If your foundation is cracked or sunken, there could be a water problem under your house. Poor drainage and too much water are common causes of foundation damage. Excess water could be coming from a plumbing leak under the slab. This might be due to a constant leak from a water pipe or an intermittent leak from a drain. Here's a look at what a foundation repair contractor might do to repair your foundation when the cause is a plumbing leak.
Do A Leak Test To Verify A Plumbing Problem
The first thing the contractor has to do is a leak test on the plumbing to determine if your home has a slab leak. The contractor has to check both the pressurized water lines and the drains that run under the slab. This verifies or rules out the plumbing as a cause of the excess water.
Make Repairs To The Foundation And Plumbing
If a broken water pipe is found, the contractor has to make repairs or the foundation could sustain damage again. The contractor might replace the water pipe or pull a liner through it to seal off the damaged area.
In addition to repairing the plumbing, the contractor has to fix the crack and raise the foundation. This might be done using concrete or steel piers. The piers might be installed inside or outside your home or both. The piers elevate your foundation so the sunken area is level again and so the foundation has a stable surface to rest on. The contractor also seals cracks so water can't seep through which also helps stabilize the concrete.
Do Another Test To Rule Out More Leaks
Moving the foundation around could potentially damage other plumbing pipes. For that reason, the contractor might want to do another leak test to make sure no pipes or drains are leaking once the foundation repair is complete. If another leak is found, slab leak repairs are necessary to stop the leak before your foundation is affected.
A new leak might be repaired by digging out the pipe and replacing it, but a contractor can often stop a pipe leak by pulling through a new pipe or a liner without the need to do any more digging.
Burst plumbing pipes are not always the reason for foundation damage, but a pipe under the foundation that leaks long enough can cause the soil to shift and the foundation to crack. That's why it's essential for the foundation repair contractor to understand the reason for the foundation damage so the foundation and cause of the damage can both be repaired. You can find more info by reaching out to local foundation repair contractors near you.
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