Under-Slab Leak Detection and Repair in Lilburn, GA

The tells are a warm spot on the floor (a leaking hot-water line under the slab), the sound of running water when everything's off, a water bill that jumped for no reason, damp or buckling flooring in one area, and new cracks in tile or drywall as the slab shifts. A meter that keeps moving with all fixtures off confirms water is escaping - under a slab home, usually beneath the foundation.

We locate it before we open anything. First we isolate the hot and cold lines and pressure-test to confirm the leak is under the slab and which line it's on, then we pinpoint the exact spot with acoustic listening and a thermal scan of the floor. That's what lets us access one marked location instead of jackhammering across the slab hunting for it.

It depends on the leak. A single break in an otherwise sound line is often a targeted access-and-repair through one spot of concrete. But when the under-slab pipe is aging or has leaked before, rerouting that line overhead through the walls and attic is frequently the smarter fix - it permanently takes the pipe out from under the slab so it can't leak there again. We walk you through both before deciding.

It varies by policy, and it's worth reading yours. Many homeowners policies help with the cost of accessing the leak and repairing the water damage it caused, while excluding the pipe itself and any long-term seepage. We document the leak and the repair clearly so you have what an adjuster needs, but the coverage decision is between you and your insurer.

Less than people assume. Metro Atlanta sits on Piedmont red clay, which is kaolinitic and low in shrink-swell - it isn't the expansive soil you'd find in Texas or Colorado, so it isn't heaving your slab. What it does do is drain slowly and hold water against the foundation. The bigger culprits under a slab are the pipe itself - an old fitting, a tight bend, thin-wall copper abraded where it passes through concrete - and poorly compacted trench backfill that settles. Once a leak starts, the escaping water washes out the soil supporting the slab, and that is what eventually moves the foundation.

A slab leak is on your side of the meter, so the repair is the homeowner's, but Gwinnett County Water Resources handles leak billing questions and many Georgia utilities grant a one-time adjustment for a documented repair. Because slab leaks run constantly, the bill spike can be large - we give you an invoice showing the leak and the fix so you can submit it to Customer Care for review.

Locating the leak is usually a few hours. A pinpointed spot repair can often be same-day, while an overhead reroute or a larger concrete repair may run one to a few days depending on access and flooring. We give you the timeline with the flat price up front, once we know whether it's a spot fix or a reroute.

It's urgent even when it isn't flooding. A slab leak wastes water around the clock, feeds mold under your floors, and erodes the soil supporting the foundation - the longer it runs, the more it costs beyond the plumbing. If you suspect one, shut off the water if you can and call so we can locate it before the damage spreads.