SLAB LEAKS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DETECT: HERE'S HOW A PLUMBER DOES IT.

If you are a homeowner who is into the Do it yourself trend, you might be able to handle minor plumbing issues that the water system runs into. It isn't that hard to change a leaky faucet or check the valve or clog the sink. You could just have the right types of equipment and some base information to handle the minor leaks and plumbing fixtures. But do not be fooled that all the plumbing issues are so simple and easy to fix. There are some major plumbing woes that cannot be treated or fixed as soon as possible. These plumbing issues could be just left undetected if not worked through initially.

Since some of the plumbing issues are notorious for not being able to diagnose and detect at a rough time, the plumbers and their tips to detect these will be mentioned in this article. What are the slab leaks, how do they develop, and how do plumbers detect them and help fix the slab leak at the right time these are the various pointer of this article. 

What is a slab leak?

Slab leaks are common occurrences in houses that are built on the slab foundations. If your home has a basement or any crawlspace, consider yourself lucky as you need not go through the wrath of the slab leak. The plumbing lines deep with in the slabs could break and cause a leak. Since it is way beyond the surface, locating, detecting, and accessing the leaks is extremely difficult. Expert plumbers could do this job at the right time for better solutions. The slabs and pipes are usually made f metals that could react and create corrosion which eventually leads to leaks.

How are slab leaks developed?

Slab leaks are a common occurrence in houses that are geographically present in places that are prone to earthquakes. Sometimes, the tremors might be so simple but enough to crack the pipe system as a whole. For repair slab leak contact us With tremors, there is innate pressure built up forcing the pipe structure to blast and lead to a leak. Another common cause for the slab leaks is the abrasion or soil shifts. Any vibrations felt in the foundation could cause the pipe to develop a pinhole leak.

What are some signs that you have slab leaks?

Water leaks are very common and could occur uninvited and create a huge mess all around. The sly nature of the leaks would leave you speechless when it finally occurs. This is when scouting for the signs of leaks could help you save your home well ahead of time. Discoloration of the wall or moisture on the wall could be an early sign of the water leak. A musty, mildew smell in basements, attics, or crawl spaces is a common sign of mold buildup, which is often the result of water leaks. Regular checks and maintenance inspections could help fix these issues. Your sense could be your guide in detecting these leaks. Sometimes water leaking or the smell could lead you to the leak. Whether you have a slab leak or not, each of these scenarios means you have a plumbing problem. Do not wait to call in a plumber as it is the best option at the time. Ignoring the issue may result in the damage to the water system. 

How does a plumber detect the slab leaks?

 Just like normal people the plumber also makes use of their senses. But if the result is futile, then there are types of equipment that could help detect the leak and diagnose the severity of the issue. There are multiple options that the professionals use when dealing with the slab leak and its repair. The major and foremost one is the scouting and looking for the real condition of the pipes and the severity of the leak.

This gives the idea of the situation and insight on how to fix the leak. If they find a very short piece of damage to a localized area, the fix is to replace the affected region as it is very practical and cost effective. But if the plumbing infrastructure is too old and repair is beyond possible the only way out is to replace them and maybe re route the entire pipe. This is extensive and the plumbers suggest this as a last option when nothing else works for them. 

Yet another option that the plumbers venture into is the trench less pipe repair. This is very less invasive and cost effective. Pipe relining is also a great option sometimes but with a lot of concentration and focus you could get the option right.

There are a lot of pieces of equipment that a plumber uses to make their job better and easy.

1. Electronic amplification equipment

This one is also known as listening equipment. This helps in listening to any internal leaks in the pipe structure with the help of sound sensors. This helps the plumbers detect the slab leaks easier, and then diagnose the situation accordingly.

2. Electromagnetic pipeline locators

This equipment works very similarly to that of radio antennas. This is to find the pipes that have some anomalies or problems and are very useful when the pipes are metallic. 

3. Gas tracer systems

These are used mainly in areas that are very noisy and which makes the physical determination of any leaks impossible. With the gas tracer systems, it is okay if the external environment has so many noises.

So these are different ways in which a plumber detects the slab leaks faster and fixes the issue in no time.

 Author Bio:- Aimee Grace 

Aimee is a marketing manager at EZ Plumbing & Restoration. She is very passionate in writing about discrete plumbing services and leakage detection as well as repair solutions.  Her vision is to educate people about the consequences of water and slab leaks at home or office and what they should do to repair them to avoid further water damage as well as property damage. 

Innovations have paved a way for smart devices to lead a convenient life. Plumbing industry is no different but only few people know about various tools used to fix the leakages. Stay tuned with the recent articles to know all about how to find water damage, slab leak, clogging, and ways to repair them, installation of new HVAC appliances in San Diego.