What a slab leak is
Many Hayward homes built in the 1950s and after sit on a concrete slab, with the water lines running under it. A slab leak is a leak in one of those lines. The pipe is out of sight, so the water can run for weeks before anyone knows.
Signs of a slab leak
- A warm spot on the floor, often in a hallway or bathroom.
- The sound of water running when every tap is off.
- A water bill that jumps for no reason.
- Damp carpet, or flooring that lifts, cups or darkens.
- A water heater that seems to run all the time.
- Cracks in flooring, or water showing at the edge of the slab outside.
One sign is enough to have it checked. A slab leak does not fix itself, and the water under the floor keeps doing damage.
Step one: find it
We do not start by breaking concrete. We test the water lines to confirm there is a leak, work out whether it is on the hot or cold side, and narrow down where it is. That is leak detection, and it comes before any repair talk. You see what we found.
Step two: choose the repair
- Spot repair. Open the slab at the leak, replace that piece of pipe, close the floor. It fixes this leak. The rest of the line stays as old as it was.
- Reroute. Leave the bad line where it is and run a new one through the walls or attic. No floor is broken, and that line is out of the slab for good.
- Repipe. If the house has had more than one slab leak, the other lines are the same age and in the same ground. A repipe replaces all of them above the slab.
We tell you which of these makes sense for your house and why, with the cost of each. Then it is your call.
Where we work
We are based in Hayward and repair slab leaks in every Hayward ZIP code (94541, 94542, 94544, 94545) and in the nearby slab-home neighborhoods of San Lorenzo, San Leandro, Union City and Fremont.
About Friendly Services
Family-owned, with over 20 years in Hayward. License CSLB #1156315 (C-36 plumbing). $1M general liability cover and workers' comp. A five-year workmanship warranty on our own work. 100+ five-star reviews online. If water is coming up through the floor now, we are open 24/7 for emergencies.