Expansive Soil Causes Slab Leaks Beneath 25% Of Homes
The No. 1 cause of slab leaks beneath your home in and around Southlake is the expansive nature of our soil. Expansive soils contain minerals that absorb water, causing them to expand and break plumbing and foundations.
Expansive soil causes more damage to U.S. homes every year than flooding, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes combined. The American Society of Civil Engineers says 25% of all homes in the U.S. experience damage caused by expansive soil — and DFW-area soils are among the most expansive and unstable in the United States.
What Is A Slab Leak?
When soil expands beneath your home, it can stress and fracture the concrete slab the home is built on, as well as any plumbing lines running beneath or built into the slab. The added water from leaks causes even more soil expansion.
If a leak under the slab is not detected and fixed, it can wash away the soil beneath your home. This puts even more stress on the slab and plumbing lines.
When a water line breaks, it can flood your entire home. Slab leaks tend to happen when hot weather follows rainy periods. Soil saturated with water cracks as it dries out, causing the soil to move with great force.
Telltale Signs Of A Slab Leak
Slab leaks may go undetected for months or years if you aren’t aware of the signs:
- Higher water bills without increased water usage.
- Sounds of running water when no taps are open.
- Foundation develops a crack.
- Discolored or damp floor coverings.
- Warm or damp places on floors.
- Bad smell from floors or walls.
- Uneven growth in lawn or foundation plants.
- Visible shift in soil around the home.
Schedule a billyGO Plumber For A Diagnosis
If you have one or more of these symptoms at your home, you should contact a licensed plumber immediately to get a professional opinion. The fastest and most convenient way is to use the billyGO online scheduler to set the time and day of your appointment yourself.
billyGO plumbers are equipped with acoustic, sonic, pressure, electromagnetic and gas tracer detection tools to locate water leaks in plastic and metal plumbing lines. We also can do visual inspections of your plumbing lines with fiber optic cameras.
Three Repair Options
1. Break Through The Slab: The obvious – and most disruptive – slab leak repair option is to jackhammer through the slab straight to the leak location. Besides being noisy and dusty, this method has some major drawbacks. The biggest one is you must move out of your home during the repair.
Most foundation companies say breaking the slab should be your last option. Slabs are engineered for different conditions. Some should not be cut into at all, and those that are will be weakened unless expertly repaired. Breaking through the slab also requires new flooring.
2. Tunnel Beneath The Slab: Tunneling requires digging a 3-foot tunnel beneath the slab, which stays intact. This keeps the mess outside the house and you don’t have to move out. Many times, tunneling is the least expensive option too.
3. Pipe Rerouting: Sometimes it’s fastest and least disruptive to reroute plumbing lines above the ground or beneath the surface around the foundation. This avoids breaking the slab and tearing up flooring. Alternative locations for plumbing runs include walls, attics, closets and other concealed locations.
This article provides much more detail about slab leaks.
An Ounce Of Prevention For Slab Leaks
Slab leaks may result from poor engineering, faulty construction work or defective materials. Homeowners have a much better chance of avoiding major damage by taking some precautions. Here are some actions you can take to prevent slab leaks.
1. Foundation Watering: Keep the soil around your foundation moist year-round, making sure to have no gaps between the foundation and soil. Water it twice per week, about one quarter inch at a time, watering 110-15 inches from the foundation.
2. Good Drain Maintenance: Do not put fats, oils and grease down drains, and do not use chemical drain cleaners, which can damage plumbing lines.
3. Watch Water Pressure: Low water pressure is annoying, but excessive water pressure can be destructive, putting added stress on pipes and fittings. Most home plumbing systems are for 40-60 PSI.
4. Get Annual Plumbing Inspections: Annual, whole-house plumbing inspections can find and fix problems, including water pressure, leaks, partially clogged drains and more.
It’s Quick And Easy To Schedule A billyGO Plumbing Inspection!
The fastest and most convenient way to schedule a plumbing tuneup (which includes a water heater flush) is with the billyGO patent-pending online scheduler at billyGO.com:
- Schedule your own appointment and get immediate confirmation via text or email.
- It’s so convenient – no calls to make, no garbled phone connections or wrong addresses, no waiting on hold.
- Guaranteed one-hour appointment window means you know when help will arrive, so you can go about your business the rest of the day.
- Consumer-friendly pricing by skilled, licensed plumbers.
Isn’t it about time for you to try billyGO?
