How Bad is a Slab Leak?

A leak that occurs underneath your home’s foundation, called a “slab leak,” is a very serious problem. If the water pipes that are located under the “slab” of concrete that makes up your house’s foundation develop even minor cracks or holes, they can cause serious water damage to your property.

If you have a slab leak, you may have already felt the financial impact of increased water or electric bills before you even knew there was a problem with the plumbing. The damage that can be caused by this type of water leak is dangerous and can’t be ignored. If you believe you have a leak under the slab, call R.S. Andrews immediately.

Slab leaks cause a variety of problems, some merely annoying, and some extremely dangerous to your house and property.

Here are some of the problems you can run into inside your home because of these leaks:

• Ruined floors and waterlogged carpets. When water is seeping into the structure of your house from below, it has no choice but to go upward, saturating floors, cracking tiles and flooring and soaking carpets
• Foul odors. A slab leak can cause your home to take on a musty odor, or worse, a smell like raw sewage if the leak is in the sewer line.
• Mold. Once water has seeped up into your house from below, it will be quickly absorbed by drywall and wood. Wet drywall leads to mold growth inside your walls, potentially posing a health hazard to you and your family.

Outside your home, the damage is even more serious. Slab leaks can and will cause:

• Damage to your home’s foundation. Slab leaks can weaken the structural integrity of the concrete and steel supports that comprise your foundation. Eventually, water pressure and leakage can cause you foundation to shift and move, and even crack or collapse
• Damage to your yard. Sometimes the leak can come from pipes that are under your yard, and flood and ruin your landscaping and grass. Pools, brick or concrete walkways or paths and other landscape elements can all be damaged by a leak under the slab.

A slab leak is something you should take very seriously. If you suspect you have a leak under the slab, call R.S. Andrews immediately so our leak detection plumbers can start resolving this dangerous situation for you today.

Remember, we have experienced, reliable technicians on-call, 24 hours a day, so you never need to wait to call R.S. Andrews about a plumbing emergency! If you need slab leak detection and repair services, contact us immediately!