Slab Repair

Slab leaks are one of the most difficult plumbing issues to repair. A slab leak will often require removing some of the slab to find the pipe break or leak. Once the leak is located we can repair the pipe and resolve the slab leak.

Some obvious signs of a slab issue are moist carpet, or wet spots on the floor. Other signs could be a loss in water pressure or an increase in your water bill.

Slab leaks can occur in your potable water pipes or in your sanitary sewer pipes. There are several causes of slab leaks in homes, we’ll go over a few of the most common. One is a shift in the foundation. The heat we experience in the Dallas area can be severe over the summer months. Keeping your foundation properly watered can help avoid a shift in your foundation. When a foundation shifts, it can pull the pipes apart and cause a break or leak. Another common cause is a chemical reaction between copper pipes and water or soil. Copper pipes often develop pinhole leaks and those can come from outside interaction with water or the water that runs through the pipes. A third way a slab leak could occur in a home is high water pressure. If your water pressure is too high it will cause corrosion in your copper pipes and will lead to a pipe to lose water. Another common cause of a slab leak is poor craftsmanship or workmanship. It could be an inexperienced plumber or a plumber that was just rushing through the work. The quality of the materials the plumber uses will also be important.

Total Plumbing specializes in Dallas slab leak detection, locating, and repair. Slab leaks in homes can be caused by several different factors. Hard water, shifting in the foundation and water pressure to name a few.

Most homes have a concrete slab foundation and have soft copper pipe installed under the concrete slab. Soft copper is used because hard copper pipe is not permitted to be installed below the slab. After years of use some slab leaks occur because of hard water or clogged pipes that cause rust and eventually leaks. Whatever the case, Total Plumbing can help fix your slab leak.

The most common solution for a slab leak involves the use of a jackhammer. The furniture, carpet and other household items are removed. We take extra care to cover and prevent dust and dirt from spreading outside the work area. Once we pull everything back and get to the slab where we located the leak, we use a jackhammer to provide a hole. We then pinpoint the leak and make the necessary modifications to the pipe in the slab.

We put everything back as it was when we arrived and test to make sure the slab repair is working and that there aren’t any other leaks in the slab.

Leaks in your slab can come a different times of the year. The summer months can be dry and hot, which will cause the ground to crack and your foundation to move, resulting in a pipe burst or leak. A cold winter can cause a similar issue if we have several days of below freezing temperatures. Water can freeze in existing cracks of the foundation or slab and expand once frozen, also causing a pipe break or leak.