Slab leaks
Slab leaks in Kyle, Texas
In a house built on a concrete slab, some water lines run through or beneath the foundation. When one leaks, the damage shows up in the floor first.
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Signs that water is escaping below the floor
The signs are quieter than a burst pipe. They tend to build over days or weeks.
A single warm patch on a tile floor, a water bill that climbs with no change in use, the sound of running water when everything is off, and damp carpet along one wall all point the same way.
- Water meter keeps turning with every fixture off.
- Warm spots on tile or hard flooring.
- Baseboards swelling or paint peeling at the bottom of a wall.
- Cracks that open in grout lines or flooring joints.
A plumber finds the leak with listening gear and pressure tests. A restoration contractor deals with what the water did to flooring, walls and the space beneath them.
Ground movement and water lines
Soil that moves around a slab can stress the lines that run through it, and a leak can change how wet the soil under a house gets.
Water escaping from a pressurized line can saturate soil under the slab. A plumber or an engineer can judge what that means for a particular house.
Slow leaks matter for insurance. Texas policies generally do not pay for damage from a continuous leak, while a sudden and accidental release is the covered type. Read the insurance guide before you file.
How to check the meter yourself
Close every tap and make sure the dishwasher and washer are not running. Then look at the meter. Most meters have a small dial or triangle that spins when any water moves.
If it moves with the house off, water is leaving the system. If it stops when you close the main valve, the leak is between the main and the fixtures, which includes the lines under the slab.
Write down the reading, wait an hour with nothing on, and read it again. Share both numbers with the plumber.
What to do while you wait
A slab leak does not always allow you to stop it with a fixture valve. Closing the main stops the water but also shuts off the house.
Photograph every stain, crack and warm spot and note the date. Move rugs and furniture off flooring that feels damp. Keep the bills that show higher use, because they help show when the leak began.
Call a licensed plumber to locate the line. Ask what the repair will open, since reaching a line under a slab can mean cutting through floors, tile or the slab itself.
What a contractor usually does
After the plumber stops the leak, the restoration work follows. Contractors check the flooring, baseboards and the lower part of walls with a meter, then dry them. Tile and carpet over a slab dry differently from wood over a framed floor.
If the repair opens the floor, the opening is also a chance to dry the area beneath. Ask what will be done before everything is closed back up.
After the repair
Ask the plumber for a written description of what failed and where. It helps an insurer, and it helps you if the same line fails again.
Watch the meter for a few weeks. Watch floors and walls for returning stains. A repair that opens the slab is a permanent repair, so it should wait for the insurer to be informed first.
Common questions
What should I tell the plumber?
Say where the floor feels warm, whether the meter moves with everything off, and when the bill started to climb. Give them the two meter readings you took an hour apart.
Does a slab leak mean a foundation problem?
Not necessarily, and this site cannot say. Soil moisture around a slab can affect movement. A plumber or an engineer can judge your house.
Is the plumbing repair part of a claim?
Often the line itself is not and the damage it caused may be. The Texas Department of Insurance describes sudden and accidental damage as the covered type and continuous leaks as usually excluded, so read your policy.
Water is still moving. Call now.
One call connects you with an independent restoration contractor who serves the Kyle area. Then you decide what happens next.