Why clay matters
Expansive clay changes volume with moisture. In a wet spring it swells; in a long Texas drought it shrinks and cracks. Slabs move with it, and rigid or aging pipes under the slab can crack or separate at joints. Drain lines can also sag or pull apart, which a hydrostatic test or camera inspection reveals.
Warning signs
- The water meter's leak indicator moves with every fixture off (see the meter test on our Leak Cost Calculator)
- A warm spot on tile or flooring (hot-water line leak)
- Unexplained jump in your SAWS bill
- Damp carpet or baseboards with no obvious source
- Hearing water running when nothing is on
Repair, reroute or repipe
Spot repair breaks the slab at the leak. It makes sense for an isolated leak in otherwise sound pipe. Reroute abandons the leaking line and runs a new one through the attic or walls, avoiding the slab entirely. Repipe replaces the whole supply system, which is smart when the pipe material itself is failing or leaks keep recurring. We walk through the trade-offs in Slab leak: repair, reroute or repipe?
Drain leaks are different
Under-slab drain leaks don't show on the meter. They show up as odors, slow drains, settling or a failed hydrostatic test. Repairs can mean tunneling under the foundation, so an independent review of the test results and the scope is worth it.
Get a second opinion on any slab-leak quote through our slab leak consulting, or read about Converse and San Antonio conditions.