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How To Locate Plumbing Leaks Under A Concrete Foundation

It is very difficult to build a house that satisfies all your requirements, but it is more difficult to maintain the house to ensure its longevity. Almost every house owner has once in their lifetime faced issues regarding plumbing issues. These issues are very tedious to solve, and sometimes even hard to detect.

The leaks can deteriorate the quality of your house and make it look dubious, if not taken care of properly. To avoid such an issue taking over and to maintain the overall integrity of the house, homemakers should take care of several things to avoid these leaks, they must also find the leaks quickly and efficiently to solve the issues before they exacerbate. You can take the help of emergency water damage companies anytime.

Let us learn everything you need to know about leaks in the concrete slab.

What are the causes of slab leaks?

Slab leaks occur due to various reasons and it is not a necessity that they arise strictly because the house is old, or has gone through some reconstruction. The various reasons why a slab leak can occur are mentioned below.

  1. Bad materials for construction: Be it a new house or old, the quality is heavily determined by the materials that the builder uses for construction. Bad building materials like the bad quality of pipes, concrete material, paints, and so on can easily deteriorate the house and can easily develop leaks. A bad wall will not even let the water stay on the surface.
  1. Fire in the house: One reason that gives birth to the problem is the fire. A fire can be caused anywhere and at any time and can damage the pipes and the overall structure of the house. This can cause leaks.
  1. Water pressure: Water that is present in the pipes is of different types and can result in leaks. Hard water or high water pressure can damage the pipes that are built inside the walls and cause cracks in their surface resulting in leaks.
  1. Natural calamity: Natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, soil shifting, landslides, and so many other things can cause the foundation of the house to slip from the original place. This can damage the pipes or the concrete that is present inside the slab and can easily cause damage and leaks.

How to detect leaks?

1. The noise of water rushing

Detecting leaks can be difficult, one simple way of detecting the leak is by checking for any water flowing sounds through the concrete. The voice is very feeble and a person can usually miss its presence if it is not detected properly.

2. Damp water spots

This is the most convenient way to look for leaks through damp water spots that are present in the wall. Leaks are usually caused under the slabs, this causes the damp area near the walls giving a direct indication of water leaks.

3. Accumulation of water

If you find water accumulated at different places in the house where the presence of water is rare, then it can be due to leaks. If you find such a water accumulated area, then check for the temperature of the wall and this will also tell you if the house has any plumbing leaks.

4. Low water pressure

If the water flow in the tap is slow, even after cleaning the faucets thoroughly this could be the indication of plumbing leaks. This is not the best way to detect a leak but still could be used effectively.

5. Molds

Sometimes the water does not seep through thick walls and you might not find any kind of damp area or water on the floor, but in such a case molds are clear indicators of leaks. Molds grow in the damp area, so if you see molds on the surface then it is possible that your house leaks.

6. High water bills

High water bills can also indicate the leaks present inside the house. If the water bills are very high compared to the prior bills you can check the water meter by turning all the water supply off and taking a reading, this is also a convenient way to detect water leaks.

7. Visible crack in the foundation

Water can weaken the concrete that is present in the walls, this results in cracks in the foundation of the concrete. The cracks can also appear due to various reasons, but if water seeps through them or they are near to the pipeline they are surely the indication of water leaks.

8. Sewer line leaks

Sewers are also present inside the concrete floor, make sure to check for any overflowing sinks and toilets, they also indicate plumbing leaks and this can cause backflow of the water.

Plumbing leaks are hard to solve but are also hard to detect. So make sure you carefully look at all the signs of leaks and take appropriate steps for the same. The leaks if ignored can cause many problems and lead to more problems related to them. So as soon as you find or detect some problem contact the best Commercial Plumbing and get rid of all your problems.

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