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pablos retreat · Mar 19, 2005, 03:34 PM

We had been hearing running water near our kitchen sink, and the water meter dial had been turning constantly. The water bill jumped from fifty to eighty dollars.We called in a plumber who said we have a leak. He put nitrogen and helium into the pipes,so he would be able to hear exactly were the leak might be. We heard a rumbling under the slab, which is exactly what he wanted to hear. Since that time we longer hear the running water, and the water meter dial has stopped turning. No one found the leak.The water bill went down and the leak was not found. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PROBLEM IS? Thanking you in advance, pablos retreat.

speedball1 · Mar 19, 2005, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by pablos retreat

We had been hearing running water near our kitchen sink, and the water meter dial had been turning constantly. The water bill jumped from fifty to eighty dollars.We called in a plumber who said we have a leak. He put nitrogen and helium into the pipes,so he would be able to hear exactly were the leak might be. We heard a rumbling under the slab, which is exactly what he wanted to hear. Since that time we longer hear the running water, and the water meter dial has stopped turning. No one found the leak.The water bill went down and the leak was not found. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PROBLEM IS? Thanking you in advance, pablos retreat.

Ya got me tall stranger,
I've heqrd of drainage leaks repairing themselves but I've never heard of a pressure leak doing it. The only thing that comes to mind is that when he pressured the line up with gas and it "rumbled" that it disturbed minerals built up on the pipe wall. The matter that was disturbed was driven by the pressure into the leak and lodged there stopping the leak. Nothing else fits. However I would keep a close eye on the meter it's my guess the repair isn't going to last very long. In my area of Florida all our houses are built on slabs and I've had to repair a lot of under-slab leaks. Tommy, any ideas?Good luck, Tom

tommytman · Mar 20, 2005, 09:51 AM

Speedbal,
How do you get at underslab leaks?? Bust up all of the slab?

speedball1 · Mar 20, 2005, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by tommytman

Speedbal,
How do you get at underslab leaks??? Bust up all of the slab?

We call in a company called "Sleuth". They have sensitive listening devices that pinpoint the leak. They then take up a small section of the slab, bare the leak, bag the dirt and call us back to come out to repair the leak, put the dirt back and patch the hole. Sleuth is not cheap back in 88 when I retired it cost a minimum of $250 to get them out. However when you consider the time it saves on locating and getting down to it it's a bargan. Let me take this opportunity to thank you for your input on this site. Both you and labman are real assets to the plumbing page. Tom,

pablos retreat · Mar 20, 2005, 03:44 PM

Thanks for answering us so fast. That's good info. We will keep an eye on the meter.