Slab Leak: Does Homeowners Insurance Cover It?

A slab leak occurs when a water pipe (an incoming one or outgoing sanitary one) is leaking within or under your concrete foundation. Because the damaged water pipe is stuck within your foundation or right below it, it’s much harder to repair than a leaking pipe that is visible to the naked eye. Because your foundation is essentially a “slab”, it is called a “slab” leak. The water you use in house comes from the city and branches out all over your house. You also have water going out of your house from the kitchen and the bathroom. Because the water going into your house is pressurized, a slab leak in one of these water pipes can cause some serious flooding in your house because the water is pressurized and never turned off. A slab leak from one of the outgoing pipes (from your bathroom or kitchen), although it will not cause as much leakage, still has the potential to cause some damage to your foundation. Although flooding may happen due to a slab leak, it is more likely that the leak will remain undetected because the water, unless the breakage occurred close to your floor, will flow down and not up. For all you know, right know, you may a serious leak under house. But because there is no way of seeing it, it is sometimes hard to detect. You may have a slab leak if your floor has water on it (pretty obvious), you see water leaking from under your house, you have low water pressure in your house (the faucets or showers aren’t as strong as they used to be), the level of your foundation is lowered out of nowhere (your house or portions of it literally sink), or if you see an unexpected increase in your water bills. Common causes of slab leaks include a moving of the foundation (due to pure design or ground conditions), poor water lines to begin with, water pressure that is too high, and the chemistry of the water (if the pH of the water is too high, the incoming copper pipes may start to corrode and get pinhole leaks in the process). You can also find out if you have a slab leak by checking the water meter in your house. If the little arrow changes position within several minutes time, it means that you have a slab leak.

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The base of your house is its foundation. The foundation is what gives it support. The only thing supporting the foundation, however, is the soil around it. If that soil becomes watery, your entire house has the potential to become seriously disfigured, depending on the severity of the slab leak.

If you already suspect that you have a slab leak, how much is it going to cost to repair it? Although the price will vary significantly by area and by how extensive the leaks are, you can expect to pay in the $1,500.00 range. Despite this, don’t just settle for the first quote you get from a plumber. They are all in the business of making money and some simply charge less than others. Get the lowest priced plumber you can find. Just make sure not to sacrifice price for quality. Use your own intuition in deciding whether or not the plumber can due the job correctly. You can easily find a list of plumbers in your area by searching for “plumber” at Yellowpages.com or your local business directory. Aside from actually fixing the damage plumbers can also provide a slab leak inspection letting in wired cameras into your pipes.

Can you repair a leak of the slab or foundation by yourself? If the source of the leak is pretty obvious, such as a small puddle is constantly showing up in an area of your house, you can remove the small section of flooring, remove the concrete using a drill bit until you see the leaking pipe, cut off the water coming into your house, replace the broken pipe by welding a new one in, pour concrete back in, and put your floor back to the way it was. If this sounds like a lot of work, it is because it is. Regardless, assuming you know for sure where the leak is coming from, you can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars by repairing a slab leak by yourself. This would be as cheap as you can go in patching up a leak.

You may very well be asking yourself, is a slab leak covered by my homeowners insurance policy? Usually, a house insurance policy does not insure the foundation. Rather, it insures the home that the foundation is on. As such, if you suddenly got a slab leak, your insurance will most likely not cover it. However, your home insurance may cover the damage done to the inside of your house (flooring, carpeting, belongings, etc.) as a result of the water damage.

Article written by friends from Apartments for Rent in Pittsburgh.