Slab leak repair in Las Vegas

A slab leak is a failure in a water line running underneath the concrete foundation. In a valley where almost every home is slab-on-grade, it is one of the defining local plumbing problems.

Left alone it erodes the soil supporting the slab, which is how a plumbing problem turns into a foundation problem.

How you notice one

• A warm patch on the floor, which points at a hot water line
• Running water audible with every fixture off
• A water bill that climbed for no reason
• Flooring lifting, cracking or staining
• Damp carpet edges or baseboards
• A sudden drop in hot water pressure

Three ways to fix it

A spot repair opens the slab at the located leak and repairs that section. It is the least disruptive when the pipe is otherwise in good condition and this is a first leak.

A reroute abandons the under-slab section and runs new line overhead through the attic and down the walls. It costs more up front but never has to be dug again, which is often the better answer on a second leak.

A full repipe replaces the supply system. That is the right call when the pipe material is at end of life and leaks are going to keep coming.

How to decide

The honest rule of thumb: the first slab leak in a sound system is usually a spot repair. By the second or third, you are paying to open the floor repeatedly on a system that is telling you it is finished, and a reroute or repipe stops the cycle.

Ask any plumber quoting a spot repair what they think the odds are of another leak in the next two years. The answer tells you a lot.

• InterNACHI puts a copper water line at about 50 years. (InterNACHI life expectancy chart)

All makes and models

Plumbers in our network work on all makes and models for this service. We do not claim an authorised dealer relationship with any manufacturer, and we will tell you if a part for a discontinued unit cannot be sourced.