Is a slab leak dangerous for your home, or is it just an inconvenience? To put it simply, a slab leak is absolutely a plumbing emergency. Left unaddressed, a slab leak can lead to extremely expensive damage to your entire home. You never want to find a leak in your home, but you don’t want to find this type of leak.
A slab leak happens when piping leaks or bursts underneath your home’s concrete foundation. When it comes to a slab leak, it’s not just about wasting water, it’s about the potential for property damage. If you suspect that you have a slab leak and want to schedule a plumbing service in North Las Vegas, give our team a call.
What Causes a Slab Leak?
There are several reasons that a pipe could burst or leak under your home. When you understand the cause, you can watch for signs and potentially prevent a slab leak from ever happening.
More Pressure
Slab leaks happen most often because of added pressure to the pipes under your home. If the soil under your home shifts, so can your foundation. If the shift happens in a way that adds weight to pipes, those pipes may burst. Aside from soil shifting naturally over time, poor construction may be to blame. If the foundation isn’t poured and cured correctly, there’s a greater chance that you’ll experience a slab leak.
Pipe Corrosion
Slab leaks are more common in hot water lines than in cold water lines. The heat from hot water can react with pipe materials as well as the material that surrounds the pipes. If you have hard water with high mineral content, that can contribute to corrosion, too. The minerals build up inside your pipes, creating a barrier between the water and the pipe materials. Over time, this layer can cause pipes to decay, crack, and break.
Keep in mind that older homes are more likely to have a slab leak due to corrosion. It’s a process that happens very slowly over time. Pipes are designed to last a long time, but not forever. Plus, older homes may have pipes made from copper or galvanized steel pipes, which corrode more easily. Newer homes use plumbing materials that are more resistant to damage and corrosion.
Pipe Abrasion
Your pipes expand and contract depending on outside temperatures as well as the temperature of the water flowing through them. Expanding and contracting are natural, but over time it can lead to abrasion. The pipes under your home expand and contract against dirt, rocks, and even the concrete foundation of your home. Over time, this abrasion can add up to significant damage.
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