4 Signs you have a Slab Leak
Water coming up through your floor or discovering a leak somewhere can be the sign of a serious problem, one that requires prompt attention before the problem gets worse. It could also create water damage to your home. If you notice water coming up from your floors, contact us and one of our experienced local plumbers will come investigate and determine the problem. But there are some things you as a homeowner can do yourself in determining if you have a very serious leak under the floors of your home.
If your home doesn’t have a basement and was built on a concrete slab foundation, water coming from your walls, underneath cabinets or out of cracks in the floor tile can mean you have a leak in your floor slab. But there are less severe reasons than a slab leak causing you to see water coming up through your floors.
Eliminate other potential causes for the water
Check through this list of scenarios and first determine if any of these could be the cause for the water.
- Over watering a nearby houseplant
- Someone spilled a drink or container of liquid
- A nearby leaky aquarium or ac unit
If none of those above scenarios could be the cause for the water, then it is time to check the 4 signs that indicate you are dealing with a break in a floor slab.
4 SIGNS YOU HAVE A WATER LEAK UNDER YOUR FLOOR
1. HOT FEET
Often a water leak is coming from your water heater. Because of this, there is another tell-tale sign to help you determine if you are, in fact, dealing with a water leak in your floor slab. If you notice the flooring (usually in a kitchen or bathroom) being warm, that could indicate a leak from your water heater. Wood and tiled floors would allow you to detect this, but if you have carpeting, the insulation under that would likely keep you and your feet from noticing the temperature change. You may notice hot spots without even seeing any water in that area.
2. WATER HEATER NOT STOPPING
If you notice that your water heater is constantly running, that is an indication that you are dealing with a leak coming from it somewhere. Normal usage you can expect from a water heater would have the system running for 15-20 minutes at a time. So checking to see if it’s running well beyond that duration is a clear sign something is wrong, and that something could very well be a slab leak.
3. SPINNING WATER METER
Go outside and inspect your water meter. There is a dial that spins when water is flowing through your pipes. You will need to ensure all water usage stops in your home, nothing draining from sinks, no showers are on, no toilets are filling up, etc. If you have all water use stopped in your home but you see that dial is still spinning, that means water is passing through the meter somewhere, which indicates a leak.
4. EXPENSIVE BILLS
Have you noticed your water bill spike? We’re not talking about a slight increase, but rather a doubling or tripling of the amount due. If you haven’t suddenly increased your water usage, such as the operation of a pool, then a leak is likely causing that dramatic increase in water usage reflected in your high water bill.
3 reasons why you need to fix a slab leak quickly
- If left untreated, your heating and cooling system is at risk of getting damaged.
- People will some allergies will suffer worse symptoms.
- In extreme cases, this water can begin to damage your homes foundation and concrete floor slabs.
If you suspect you are dealing with a slab leak, contact us at Standard Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning and we will get out there quickly to diagnose the problem and quickly solve it. If it’s not a slab leak, we are able to handle a variety of other plumbing issues that could be causing your wet floor.
Having been in business serving the plumbing needs for homes in and around Manhattan, Kansas for nearly a century, our team of skilled plumbers are highly experienced in dealing with such serious issues as slab leak detection. Call us today at (785) 776-5012.
