hidden leak

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

I live in a slab house and my water meter is showing a slow movement of water leakage continually when everything else is off. I have turned off each faucet throughout the house, and still, leak. The only time the meter does not show a leak is when I turn the main valve off or when I turn off the cold feed into the hot water heater.

[GuestParticipant]

You gave a couple of good clues.
You send you turned off the main valve and there was no meter movement. The reason for this is the leak is beyond the main valve.
You also said it stopped when you turned off the cold service to the water heater. This means your leak is on the hot water service.
OK, so lets reveiw what we know, The water leak is under the slab on the hot water service.
Now what we dont know is what we have to pay someone to diagnose for you and that is where is this hot leak.
Call a licensed plumber with an electronic slab leak detector. They will locate, break the floor and repair the leak, backfill the hole with sand and concrete to grade.
Good Luck,
Bill
The Local Plumber
Tustin, California http://www.TheLocalPlumber.com

[GuestParticipant]

thanks for the reply. I suspected this might be the case, though, i also thought i might have overlooked something. Will get someone in to do this.

[ACMEParticipant]

quote:

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Originally posted by walbrecht:
I live in a slab house and my water meter is showing a slow movement of water leakage continually when everything else is off. I have turned off each faucet throughout the house, and still, leak. The only time the meter does not show a leak is when I turn the main valve off or when I turn off the cold feed into the hot water heater.

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You have done a great job of testing to narrow the problem down. You might want to check the temperature/pressure relief valve on the water heater. It may be piped outside or somewhere else. If it is piped out…..feel the pipe and see if it is warm/hot which might indicate a leaking valve(note:the pipe will feel warm close to the water heater so check it a foot or two away from the valve).
If it turns out to be a leak under the slab, many times the culprit is the longest hot water run…..or, the hot pipe that has to travel the furtherest distance from the water heater since it will be the pipe that expands and contracts the most.
It is really difficult to isolate a pipe that is leaking under a slab but the plumber might be able to find a manifold(point of distribution,usually several pipes that connect togeather in a wall,just above the floor line) that distributes the hot water to the various fixtures….if that leaking pipe can be isolated and disconnected…..a new one might be rerouted to the fixture without breaking up the concrete. It must be routed in a way as to avoid freezing though.
You may not be able to get around the jackhammer though…I am just assuming that you have the basic manifold system where no fittings were installed under grade.

Good luck!

[fourth yearParticipant]

This is what you do.
Call a leak locator to find the leak.
Call your homeowner’s insurance company and tell them you have a leak.
Call a plumber to break open the floor, fix the leak, and replace the concrete. He may also know a repair person to replace the flooring and/or patch the walls.
Have the plumber give you two bills. One for actually repairing the leak, (usually a very small amount), and the other for accessing the pipe. Submit the leak locator’s bill, the plumber’s accessing bill, and the restoration person’s bill to your insurance company. They should cover everything minus your deductible.

[SylvanLMPParticipant]

quote:

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Originally posted by The Local Plumber:
You gave a couple of good clues.
You send you turned off the main valve and there was no meter movement. The reason for this is the leak is beyond the main valve.
You also said it stopped when you turned off the cold service to the water heater. This means your leak is on the hot water service.
OK, so lets reveiw what we know, The water leak is under the slab on the hot water service.
Now what we dont know is what we have to pay someone to diagnose for you and that is where is this hot leak.
Call a licensed plumber with an electronic slab leak detector. They will locate, break the floor and repair the leak, backfill the hole with sand and concrete to grade.
Good Luck,
Bill
The Local Plumber
Tustin, California http://www.TheLocalPlumber.com

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Bill, Perfect sound advice as usual

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