Does a high water bill have you questioning “Is there a leak in my home?” It can be hard to tell without seeing water damage in your drywall or flooring. It is good to know that not all water leaks cause damage at first. Homes that have older piping, like copper, tend to have slab leaks from tiny pin holes caused over time from old piping.
Helpful Tips
Here are a few helpful tips to help answer the question “Is there a leak in my home?”
Is your water bill higher than normal?
If so, have I had a large amount of guests or change in my personal water usage?
If the answer is no, there could be a possible leak.
Do you notice any damages? Soggy carpet, warped wood, mildew or mold on the drywall?
Certain rooms that hold a musty or mildew odor
Water spots throughout the ceiling
Meter is constantly running even when all of the water is shut off to the home
Large amounts of foundation cracking
These tips are all signs that you could have a possible leak in your home’s plumbing. Not all leaks are visible and not all leaks are located exactly where the water is surfacing. In some cases, the leak could be high in the wall and trickle down to the floor boards showing damage at the floor. Some slab leaks may actually be 5′ or 10′ away but is tunneling through the concrete in the most open areas.
If I Have A Leak In My Home
After determining there is a leak in your home, the next step is to determine where it is leaking. This can be done a number of ways. If the leak is visible, meaning you see the drywall damage or the water visibly coming from a pipe, contact a plumber to repair the damaged pipe. However, if the leak is not visible, you will need to call a leak detection company. A leak detection company has specific equipment that can locate exactly where the water is coming from down to a square foot area. After the leak is located, contact your plumber to have the leak repaired.
What To Expect
Water leaks can sound like a scary thing. Especially if you are facing a slab leak. Flooring could be damaged, drywall may need repairing, and so much more. Miller and Sons Plumbing is here to put you at ease with your plumbing needs. There are some photos below of what different types of leaks can look like and what there repairs are like as well.
In a slab leak, the flooring and concrete will need to be opened. Under wood floor, we try to cut along the seams to preserve the flooring the best we can. If it is only concrete, a simple patch job is able to be done. Carpet is great because it can be laid over the patch after it is dried. For tile, unfortunately, there is no way to preserve the tile and it usually is not salvageable after being removed. During all circumstances, we only remove the concrete and flooring that is truly needed to repair the leak.
What Will It Cost To Repair The Leak In My Home?
Spending unnecessary amounts of money is not fun for anyone’s wallet. When it comes to plumbing, electrical, and HVAC, they are needed for daily function and can become costly at times. A leak repair varies from circumstance to circumstance. Pipe leaks that are visible will be less expensive than a leak in the wall, which is less expensive than a leak under a tile floor. The reason for this is due to the labor it takes to get to the leak. If we are going through drywall, a simple cut, repair, and replacement of they drywall could take an hour, if the leak is easily found. Whereas a leak in the slab could take hours of floor removal and concrete chipping, then the repair itself, dry time, and patching of the actual concrete. For a general idea, a simple fix could be $115.00 whereas a more complex fix could be $650.00 or more.
