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concrete slab leak

Asked Jun 3, 2012, 11:32 PM — 3 Answers
I just bought a house that was built in 1997. The first day after we moved in, we were doing laundry. When the washer got to the "rinse and spin" cycle and started to drain the water out, we noticed that water was leaking out from underneath the drywall in the laundry room. We also saw water leak in the garage, which is next to the laundry room.

We called a plumbing company to come. They told us that they will have to jack-hammer the concrete in the laundry room to expost the water pipe so that they will detect where the water leak is. But they can't guarantee they will find it by doing that.

Does this make sense? Is there a non-destructive way to find where the leak is?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

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RickJ's Avatar
RickJ Posts: 10,075, Reputation: 4374
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#2

Jun 4, 2012, 05:05 AM
Did the plumber open up the wall to view the exposed line that handles the drain of the washer?

If not, that's what needs done first.
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speedball1's Avatar
speedball1 Posts: 27,655, Reputation: 9541
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#3

Jun 4, 2012, 05:27 AM


Rick asked before I could. This leak could have been inside the drywall behind the washer station. If that wasn't checked out get some new plumbers in.
Quote:
Is there a non-destructive way to find where the leak is?
Yes there is. There are leak detection companies out there. My company uses Sluthe. The locate the leak, jackhammer up the slab, dig down to the leak and bag the dirt. All we have to do is repair the leak and patch the opening. Another option that doesn't involve tearing up your slab would be to cut the bad section out of the system and run a external main ,(either outside or overhead) with branches to each fixture. That's what I did when my cold water main developed a leak. But the drywall should have been opened and checked before any mention of tearing up the slab. Please keep us informed of future developments. Good luck, Tom
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hkstroud's Avatar
hkstroud Posts: 8,471, Reputation: 3424
Home Improvement & Construction Expert
  
#4

Jun 4, 2012, 05:50 AM
Quote:
They told us that they will have to jack-hammer the concrete
Call another plumber, (or handyman) and don't ever talk to that plumber again

Presumably the washer stand pipe (the drain pipe for the washer) is inside the wall, the wall is above the concrete floor and that water flows down hill, the leak is inside the wall.

Cut a hole in the drywall (I would open up the garage side) to see where the leak is. Drywall is easily repaired. Presumably also the piping is PVC and easily repaired.
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