During the night when everything is quiet, you may have heard water running when no faucets or appliances are running. You may have also noticed a marked increase in your water bill, leading you to wonder if you have a leak somewhere in your home.
If your home has a slab foundation, it is possible that one of the pipes underneath the slab is leaking. Along with hearing water running and noticing a high water bill, there are a couple of other signs you should look for when trying to determine whether your home has an under-slab leak that needs professional attention.
1. You Feel Unexplainable Warm And/or Wet Spots When Walking Across the Floor Barefoot
One sign that you may come across that indicates a water leak under your home's slab foundation can be detected by walking across the floors barefoot. While shuffling your feet along the floor, try to see if there are any areas that feel wet or warmer than the rest of the area.
Because water coming from pipes under the slab can create enough pressure to crack the foundation, the hot water can seep up into the space between the floor and the slab. In areas where the water collects, the heat from the hot water will permeate the boards and make them feel warmer in those areas. If the leak is bad enough, the warm spots will also feel wet.
2. You Find Floorboards That Feel Spongy and Have Upturned Edges Around the Sides
Another sign you should look for while walking around on your floors is the presence of floorboards that feel spongy. These boards may also have side edges that are upturned, indicating that they are warping.
Because the water under the boards is not able to quickly evaporate, it will soak into the boards. This will cause them to deteriorate, making them softer and causing them to buckle upward.
When you notice warm, wet spots while walking barefoot in your house and/or find floorboards that are warped and feel spongy, you may have a leak under your home's slab foundation. To be sure there is a leak that needs to be fixed, you will need to have a professional inspect the plumbing underneath your home using specialized detection techniques. Contact a plumber in your area that offers under-slab leak detection services to have them come to your home to find the water leak so that they can fix it.
What was the first thing you did when you got up this morning?
If you answered "go to the bathroom," "get a drink of water," or "brush my teeth," then it's important to realize the role that a plumber has already played in your day. The plumber who installed your plumbing made that morning routine possible! Some other plumbers may have worked on the system over the years, also contributing to your experience. Plumbers have a bigger impact on our daily lives than we often realize. In fact, that's one reason we write this blog — to make our readers more aware of their plumbing.