If you have a slab leak, it can be a disaster for your home. Depending on the type of slab leak you have, you may not even know about it for quite some time!
While you may need a jackhammer or concrete drill to eventually get to the leak, you certainly don’t need to start tearing up your floors just to look for a leak. In fact, slab leaks have tell-tale signs that you can see without using heavy machinery.
So, how do you know if you have a slab leak? These 11 tips may help you find the answer you’re looking for:
1. If it sounds like there’s water running, but you know that none of your faucets are on, you could have a slab leak. Slab leaks tend to either make a hissing sound or a splashing sound. If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear it.
2. If you start to notice that one particular area of your floor is warm, it could be a sign that a hot water line is leaking underneath your slab. Usually, hot water line leaks are discovered sooner, because you can feel them right under your feet!
3. If you have started to notice moisture or mildew underneath your carpeting, it could be a sign of a leak. After all, as the water starts to collect, it has nowhere to go but up.
4. If you see cracks in your tile floors or bubbles in your linoleum floors, you may have a leak.
5. If you see cracks in your baseboards or walls, it could be a sign of a slab leak. Since your slab is one single piece that’s made of concrete and steel, it doesn’t give at all. A leak can cause the entire thing to shift. As your foundation shifts, it will start to impact your entire home – even walls and floors that are nowhere near the leak.
6. If it seems like your pool is constantly losing water, you may have a leak.
7. If your water pressure has suddenly gotten very low, it could be a sign of a slab leak. Many slab leaks occur in the main water line – or where the water flows into your home from the outside. If there is even a tiny leak in your water line, your water pressure will drop significantly.
8. If your water bills have skyrocketed all of a sudden – and you have no idea why – it could be a sign of a leak somewhere. The damage from slab leaks can add up quickly; a pinhole-sized hole in one of your pipes can leak out more than 10,000 gallons of water in just one month!
9. See what your water meter is doing. Make sure that all of your faucets are turned off, that the toilet is not running, and that the washing machine or dishwasher is not on, go outside, and take a look at your water meter. The dial should not be moving. If it is, you likely have a leak somewhere.
10. Check your leak detectors. Some water meters have leak detectors inside of them that look like a small black or white triangle or wheel. If it is spinning – or moving at all – it means that you have a leak somewhere.
11. Check your water meter reading. Make sure there is no water running anywhere in your house, then go outside and read the numbers on your water meter. Leave all the water off for at least half an hour, then check the numbers again. If the number has gone up, you’ll know you have a leak somewhere. And, the higher the number climbs in that half hour, the bigger you’ll know your leak is.
Строительные советы и не только!
