When you see a faucet dripping, it can be easy to decide to ignore it, because it is just a drip. After all, how much water could it be? And it is going down the drain, so there is no potential for harm. But what if that same drip were inside a wall of your home, in the attic, or even under your slab foundation? In all of these cases, the result could be extensive damage and a massive repair bill. And there is also the possibility that these leaks could be causing the growth of toxic black mold, which is causing you and your loved ones to become ill. The only way to avoid all of this is to contact a leak detection specialist as soon as you suspect that you might have a water leak in your home.
What Is Leak Detection?
In the past, when you thought that there could be a leak concealed somewhere in your home, you called a plumber, and they began their search. But the process was not very efficient, nor was it simple. They could pressure test lines but then started making holes in walls, floors, and ceilings to search for the pipe with the leak. The process was messy and often very costly.
Fortunately, leak detection has come a long way in recent years. Leak detection specialists are now armed with technology that allows them to locate even small water leaks that are hidden inside your home. The most impressive tool allows a trained leak detection specialist to hear running water thanks to sound amplification equipment. What this means for homeowners is that there is no need to make many holes to search for the leak, which saves time, money, and frustration.
Repairing Hidden Leaks
The location of the water leak in your home or under it will dictate the best way to fix it. For leaks in walls and floors, it is often best to cut a small hole to access the pipe and then make the repair. In other cases, the leaking pipe can be abandoned and replaced by a new pipe so that there is no need to cut into the floor or wall.
Leaks under a concrete slab foundation can be a little trickier to repair. If the leak is near the edge of your home, the best option is to carefully dig under the concrete to make the repair. For leaks that cannot be reached from the side of the foundation, it is sometimes possible to install a new pipe in the walls or attic of your home to replace the leaking pipe. This not only solves your immediate problem of a leaking pipe under your foundation, but it also eliminates the potential for other leaks to form in the same pipe in the future.
The last resort for fixing a slab leak is to cut a small access hole in your interior floor and the foundation to expose the leak. Your plumber will repair the leaking pipe and then pressure test the repair before repairing the foundation and the floor. While this process will create a little disruption in your home during the repair process, it is a far better than living with a water leak in your home and the damage that it causes.
Potential Damage From Hidden Leaks
When you think you have a leak hidden somewhere in your home but are tempted to overlook it, think of the damage that it could be causing. Not only does a tiny amount of water have the potential to deteriorate the structural integrity of your home, but it will also create the moist conditions that promote the growth of mold and mildew. And in the worst case, your home could become contaminated with toxic black mold, which causes respiratory issues, severe headaches, and a litany of other health issues that could become life-threatening.
While any water leak represents a waste of money because you are paying for the water, there are far more costly expenses that you could face. The cost of water damage restoration, mold removal, and even medical treatment due to an illness caused by toxic black mold are all substantial expenses. The wise choice is always to contact the licensed leak detection specialists at Metroplex Leak & Line when you suspect there is a water leak in your home. Call (214) 388-4525 and know that we will locate the leak quickly and efficiently.
