Fort Worth Slab Leak Repair

What Is A Slab Leak?

Most houses are built on a concrete foundation called a slab. Sewage, water and electrical lines are typically built into or underneath the slab during construction. That concrete is designed to protect the wood portion of houses, such as the sill plates, which are crucial parts of your home’s overall structural framing. When your house experiences soil expansion, the pressure can break your concrete slab, affecting your plumbing lines (either built into or beneath the slab). If a water line breaks, it will release even more water into the soil, enabling it to further expand and shift, triggering more costly damage caused by this slab leak. Fort Worth, TX homes can become more compromised once the saturated soil begins to crack after drying, as it will continue to move. In severe cases, that breaks your water line further, causing a flood in your home.

What Causes A Fort Worth Slab Leak?

It all comes down to the concrete slab quality and how it was cut and installed. The primary causes are related to the surrounding soil and environment, as well as the initial installation and construction of your home.

Shifting Soil

Fort Worth and many other parts of Texas face geological issues that require people to take appropriate safety measures when building houses. The clay soil found in Fort Worth is very active, and thus, unstable during rainy and cold weather. That said, drought doesn’t make much difference either, because dried soil will crack and move too, triggering slab leaks. Fort Worth, TX homes often tend to have foundation problems because of this, whether built on a concrete slab, piers or beams—shifting soil will always be the arch enemy of your home’s structural integrity.

Faulty Installation

We tend to trust those who build our homes, but who can determine whether your lines were installed correctly or not? After our Fort Worth plumbing diagnosis and inspection service, we will be able to tell you exactly how your lines are looking and whether you require further professional services to correct issues before they result in a slab leak.

Water Pressure Fluctuations

Do you hear whooshing sounds or even water hammers in your water lines when you shut off your faucet? The main reason for pressure fluctuations like those is trapped air in the pipes. There could be a leaking suction line that allows air to enter, or you might have an improperly installed fixture that needs some tightening. You can also install a pressure regulator to ensure that pressure does not damage your buried pipes and cause a slab leak.

Earthquakes

Fort Worth has experienced earthquakes and tremors in the past. That intense shaking and shifting soil put huge stress on your foundation and structural components, not to mention waste and water pipes. If you have experienced an earthquake, it’s crucial that you check for any dislodged or damaged lines. If you have a lower level where water is flowing down the walls, you likely need slab leak repair. Fort Worth, TX homes located near active construction sites, or those with construction being done in their yard, can also suffer from damage for the same reasons.

Aging Homes And Pipes

Older homes are always more susceptible to structural damage, especially when exposed to extreme weather conditions and lack of maintenance. If you have old cast iron or galvanized steel for underground pipes, they will slowly corrode over time, becoming weaker and weaker until they eventually collapse, causing a slab leak.

Frozen Pipes

Cold weather can leave pipes and fixtures frozen, and those frozen lines could affect the ones underneath your concrete slab. Water that flows through frozen pipes in a rush while they’re highly sensitive could lead to bursts and even slab leaks.

Before preparing your pipes for the winter, it’s crucial to drain your garden hose and hose spigot and turn off the shut-off valve. Any water that remains could freeze and expand, causing damage to your water supply line and the rest of your plumbing system.

Fort Worth Slab Leak Detection

Finding slab leaks is a difficult task that requires precise testing, advanced techniques and tools, and professional expertise. If you suspect you have a slab leak, we can use one of several tools to perform an inspection and determine your needs for repair.

Acoustic Listening Equipment

This technology is a safe, non-invasive leak detection method that uses a ground microphone to differentiate leak sounds from flow sounds, whether behind walls or under concrete slabs. This way, your plumber can closely estimate the affected location

Video Camera Inspection

Plumbing cameras are reliable damage detection tools that help identify line material, age, and damage severity. With the help of the signal receiver, plumbers can measure how much cable went down the line before spotting the affected area. This enables them to accurately diagnose and pinpoint the exact issues.

Infrared Detector

The water running under your slab changes the temperature of the soil and concrete around it. Our infrared imaging equipment creates a heat map of the area, showing temperature changes in walls, floors, and even concrete.

Soil Probe

This is a special leak detection device that allows plumbing technicians to listen for pressurized water shooting into the dirt surrounding water or sewer lines. It can also determine the damage severity, enabling us to decide whether we can safely perform a trenchless repair like pipe lining, or if you require excavation on your property.

Signs I Need Slab Leak Repair in Fort Worth

Fort Worth slab leaks impact both drainage pipes and supply lines, which means there are many possible signs that could point toward a slab leak. Fort Worth, TX homes are often affected by widespread issues in these situations, but there are also specific issues that indicate something is wrong with the key pipes underneath your home. By looking for those issues and paying attention to them, you can get the repairs you need before those problems get worse. Some important signs that call for Fort Worth slab leak repair include:

• Warped floorboards or hot spots
• Musty, moldy smells on walls
• Sudden spike on your water bill
• Water running down walls in lower levels
• Foundation cracks in walls and ceilings
• Pooling water

You might not always encounter obvious signs that you need slab leak repair. Fort Worth TX property owners could watch a month go by without noticing plumbing issues—until their utility bill tells them otherwise. That’s why if you ever notice even minor problems with your plumbing, you should consider scheduling an appointment for an inspection with a licensed plumber.

What Are The Slab Leak Repair Options?

This might be a homeowner’s nightmare, thinking about costly repairs that might include excavation, ripping up floors, foundation, and landscaping. But don’t despair! There are advanced methods for repair that we can offer thanks to new trenchless technology.

The traditional excavation was typical in the past, but our plumbers have far more efficient and less invasive repair techniques that cause minimal disruption to your home. The Fort Worth slab leak repair methods required will vary according to the nature and location of the damage, but there are generally a few options available, including:

• Pipe Rerouting: This involves cutting into the existing pipe and repositioning it.
• Trenchless Technology: We will either use pipe relining or pipe bursting to rehabilitate the damaged pipe. The former is a trenchless method that includes relining the pipe with a flexible sleeve or felt tube which is pulled through the whole section and left to cure in place. It lines the existing pipe with a strong, new layer that stops leaks. The latter involves bursting the old pipe while replacing it with an entirely new one.
• Slab Tunneling: Another form of trenchless technology where your professional plumber will dig a small tunnel to treat the affected area.
• Excavation: The last resort for repairs; this involves breaking through concrete to access your broken pipes and fix them.

Emergency Services—Slab Leak Repair Fort Worth, TX

Plumbing emergencies can vary, from a foundation leak to a flooded home. If any disaster occurs on your property, we will be prepared for you, no matter what time of day. We can always meet your needs for emergency Fort Worth slab leak repair.

At Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Fort Worth, we never charge for overtime, and our customer service reps are available 24/7 to take your call. Whether you need immediate slab leak repair or your cleanout cap has popped and sewage is seeping out of your drains, one has to act fast and detect the underlying issue before more damage occurs which leads to costly repairs. Our team of expert technicians is available to help all property owners and residents in Fort Worth and the surrounding areas whenever you need us. We have seen it all, and we already have a solution ready to help you without losing any time.

Need To Fix A Slab Leak In Fort Worth, TX?

Do you have a slab leak in Fort Worth and are worried about foundation problems that could potentially affect your plumbing system? We have the high-end tools to identify any issues before they spiral out of control. No matter what you need to be done for plumbing repair in Fort Worth, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Fort Worth is your local team for the job, ready to serve you during any plumbing emergency, so you’ll never have to wait in line.

Our plumbers are highly skilled, experienced, and honest. Not to mention, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding service to clients throughout the Fort Worth area, including in Arlington and Mansfield.

Call to schedule an appointment for leaking pipe detection services or ask our friendly customer service representatives all the questions that you may have about our plumbing services.