As the summer heat intensifies in Dallas, the soil’s moisture level around and underneath your home can drastically fluctuate. These fluctuations can bend and crack the pipes underneath your home, causing hidden leaks known as slab leaks.
Slab leaks can cause extensive damage to your home and your home’s foundation. The worst part is that these leaks can go undetected for long periods of time. That’s why it’s crucial to understand the causes, signs, and effective solutions to combat these leaks during the summer season. Below, Total Plumbing provides valuable insights into how to look out for and tackle slab leaks.
Detecting Slab Leaks in the Summer
Summer brings its unique set of challenges that can contribute to slab leaks. Increased water usage, higher water pressure, and shifting soil due to heat can exacerbate the risks. Look out for the following signs, so you can detect slab leaks promptly and prevent further damage:
Mysterious Spike in Water Bills
If your water bills skyrocket without an apparent reason, it’s a red flag that a hidden slab leak may be the culprit. You can use your water meter to help you test if there is a slab leak. First, turn off all plumbing fixtures and appliances. Then go and watch your water meter for 15 minutes. Your water meter will register whether any water was used during that time. If water usage occurs, it’s a good indication that you have a leak somewhere and should call for professional slab leak detection.
Warm Spots on Flooring
Pay attention to unusually warm spots on your floor, especially in areas where water pipes run beneath the slab. It could indicate a slab leak in the nearby hot water supply lines.
Dampness or Puddles
Discovering wet or damp areas on your floor, especially in parts of your home where pipes are located, might signal a slab leak. This is because water leaking from the pipes typically has nowhere to go but up. So just like the damage you observe from ceiling leaks, damage to your flooring can be an obvious sign of a slab leak.
Low Water Pressure
Sudden drops in water pressure throughout your home, accompanied by other signs, may indicate a slab leak affecting the water supply.
Cracks in Walls or Flooring
Foundation movement caused by slab leaks can lead to cracks in walls, floors, or even the foundation itself.
Smell of Mildew
If you start to notice a musty odor coming from your home, it is typically a sign of a leak, and once water seeps into your flooring, mold, and mildew come shortly after, causing a terrible odor. Mold spores can spread to other surfaces and pose a health hazard.
Effective Solutions for Summer Slab Leaks
When faced with a summer slab leak, it’s vital to act quickly and seek professional help. The longer the leak goes untreated, the more damage it can do to your home and foundation.
Advanced Leak Detection
Our expert water leak repair team has decades of experience in locating slab leaks. Total Plumbing’s water leak detection services use geophones, air pressure, medical-grade air compressors, and line locators to examine your situation from multiple angles. This allows us to locate your leak with pinpoint precision.
Repiping and Rerouting
Instead of tunneling or jackhammering multiple holes in your foundation, in some cases, we can reroute the sewer lines on your Dallas property. Rerouting your sewer lines is the process of abandoning the old sewer lines under your foundation and installing new PVC sewer lines in the yard around your home.
Depending on the severity and location of the leak, we may recommend repiping or rerouting the affected water lines to prevent further damage and ensure a long-term solution.
Foundation Repair
If slab leaks have caused significant foundation damage, Total Plumbing can collaborate with foundation repair specialists to restore stability and integrity to your home’s foundation.
Don’t let slab leaks spoil your summer fun. You can combat these plumbing issues effectively by being aware of the signs and taking swift action. If you suspect a slab leak in your home, contact Total Plumbing, your pipe leak detection experts in Dallas. Remember, early detection and professional intervention are key to saving your home from extensive damage and allowing you to enjoy the summer season to the fullest.
