domestic water line
Does anyone know if the domestic water line is under the concrete slab or in the slab? If i do have a leak can i hear the leak and whats the best way to determine if i have a leak. thank you Tom
Hi Tom- The best thing to do is immediately turn off your water main while you are not using your water and then refer to the topic posted last week titled "Underslab leak- Retrofit recommendations". The link is
http://www.eichlernetwork.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=181
This should help you troubleshoot your problem and offer some advice. Good luck. Lynn
The water lines are under the slab, thus more exposed to problems. The radiant heat is in the concrete.
To check if you have a leak, with no one using water in the house, look at your water meter (mine is at the curb under a metal cover). Mine has a little red triangle that just keeps on spinning. When I cut off the water supply (at the house) the spinning stops so the leak isn't between the street and the house.
I then turned off my sprinkler system (I have a seperate valve for it)....still leaking.
I then turned off the hotwater tank and noticed I still had a leak, at about 80% of the hotwater leak.
To hear leaks, wait til night time (when it's really quiet even outside). An stick your head into the cabinets where your water goes, you may hear a tiny noise from the leak.
Now the problem is that fixing two leaks under the slab will take two holes in the floor (repairs to the hardwood floors and the ceramic tiles). So take the cost of two holes and the repairs to the floor and I was a good way on to a whole house retrofit.
To read your type of meter, do a google search and find a picture of it (or see your latest water bill and perhaps it tells you how).
This is a good thing to check before buying a house....
You can hire a plumber who has an ultrasonic leak detector. They can hear the leak with this equipment. This service cost us about $100 two years ago.
You can hire a plumber who has an ultrasonic leak detector. They can hear the leak with this equipment. This service cost us about $100 two years ago.
