipes are shifted back and forth, that can increase any damage to them and increase your chances of a leak.
Repair of a Slab Leak
Step one of having a slab leak is to use electronic leak detection equipment to exactly pin point where the leak is coming from. Here at SMP, we have skilled technicians who will find the leaking pipe, trace it back to an accessible place (over the slab), and cap it off. Once this is done is where your options come into play.
RE-ROUTE – a vast majority of customers look to simply reroute their water line in the simplest, most direct way. This consists of running a brand new line to the cut-off fixtures through your walls and ceilings. This is obviously far less invasive than the olden days of jack hammering your floor. The extent of the damage is minimal drywall damage, which is easily repaired.
RE-PIPE – many of the houses we service have original piping and are getting up there in age. If your home has had multiple leaks, you may want to start considering re-piping your home. This may seem daunting at first, but it can help you avoid having more and more leaks down the road, and will save you from spending thousands of dollars on additional reroutes.
COPPER VS. PEX – more than likely, your home was constructed using the traditional copper piping. While copper has been the industry standard for years, new and exciting alternatives are being introduced regularly. PEX is a plastic alternative to copper that can usually be installed at a cheaper price, and sometimes more efficiently. While every option has their pros and cons, this helps our customer be the decision maker, which is what almost every home owner wants when making these big decisions.
Our hope is that you never have to go through a slab leak, but if you do, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We would love to help educate you further, and help you make as informed a decision as possible!
