Friday, August 20, 2010

What is a slab leak? I got a high water bill. Could I have a plumbing leak I don't know about?

So you opened your mail, and got the water bill is much higher than it is supposed to be.  You have called the water company hoping it was a mistake, but they said it is not.  Perhaps they send someone out to make sure the meter is working properly, but it is.  You have not seen any sign of water around your house.  You have not wasted three times your normal water usage filling the pool over and over again or watering your lawn non-stop, so what is happening?  Check the toilets and sinks in your house, and if you can't find another cause for the increase, you may have a water leak.  If the water company comes out, they will look at your meter, and they may tell you that a leak indicator on the top of the meter may be spinning away.  this is a classic indication of a water leak and often a slab leak.  There are several different type of slab leaks.  The service line of your home runs from the water meter to the shut-off valve in your house.  If you close the shut off valve in your house, the leak indicator on top of the water meter will continue to spin.  If you have a leak in your home between the shut-off valve and and of the water fixtures in your house, when you close the shut-off valve, the leak indicator will stop also.  If the leak is on the service line, there is still a chance, even if you don't see water in your yard, that the leak on the line could be outside of your slab.  This is most likely in climates where freezing is an issue as service lines are often required to be 36-48 inches under ground, and that depth can allow even significant water loss to dissipate before reaching the surface.  In areas where freezing is not a concern, lines are often run much closer to the surface, and leaks on the service line outside of your slab are more readily apparent.  Never fear!!  Once you realize that you have a leak, you know what the problem is and can get started on the path to getting it fixed.

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1 Comments:

At September 27, 2010 at 5:19 AM , Blogger JohnJ1324 said...

Thanks for the info

 

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