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| WHAT
CAUSES SLAB LEAKS
A large number of homes in Florida were built with
a concrete slab foundation and soft copper water pipes under the
concrete slab.
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SOFT
COPPER Prior
to pouring the concrete, the soft copper tubing is rolled out along
the ground and the ends are turned up to where they will be joined
to water lines running to the various parts of the house.
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| THE
SLAB FOUNDATION
Concrete
is then poured over the pipes, sealing them beneath the slab foundation.
The
soft copper tubing is prone to suffer dents and kinks during construction
and this can result in a less-than-smooth surface inside the pipes.
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| HARD WATER
It
also happens that Florida can have unusually "hard" water.
The "hardness" is a combination of calcium, lime and some
iron in the water.
These hard elements
are abrasive to the inner surface of the pipes as the water travels
through.
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PINHOLE LEAKS
The slightest
ridge or kink within the pipe will tend to wear down until it wears
through, resulting in a crack
or "pinhole leak" in the pipe.
It is usually
the hot water pipe that is the first to go, since this pipe is subject
to the expansion and contraction that accompanies heating and cooling.
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HIGH
HEATING AND WATER BILLS
When
a leak occurs under the concrete slab, it is not easy to fix. Left
un-handled, it can cause floor damage and other problems including
high heating and water bills.
THE
JACKHAMMER APPROACH
The
quick fix is to use a leak detector to locate, within three feet,
the source of the leak. Then the carpeting, furniture, cabinets,
etc. are ripped away and a jackhammer is used to break through the
concrete slab.
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| PATCHING
THE LEAK Once the leak
is found and a patch applied, new concrete is poured and the flooring
is restored.
REPEATING THE
PROCESS
It's an expensive
process, especially when a new leak can pop up, sometimes within
days, and the whole messy, disruptive process has to be repeated.
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