how do i know i have a small water leak under my house?

Question

we just bought a house 7 months ago, it is about 20 yrs old. i have a wet spot in my carpet in the middle of my floor that has been there for about 3 days, wont dry and is gettin bigger. im assuming i have a water leak under the house but im not sure. can i find out before havin someone tear through my floor? any info you can give me on this subject would be very helpful. thanks

my house is on a slab.

Answer 1

20 years old, and on a slab....Call a plumber.... If your not experienced with this type of repair, you are going to end up taking longer and costing more than what a plumber would charge....Your looking at about a $1000 to $2000 repair having a plumber do it depending on exact circumstances and should only take about 3 days, start to finish...AND the longer you wait, the worst it is going to get...Keep in mind, if it is a big leak...it is washing out the dirt under the slab and making a big hole...Not good...

Experience....30 years as a Maintenance Supervisor, and 27 of these repairs in the last 2 years....

Answer 2

You will want to pull the carpeting off the tack strips and pull it back, rolling it as you procede and do the entire room. Then roll up the padding also in the same manner.

At this point you can pretty much determine if the leak is traveling along and coming out of a crack. One case I saw the leak traveled about 15 feet before it reached a crack and came thru to the carpeting. So dont assume its right under the carpeting at that exact location of the wet spot. This is almost never the case.

The rest of the job is not an easy task so you might want to seek a professional contractor type to locate this leaky pipe, as the contractor can inject a magnetic IronChloride into the pipe and locate it exactly with a ground detection instrument which will also leach out under the floor and form a circle which will identify exactly where the leak is in the concrete floor as it will show up on the detection instrument. .

The next part is a messy one. They will come out with a wet saw and saw right thru the concrete a double cut about a foot wide along the run of the pipe and remove that swat of concrete and dig down to the pipe and replace it and then reconcrete the floor.

Answer 3

First determine if it is mfg. water or surface water. I know several plumbers that have a very unlike of telling. Taste it, they claim they can taste the chlorine in Mfg water. If it turns out it is city water and is coming thru a crack in your floor, I suggest you re plumb your house and go thru the ceiling. Cut the old line off at the meter or where it enters you house. By the time the floor is jack hammered up a new pipe installed and hooked up, new cement is put back in the trench you just dug, and the house is re decorated, Probably new curtains, and drapes, be an excellent time to replace the carpet, and that calls for new furniture. Of course you have to move out while all the cement and plumbing work is being done. Motels cost.

Answer 4

With your house being on a slab that, is a sure sign that there is a drainage problem, this probably don't happen when there is not heavy rain, so I would just get some one to dig a drainage ditch around the house and install drainage pipes that has holes in it and drain the water away from the house, Check out where your guttering is draining at, this might be a more simple matter by just directing your gutter drains away from around the house, or un plug it.

Answer 5

Is this house on a slab? Mother in law had same problem, had to pull up the flooring and then chisel through the concrete. I saw where in installation the plastic tubing was crimped and it had developed a leak. Had to cut the water and cut the tubing and install an union fitting to repair it. It was fine after that. Had to replace the concrete and the flooring. Good luck.

Answer 6

if the house is up on blocks you need to get under there with a flash light and look around!! if you find a busted pipe it is fairly easy to replace or call a plumber.. if it is on a slab you will have to pull back every thing covering the cement floor,,and crack open the floor,, much fun!!

Answer 7

Ring your local water board and ask if there are any spring near by, especially ones which occur after rain. Talk to your neighbours about it they may be having the same problem. Ring the council. Ask the local Citezens advice beaurx as they may be aware of a similar problem and how it was fixed last time. A near by culvet may be blocked and it could be flooding into you land.

Answer 8

Make sure you roof isn't leaking or the water isn't running from somewhere else before you start tearing things apart.