Slab leak water damage in Tucson
Most Tucson houses sit on a concrete slab with copper or PEX water lines running under or through it. Hard water and shifting desert soil wear those lines down, and when one fails the water spreads under tile and carpet before you see it.
Signs of a slab leak
- Your water meter keeps spinning with every fixture turned off.
- A warm or hot spot on the floor, which points to a hot water line.
- Damp carpet or a musty smell with no obvious source.
- Tile that cracks, lifts or sounds hollow.
- A water bill that jumped without a change in use.
- The sound of running water when nothing is on.
Two jobs: fixing the pipe and drying the house
A slab leak needs a plumber to locate and repair or reroute the line, and a water damage company to dry what got wet. Many restoration companies work with leak detection plumbers or do both. When you call, say it is a slab leak so you are matched with the right crew.
Repair options include breaking out the slab to fix the line in place, tunnelling under the house, or abandoning the line and rerouting new pipe through the attic or walls. Rerouting is common in Tucson when a house has had more than one slab leak, because the remaining copper is usually in similar shape.
Why slab leaks are common here
Tucson Water is hard, and the minerals and chemistry slowly pit copper from the inside. Pipes also rub against concrete or gravel as the house and soil expand and contract through the year. Homes built from the 1960s through the 1990s with copper under the slab are the most likely to see it.
Questions people ask
Does homeowner's insurance cover slab leaks?
Many policies cover the water damage and the cost of accessing the pipe (breaking the slab and putting it back), but not the pipe repair itself. Coverage varies a lot by policy, so read yours or ask your agent.
Can I keep living in the house?
Usually, if you shut off the water when you are not using it and the leak is not on a hot line flooding a room. Your plumber can often isolate the hot side so you keep cold water while you wait for repair.
How do they find a leak under concrete?
Leak detection techs use pressure testing on each line, acoustic listening equipment and thermal imaging to pinpoint the spot, often to within a foot or two.