Unfortunately, some leaks can happen where they are hard to detect, let alone fix. When a pipe underneath a home’s slab foundation has a leak, most homeowners may not notice they have a problem for a long time. The broken pipe allows water to seep into the ground and the home’s foundation. In addition to wasting water, the leak can damage the concrete and erode the soil around it. Over time, it may cause the foundation to buckle and shift, cracking the home’s floors and walls. In severe cases, it can even cause portions of the house to collapse.

For many homeowners, water leaks in a slab foundation may go completely unnoticed until they get a utility bill with a much higher than normal water cost. After that, most  homeowners will check all of the usual suspects in water leak issues, such as faucets, toilets, showers, and hoses in and around the home to see if they can locate the leak. The dreaded slab leak will often escape a homeowner’s notice during and after a visual inspection process.

Warning Signs of a Slab Leak

If you suspect that you have a leak underneath your home’s slab foundation, here are a few things that can help you locate the leak.

Warm Spots On the Floor 

If the hot water line in your home is the one with the leak, then you may be able to find the location of the leak by checking for abnormally warm spots on your floor. If you have a carpeted floor, or really thin linoleum floors, this can be fairly easy. For a tile floor, this may be more difficult unless the leak is severe enough to cause water to flow into the space between the adhesive and the tiles. In such an instance you may have other warning signs for water damage in your tile flooring. Hardwood floors may also increase the difficulty of finding a warm spot in the floor.

Raised “Dome” In the Floor

If a leak is severe enough and lasts for a while, you may notice damage to your flooring in the form of warps in the shape of the floor. A common phenomenon in severe water damage is the formation of a “dome,” or raised area in the floor. While the presence of a dome in your floor can give you a good indication of the leak’s location, it also means that there is severe damage occurring to your home’s foundation.

Foundation Heaving 

If your foundation slab experiences swelling to an extreme degree, it can actually lift the building slightly. This occurrence is called heaving. If your home has undergone heaving because of a leak underneath the slab foundation, it is critical that you seek expert assistance in the repair.

If a sudden, significant shift occurs in the building’s foundation, it can cause severe, sometimes irreparable damage to the home. This damage can manifest as cracks on the interior and exterior walls as well as the slab itself. As settling in the building’s foundation can also cause these signs of damage, it is important to consult an experienced repair technician who can identify the differences.

Water Bill Increase 

If your water bill experiences a sudden spike without an increase in the basic cost of service or use of water by your family, that can often be an early indication that you have a severe leak.

Slab Leak Detection Equipment

If you cannot locate a leak through the above methods, it may be worth investing calling a professional plumbing with leak detection technology, such as gas or infrared leak detection.

How to Fix a Slab Leak

Now that you have located your slab leak, how do you go about repairing the problem? For the average person, this process is going to be a difficult, messy, and often costly endeavor. However with our trenchless technology we may be able to fix the problem without digging.

Calling IDS For Backup

If you need further advice about how to detect, service, and clean up after a major leak in your home, do not hesitate to contact ISD for assistance. At IDS, we have years of experience with home plumbing issues. Fully-licensed and insured, our team of professionals is dedicated to providing outstanding service to our customers whether we’re clearing a clogged sink or replacing a sewer line beneath your home’s foundation. Contact us today for a free estimate.

2. The telltale gurgle: catch the problem early – Just like many household problems, it is best to catch the problem early. The longer you wait, the more expensive and extensive the repair solution might be. When your sewer pipes first start to clog, you may notice a gurgling sound in the toilet. You may have slow drains you clear out again and again, but the clog keeps coming back. You may notice that the toilet gurgle and slow drains occur in conjunction with water backing up in the bathtub or around your washing machine. These are all warning signs that there could be a “root meets pipe” conflict going on underground.

3. The roots are winning. Now what? – In most communities, homeowners are responsible for the underground pipes that lead from their home out to the municipal pipes that are often underneath the street. The pipes under your property are called the lateral pipes. To prevent problems from happening in the first place, you can have a sewer line specialist like IDS, route out your drain regularly at a relatively minimal charge. Or, you can attempt to block the direction of the tree root growth. If you have a minor problem, there is a potential DIY solution you can try. A half-cup of copper sulfate, which is available at most home improvement stores, can be flushed down the toilet. This is toxic to tree roots, but in small amounts will only travel so far up the root system, usually not causing damage to the tree. But because it is really hard to know exactly where the problem is and how extensive it is, it is almost always a good idea to call a professional to diagnose the problem and recommend a course of action. Our pipe scoping may be the way to go, call IDS for a CCTV pipe diagnostic.

4. Who do you call: plumber or sewer line specialist? Either a plumber or a sewer line specialist is a good place to start, but there are differences. Not all plumbers deal with sewer lines, and once it is determined that roots are the “root cause” of the situation, they may refer you to a sewer line specialist. Why not call IDS, we will give your the advice to get your root problem sorted out quickly.

5. What type of solutions can you expect? – Pipes, get ready for your close up … most professionals will want to diagnose the problem by snaking a special camera to where the blockage is to get a good look. IDS will share the photos with you. This will help us see how big the root mass is and how much damage has been done to the pipe. IDS can then open up the pipe by treating the root with chemicals or with a mechanical routing device that chops up the roots and gets things flowing properly again. If they determine that the pipe is so damaged that you now have options. Underground pipes are made out of different materials. Older clay pipes are more susceptible to root invasion. Metal pipes are heavier, making them harder to deal with, and sometimes have loose joints. The more preferred modern material for underground pipes is the lightweight and less penetrable plastic. IDS will inspect your problem, report back and provide you with a non-invasive trenchless solution to clean and reinstate the pipe.

Now that you know what to look for and what to expect, you may be able to prevent big problems or at least know how problems might be fixed. Trees and pipes can co-exist. Give us a call, we’re here to help.

Know the Location of Shut-Off Valves

Before moving into a new home, note the location of the main shut-off valve and drain (in some cases, the shut-off will be located outside the house). You should also get acquainted with sewer line access points, in case you need to conduct periodic cleanouts. Note that apartments and condos may not have their own dedicated shut-off valves.

Don’t Puncture Pipes

Are you planning to drill holes or pound nails into your walls, floors, or ceiling? First determine if there are any supply or drainage pipes behind your work area, since you don’t want to accidentally puncture them. We can help you locate pipes in walls, a simple inspection could save you a lot of money.

Find Out What’s Flushable

Homeowners shouldn’t use their toilet as a trash can, since flushing anything except toilet paper leads to nasty clogs. Even “flushable” baby wipes can back up the system!

Don’t Put Garbage Down the Drain

Never dump coffee grounds, food debris, bacon grease, vegetable peelings, or starchy foods like rice or potatoes down the kitchen drain; they will almost certainly clog your pipes eventually.

Take the Plunge

Invest in a high-quality plunger to clear clogs in toilets, sinks, and drains. If you’re planning to clean sink traps, use a plunger to push most of the water out before removing the trap. The task will be a lot less wet and messy.

Pull Out the Vacuum

When you’re trying to dislodge a clog caused by a small, hard object (like a child’s toy, toothbrush, or comb), rely on a wet-dry vacuum. It’s more effective to suck the object out. A plunger will only push it deeper into the drain, making it more difficult to remove.

Don’t Ignore Leaks

That steady drip, drip, drip of a fixture symbolizes money going down the drain. In fact, a leaky faucet typically wastes up to eight gallons of water per day, while a running toilet can waste 750 litres per day. Fix small leaks promptly before they become big—and costly—problems.

Never Over-Tighten Fittings

A common DIY plumbing mistake is over-tightening fittings and connections, which leads to broken bolts and stripped screws. Remember this adage: “hand-tight is just right.”

Make Friends with Plumber’s Tape

Plumber’s tape (also called Teflon tape) is used to seal pipe threads to prevent leaks around joints and fittings. You should typically wrap plumber’s tape three times around the pipe threads before sealing. Also note that white tape is designed for common household plumbing projects, while yellow is for gas line connections.

Always Check for Leaks

After every plumbing project, check for leaks by running water through the system, then opening and closing all valves and drains. Even professional plumbers may miss a small leak and need to reseal a connection.

Ultimately, this means that the procedure can save both time and money. Best of all, the project can be completed without the need to dig around in search of the broken parts. So, aside from being a better solution due to the direct benefits, there are plenty of indirect rewards to consider too. After all, nobody wants to be left with the clear up jobs that result from intrusive digging.

How Are Drain Relining Processes Completed?

Drain relining is a job composed of several stages. The first is to locate where the leak is occurring. The clear signs will give you a fairly accurate estimation, but you must pinpoint the exact location. Doing this without digging may seem impossible. Thankfully, modern tech allows us to investigate the drainage system with CCTV cameras.

This step doesn’t only look for the source of the leakage. It also surveys the drain pipe to check the severity and size of the problem. Once this data is available, making a decision as to whether relining is suitable becomes easy. In many cases where the affected areas cover a space of centimetres rather than metres, relining is ideal.

Before fitting the new piping wall, the surface needs to be cleaned with a high-pressure water jet. After all, the gunk and junk that has accumulated could make it difficult for the new lining to take. Frankly, this preparation part of the process is vital for the success.

A structural patch is then inserted to cover the source of the leak. This is then inflated so that it can bond with the clean pipe surface to become a sealant. This creates a new internal wall for the pipe, stopping all leaks and preventing further damage to the previously affected area.

Once the structural patch is in place and cured , cameras will be used to check that the entire leak is covered. Moreover, we’ll test to see that water can flow through the fixed piping without disruption or leakages in other parts of the system.

Upon completion, the drainage system will have been restored to its former glory without the need to dig up the land or replace an entire pipe. Perfect.

How Long Does It Take?

Many homeowners assume that the process of running a survey and then completing an intricate job would take an age. Surprisingly, though, the entire job can often be completed within a couple of hours. This includes every step from investigations to reviews.

This is great news for the cost as well as the hassle. It’s not always the best process for faults in larger parts of the drainage systems. As for the leakage issues caused by smaller cracks and faults, though, it’s not hard to see why it’s so popular.

Do I Need To Know Anything Else?

The drain relining process isn’t only a great way to fix leaks. The CCTV surveys will locate and highlight other drainage issues which can lead to future blockages. These can then be rectified before they turn into a serious problem preventing future drainage issues and call outs.

Assuming the relining process goes to plan, the results will last just as long as any normal pipework. So, it might eventually succumb to general wear, but it isn’t a short-term fix. Relining is a non-intrusive plumbing solution that is built to last.

Using too much toilet paper is one of the most common causes of a clogged toilet. Toilet paper is made to dissolve, but it doesn’t dissolve instantly. When there is too much paper all at once it may not be able to pass through either the P-trap or the drain. If more paper is needed than the toilet can hold, flush the toilet, use more toilet paper, and then flush again.

DON’T USE THE TOILET AS A GARBAGE DISPOSAL

Many individuals believe that is it okay to flush small particles of food down the toilet because the hole and drain are larger than the kitchen sink and the flow of water is much faster. Occasionally, you may be able to get away with this practice, but when you repeatedly put food down a toilet, it will eventually become clogged. It is better to put the food, even soggy food, into a plastic garbage bag and take it outside to the trash can.

AVOID PUTTING GREASE IN YOUR DRAINS

Grease should never be put down any drain, including the toilet. The cool water in the toilet will solidify grease almost instantly. A large amount of grease can clog your toilet where the toilet connects to the sewer drain or further down the pipes. Moreover, grease slowly builds up on the walls of the pipes. As grease builds up it will also trap other objects flowing down the drain, blocking the flow of water completely.

AVOID FLUSHING FOREIGN OBJECTS

A toilet was meant to carry waste and toilet paper down the drain. It was never intended to be used as a trash can. Avoid putting the following objects into the toilet:

• Q-tips or cotton swabs
• Cotton balls
• Female Hygiene or Sanitary products. (These products are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to drains clogging. These should rather be placed in a plastic bag and disposed of in the trash.)
• Face wipes
• Baby wipes (Even wipes marketed as “flushable” have been known to cause clogs!)
• Toys and crayons
• Hard objects
• Stick-like objects
• Things that won’t dissolve

KEEP THE LID CLOSED

Plumbers are often called because a foreign object, most commonly a small toy, is obstructing the pipes. A simple trick you can use to help keep objects out of the bowl is to keep the lid closed. This will stop objects such as a toothbrush, comb, or small toy from falling into the toilet bowl.

CALL A PROFESSIONAL FOR TOUGH CLOGS

If all of these tips don’t help alleviate toilet clogs, or if you notice that other sinks and drains are slow as well, the problem may not be in your toilet. You may have a problem further in the line that requires the special skills of a plumber to come and fix.

Speedy Analysis:

When you encounter a problem with your drains, you want it to be fixed as soon as possible; time is money after all! It’s also a hassle to be dealing with a blockage at home. However, a CCTV survey speeds everything up considerably. As the camera is lowered into the drain, the plumber can see everything in real time on a TV screen.

Accurate Diagnosis:

A speedy analysis naturally leads on to an accurate diagnosis, because the drain technician can see exactly what the problem is straight away. This means they can devise an effective solution for the problem, rather than making an assumption based on limited evidence. For example, if a tree root is blocking the drain, a chemical cleaner will not flush it out, and a drain technician will know this from the CCTV footage. Furthermore you as the customer gain the peace of mind knowing exactly what the real issue as.

Cost effective:

A drain technicians time can be costly, so repeat visits to sort out a drainage problem can become expensive. However, due to its precision and accuracy, a CCTV drain survey is better value for money because it simply takes less time to find a problem if there is one.

Minimal Disruption:

CCTV drain surveys save time and money, but they also keep disruption to a compete minimum. The camera does all the work in locating the problem, so once the drain technician has identified it, they can simply carry out the work on that part of the drain, rather than carrying out a large excavation to locate the problem.

Ideal for new property owners:

For potential property owners, a CCTV drain survey can be used to carry out an assessment of the drain in a property. This technology turns what could be a long, expensive task into a quick visit from a drain technician, which is ideal for cutting down costs during the costly process of buying a house.